Project Engineer / Project Manager

LVI Associates; McHenry (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Client is seeking a Civil Project Engineer I – Land Development in McHenry, IL (with additional work in Aurora and New Lenox). You will help design roads, drainage, and utilities, shaping how communities grow.

Expect ownership of components, client contact, and involvement across planning, permitting, and construction stages. The role requires 5–10 years of land development/site civil experience; you will mentor junior engineers and collaborate with municipalities to deliver

Qualifications

• Degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering required.
• PE license (or ability to obtain imminently) is required.

Responsibilities

• Design civil/site components including grading, drainage, utilities for multiple sites.
• Own project components and sometimes entire projects.
• Collaborate with clients and municipalities to solve challenges.
• Lead or contribute to QA/QC to ensure buildable designs.
• Support projects from planning through construction and provide mentorship.

Skills

Strong communicator

Collaborative

Client-facing

Leadership

Education

Civil/Environmental Engineering degree

PE license or eligible

Tools

Civil 3D

StormCAD

WaterCAD

Job description

Confidential Client | McHenry, IL & Aurora, IL & New Lenox, IL (Land Development Group)

What if your next project shaped how communities grow and function?

Project Engineer I - Land Development

At our client, civil engineers don't just draw plans - they design the roadway, drainage, and utility infrastructure that determines how people live, move, and connect every day.

We're looking for a Civil Project Engineer with 5-10 years of land development or site civil experience who's ready to step up: more ownership, more client contact, and a real say in how projects get delivered.

Why this role is different

This isn't a narrow, siloed seat. You'll handle utility, grading, and drainage design across commercial sites and residential communities, including the roadway and utility extensions that support them - the kind of well-rounded experience that accelerates growth and opens doors to leadership.

You'll be involved across the full project lifecycle: planning, design, permitting, and construction support. You'll manage your work to schedule and budget, sit at the table with clients and municipalities, and mentor the engineers coming up behind you.

Put simply, you won't just be doing design work - you'll be influencing how projects are planned and executed, and watching your work move from concept to something real on the ground.

Where you'll make your impact

• Design and deliver civil/site projects - grading, stormwater, water, and wastewater systems
• Take ownership of project components, and in some cases entire projects
• Partner with internal teams, clients, and municipalities to solve real-world challenges
• Lead or contribute to QA/QC to ensure high-quality, buildable designs
• Support projects from early planning through construction
• Mentor junior engineers and help elevate the team around you

You might be a great fit if…

• You're ready to move beyond task execution and want genuine ownership
• You'd rather work across multiple project types than be boxed into one
• You're looking for a firm where growth doesn't take 10+ years
• You want more client and municipal exposure than your current seat allows

What you bring

Education Degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering

Licensure PE required (or able to obtain imminently) - this is a must-have

Experience 5-10 years in civil engineering, land development preferred

Software Civil 3D, StormCAD, WaterCAD or similar

Soft skills Strong communicator, collaborative, comfortable in front of clients and municipalities

Why this firm

My client is a long-established, employee-owned engineering and consulting firm with well over a century of continuous operation - a genuinely stable platform with real ownership upside for the people who build it.

• National reach, local roots - 700+ employees across 20+ offices nationwide, with a strong Illinois presence
• Consistently ranked among the top design firms in the US, and climbing
• Certified as a great place to work - culture is measured here, not just talked about
• Career roadmaps that make progression visible: the skills needed at each stage and a clear path to get there, rather than waiting your turn
• Land Development is a core business line with its own leadership, integrating land planning, engineering, and landscape architecture into one team
• Large enough to lead impactful projects anywhere in the country, but structured so you can grow without waiting in line