Project Development Engineer

Swank Construction Company; New Kensington (Westmoreland County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Swank Construction Company seeks a Project Development Engineer to serve as the primary preconstruction resource for private infrastructure and buried utilities. You will define scope, evaluate options, assess risk, and develop practical construction strategies before work begins.

This role links business development with operations, driving growth in buried utilities, broadband/fiber, and site development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in civil engineering, construction management, or related discipline required.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible construction experience in heavy civil and related markets.
• Proven ability to develop execution strategies, budgets, schedules and proposal support materials.
• Strong knowledge of risk analysis, constructability, permitting, and utility coordination.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical and construction resource during project development and preconstruction.
• Define scope, evaluate alternatives, assess feasibility, and develop execution strategies.
• Lead planning, constructability reviews, sequencing, logistics, and route planning.
• Provide technical guidance on buried utility infrastructure, trenching, boring, and conduit installation.
• Develop conceptual budgets, preliminary schedules, and planning documents.
• Lead risk identification and analysis across multiple risk categories.
• Coordinate collaboration between business development, estimating, engineering, and operations.
• Support proposals, client presentations, and pursuit activities with clear execution strategies.
• Ensure smooth turnover to operations with defined scope, budgets, and schedules.

Skills

Project development

Preconstruction

Risk analysis

Budgeting & cost planning

Planning coordination

Stakeholder influence

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Excel

HCSS HeavyBid

HCSS HeavyJob

Bluebeam

Scheduling software

Document management platforms

Job description

Overview:

The Project Development Engineer serves as the company's primary project development and preconstruction resource for private infrastructure and buried utility opportunities. This position works directly with owners, developers, engineers, designers, and internal stakeholders to define scope, evaluate alternatives, analyze risk, and establish practical construction strategies before construction begins. Acting as a key link between business development and construction operations, the Project Development Engineer helps turn early project concepts into executable plans and supports growth in buried utilities, broadband/fiber, site development, and other emerging infrastructure markets.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Serve as the company's primary technical and construction resource during project development and preconstruction activities.
• Work with owners, developers, engineers, and designers to define project scope and objectives, evaluate alternatives, assess feasibility, identify risks and constraints, and develop high-level project execution strategies.
• Lead project planning efforts, including constructability reviews, means and methods evaluations, sequencing, logistics, route planning, and execution strategy.
• Provide technical guidance related to buried utility infrastructure, including trenching, boring, plowing, conduit installation, utility conflicts, permitting, easements, and constructability.
• Develop conceptual budgets, preliminary schedules, assumptions, and planning documents to support project feasibility and owner decision-making.
• Lead risk identification and analysis, including constructability, utility, permitting, right-of-way, easement, environmental, schedule, contractual, insurance, and commercial risks.
• Coordinate collaboration between business development, estimating, engineering, operations, team throughout project development.
• Provide strategic direction to estimating personnel regarding budgets, pricing strategies, production assumptions, scope gaps, and project risks.
• Support proposals, client presentations, interviews, and pursuit activities by communicating construction approaches, assumptions, risks, and execution strategies.
• Facilitate project turnover and ensure operations teams understand project scope, assumptions, risks, commitments, budgets, schedules, and execution plans.

Qualifications

Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed.

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible construction experience in heavy civil, utility, infrastructure, oil and gas, water, telecommunications, preconstruction, estimating, project management, operations, engineering, or related roles. Emphasis in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia markets.
• Proficient in developing construction execution strategies, project development plans, conceptual budgets, preliminary schedules, and proposal support materials.
• Proficient in project planning, constructability reviews, design coordination, value engineering, scope development, and risk analysis.
• Strong understanding of heavy civil and buried utility means and methods, including trenching, boring, plowing, conduit installation, utility coordination, earthwork, grading, and site development.
• Strong understanding of utility permitting, easement coordination, route planning, right-of-way considerations, environmental constraints, and utility conflict resolution.
• Proficient in reviewing plans, specifications, contract documents, geotechnical reports, utility information, permitting requirements, and other technical project documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to influence project decisions and gain consensus among owners, developers, designers, consultants, senior operations personnel, estimators, engineers, and project stakeholders.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, HCSS HeavyBid, HCSS HeavyJob, Bluebeam, scheduling software, document management platforms, and advanced Excel for budgeting and analysis.
• Experience supporting utility, broadband/fiber, oil and gas, water infrastructure, industrial, transportation, or private site development projects is preferred.

Additional Notes About The Role

• This position was created to strengthen the company's project development capabilities within private infrastructure and buried utility markets.
• The role is intended to fill a technical gap between business development and operations, particularly where projects are not yet fully defined and require practical construction input.
• While the position works closely with estimating and operations personnel, it is intended to function as a project development and preconstruction resource rather than a dedicated estimator or traditional project manager.
• Success will be measured by project development effectiveness, risk analysis, client confidence, successful transitions to operations, backlog growth, and project profitability.

Swank Construction Company, LLC is a well-known and respected leader in the heavy highway construction industry.

Swank Construction Company, LLC is a drug-free and Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by law.