Project Engineer - Tunnels Construction Management

Mott MacDonald; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 154,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Short-term/Long-term disability

Paid holidays

PTO

Parental leave

Company paid life insurance

Job summary

Mott MacDonald in Los Angeles seeks a Project Engineer to support tunneling and underground infrastructure delivery across Southern California and beyond, with potential site secondments for LASAN Outfall Tunnel work.

You will monitor construction activities, review submittals, maintain records, and coordinate technical interfaces with owners, designers, contractors, and inspectors. PE preferred with 7+ years’ experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or related discipline.
• PE license preferred or able to obtain within defined timeframe.
• 7+ years of tunneling, underground construction, or heavy civil experience.
• Experience reviewing contractor submittals, RFIs, and schedules.
• Strong safety, QA/QC, and document control understanding.

Responsibilities

• Serve on site-based construction management team for tunneling and underground works.
• Monitor contractor activities against contract documents and submittals.
• Conduct daily field observations and maintain detailed records.
• Coordinate RFIs, design clarifications, and nonconformance items.
• Review submittals, work plans, and test plans for completeness and coordination.
• Maintain logs for submittals, RFIs, changes, and progress.
• Support QA, testing, turnover docs, and closeout activities.
• Participate in progress and coordination meetings; document actions.

Skills

Tunneling

Construction management

Field observations

Submittals review

Coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

Tools

Project controls

Job description

At Mott MacDonald, we trust our brilliant people to do brilliant things in engineering, management, and development services, supporting multisector project work in over 150 countries. As one of the largest employee-owned companies in the world, we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes through our network of 20,000+ talented consultants. With sustainability and innovation at the heart of all our sectors in North America, including, Buildings, Energy, Transportation, and Water.

Title: Project Engineer – Tunnels Construction Management

Location: Los Angeles, CA

About the Role

We are seeking a talented and motivated Project Engineer to support the construction delivery of major tunneling and underground infrastructure projects across Southern California and beyond. The role is anticipated to include secondment to a construction site, working closely with the owner, construction management team, designer, and contractor on the Los Angeles Sanitation (LASAN) Outfall Tunnel Program and other critical infrastructure projects.

As part of the site-based construction management team, you will monitor construction activities, coordinate technical and contractual interfaces, review contractor submittals, maintain project records, and support timely resolution of field issues. This position is ideal for an engineer who combines tunneling knowledge with practical judgment and strong communication skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a site-based member of the construction management team for tunneling, shaft, underground structure, and associated surface works.
• Monitor contractor activities for general conformance with contract documents, approved submittals, permits, and project procedures.
• Perform regular field observations and document construction progress, labor and equipment, work activities, constraints, and notable site conditions in daily reports.
• Coordinate responses to requests for information, field queries, design clarifications, nonconformance reports, and other technical issues arising during construction.
• Review contractor submittals, work plans, method statements, shop drawings, material data, inspection and test plans, and temporary works packages for completeness and coordination.
• Track submittals, RFIs, action items, nonconformances, change issues, and other construction management logs through timely closure.
• Support quality assurance activities, including inspection coordination, review of testing and inspection records, verification of corrective actions, and compilation of turnover documentation.
• Participate in progress, coordination, quality, look-ahead, and issue-resolution meetings; prepare meeting notes and follow up assigned actions.
• Review contractor schedules, short-term look-ahead plans, progress updates, and quantity records; identify emerging constraints or variances and support recovery planning.
• Assist with measurement and verification of completed work, review of payment application backup, and maintenance of records supporting quantities and progress.
• Support evaluation and documentation of potential changes, differing site conditions, claims, and time impacts by maintaining contemporaneous records and coordinating technical input.
• Coordinate interfaces among the owner, contractor, designer, inspectors, utility representatives, operations staff, and other project stakeholders.
• Support environmental, permit, community-impact, traffic, access, and site logistics coordination as required for the work.
• Assist with testing, commissioning, punch-list management, as-built record review, closeout, and handover activities.
• Promote a strong culture of health, safety, quality, inclusion, and collaboration, and promptly escal…

Candidate Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred, or ability to obtain licensure within a defined timeframe.
• 7+ years of experience in tunneling, underground construction, heavy civil infrastructure, or construction management.
• Demonstrated experience working in a field or site-based role on transportation, water/wastewater, energy, or related infrastructure projects.
• Practical knowledge of tunneling and underground construction methods, including shafts, excavation support, concrete works, ground support, grouting, and tunnel boring machine operations.
• Experience reviewing contractor submittals, RFIs, work plans, method statements, inspection records, schedules, and change documentation.
• Understanding of construction safety, quality assurance, contract administration, document control, and project controls practices.
• Ability to interpret drawings, specifications, contract requirements, and technical reports and apply them to field conditions.
• Strong written and verbal communication, coordination, recordkeeping, and stakeholder management skills.

What You'll Bring

• A proactive, field-oriented approach to construction delivery and issue resolution.
• Sound judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to maintain clear contemporaneous records.
• Ability to work effectively with owners, contractors, designers, inspectors, and multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced site environment.
• A commitment to safe execution, quality workmanship, schedule awareness, and collaborative problem-solving.

We believe in empowering our people to excel, learn, and grow, offering diverse opportunities to contribute to career-defining work. Join us and be part of a collaborative environment where your ambitions are united with ours, and you can truly shape your story.

If you share that vision, even if you don’t meet every requirement listed, we’d still love to hear from you. We value potential and diverse perspectives as much as experience. Let’s explore how we can support your growth and help you take the next step in your career, while contributing to an exciting new chapter for Mott MacDonald in North America.

Benefits & Reward

At Mott MacDonald, our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, providing them with a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses. We provide a comprehensive benefit package that includes 401k, medical, dental and vision insurance, short-term/long-term disability, paid holidays, PTO, parental leave, and company paid life insurance.

Individual pay is determined based on several factors such as work location, education, experience, and unique skills.

The expected salary for this position is Los Angeles $126,000-$154,000

Collaboration at Our Core

At Mott MacDonald, we believe great ideas happen when we’re together. Our hybrid approach centers on an in-office culture, with most of your time spent collaborating face-to-face and a minimum of three days per week in the office. We balance flexibility with connection, so you and your manager can choose how to meet client, team, and personal commitments

Equal opportunity is the law.

We seek to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they have the opportunity to contribute.

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status or disability status.