Senior Coastal Engineer

RINA S.p.A.; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 198,000; Full time

Job summary

RINA is seeking a Senior Coastal Engineer to lead coastal and marine engineering efforts in Houston, TX with flexibility to work from Fort Lauderdale, FL or Chicago/Lisle, IL. The role involves technical leadership, design through permitting, and coordination with USACE and port authorities.

The ideal candidate will hold a Texas PE license, have 10+ years in coastal/marine projects, and oversee multi-disciplinary teams across planning, design, and construction while ensuring QA/QC and regulatory

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Coastal, Ocean, Environmental or Civil Engineering. Bachelor's degree with relevant years of experience may be considered.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in coastal, port, maritime, navigation, waterway, or marine engineering.
• Active Texas Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Experience with coastal, hydraulic, and metocean engineering, including storm surge, design water levels, waves, wind, currents, scour, propwash, bank stability, and shoreline protection.
• Demonstrated experience leading coastal/marine infrastructure projects from concept through permitting, construction and close-out.
• Experience working with USACE, regulatory agencies, and port authorities through the review process.
• Strong knowledge of marine planning and navigation engineering, vessel/barges selection, berth layouts, underkeel clearance, and restricted waterways.
• Diplomate, Coastal Engineering (D.CE) or equivalent advanced coastal engineering credentials preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead coastal processes, dredging, and design from concept through construction, commissioning, and close-out.
• Direct coastal, metocean, and hydraulic analyses (design water levels, storm surge, waves, wind, currents).
• Develop berth layouts, dredging footprints, underkeel clearance, and operating limits with PIANC and USACE guidance.
• Lead permitting documentation and interface with USACE (Galveston District) and port authorities.
• Direct detailed marine design and lead technical bid evaluations.
• Serve as Engineer of Record during construction and review contractor methods and changes.
• Oversee permit compliance, environmental windows, and on-site construction support.
• Lead commissioning and close-out activities and maintenance dredging plans.

Skills

Coastal engineering

Multidisciplinary leadership

Project management

Regulatory coordination

Client/stakeholder communication

Education

Master's degree in Coastal/Environmental/Ocean Civil Engineering

Bachelor's degree in relevant field (with experience)

Tools

PIANC guidance

USACE EM 1110-2-1611

Job description

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Posting Date: 16 Oct 2026

City: Houston

Location: Houston, TX, US, 77070 Lisle, IL, US, 60532 Fort Lauderdale, FL, US Chicago, IL, US, 60603

Contract Type: Permanent

Division: Environmental and Engineering Geoscience

Level of experience: Senior

RINA is a global knowledge company whereexpertisetravels across borders, disciplines, and industries. Every day, we collaborate on solving complexchallenges that no single field could tackle alone. With a presence in more than 70 countries and 160 years of heritage, we turn individualknow-howinto collective progress.

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Coastal Engineerto join our office in Houston, TX, Fort Lauderdale, FL or Chicago/Lisle, IL within theEnvironmental and Engineering Geoscience Division.

Compensation Data

$140,0000 - $198,000 commensurate with education and experience.

Mission

The Senior Coastal Engineer will serve as the technical lead and Engineer of Record for coastal, maritime, navigation, and marine infrastructure projects, leading engineering activities from initial planning and design development through permitting, detailed design, construction, commissioning, and project close-out.

This position will hold responsible charge for marine and coastal engineering deliverables, including sealing permit and construction drawings, and will serve as a key technical interface with clients, contractors, regulatory agencies, and project stakeholders. The role will have significant interaction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), including the Galveston District, non-federal sponsors such as port authorities, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead coastal processes, dredging and sediment management, navigation, and marine construction analyses and design from concept through construction, commissioning, and close-out.
• Direct coastal, metocean, and hydraulic analyses, including design water levels, storm surge, sea level change, wind, currents, waves, sediment transport, scour, propwash, bank stability, and impacts to federal navigation channels.
• Develop berth and approach layouts, dredging footprints, underkeel clearance, and operating limits, applying PIANC guidance and USACE EM 1110-2-1611.
• Lead engineering documentation for permitting applications, and serve as the primary technical interface with USACE (including the Galveston District), port authorities, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other agencies.
• Direct detailed marine design, integrating multidisciplinary requirements and permit conditions into issued-for-construction packages; develop work packages and lead technical bid evaluations.
• Serve as Engineer of Record during construction, reviewing contractor method statements, temporary works, design changes, and non-conformances; set survey controls and acceptance criteria and accept completed works.
• Oversee compliance with permit conditions, environmental windows, and monitoring requirements, and provide on-site construction support, including inspections and payment certification when required.
• Lead commissioning and close-out, including first vessel or barge calls, trial berthing, as-built certification, USACE completion notification, and maintenance dredging and inspection plans for long-term operations.
• Manage small to medium-sized projects or support larger multidisciplinary programs; prepare and review technical deliverables and apply quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures.
• Mentor engineers and technical staff, build strong client and stakeholder relationships, and drive improvements in technical approaches, constructability, and project delivery.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Coastal, Ocean, Environmental or Civil Engineering. A Bachelor's degree with relevant years of experience may be considered in lieu of education.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in coastal, port, maritime, navigation, waterway, or marine engineering.
• Active Texas Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Experience with coastal, hydraulic, and metocean engineering, including storm surge, design water levels, waves, wind, currents, scour, propwash, bank stability, and shoreline protection.
• Demonstrated experience taking at least one significant coastal, port, navigation, or marine infrastructure project from concept and design through permitting, construction, and project close-out, such as shallow-draft channels, berths, dredging and placement, marine structures, shoreline protection, or terminal infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience working directly with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, other regulatory agencies, and port authorities through the review process.
• Strong working knowledge of marine planning and navigation engineering, including design vessel and barge selection, tow configurations, berth and approach layouts, underkeel clearance, and restricted waterways.
• Preferred construction-phase engineering experience, including review of contractor submittals, method statements, temporary works, surveys, quality plans, field changes, non-conformances, and as-built documentation.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, integrating structural, geotechnical, dredging, coastal, civil, and marine systems, and to communicate effectively with clients, contractors, and stakeholders.
• Diplomate, Coastal Engineering (D.CE) credential or equivalent advanced coastal engineering certification preferred.

Additional Qualifications

• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally to site when required during marine construction activities.
• Valid driver’s license

Key Technical Capabilities

The ideal candidate will bring advanced expertise in:

• Coastal and marine engineering
• Port, terminal, and berth design
• Navigation and waterway planning
• Dredging and dredged material management
• Coastal and hydraulic analysis
• Metocean criteria and marine loading
• Scour, propwash, and bank stability
• USACE and regulatory agency coordination
• Marine construction engineering and supervision
• Engineer of Record responsibilities
• QA/QC and technical review
• Construction commissioning and close-out
• Multidisciplinary project leadership and client management
• Marine construction engineering
• QA/QC and technical review
• Construction commissioning and close-out
• Multidisciplinary project leadership and client management

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of the work being performed. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required.
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• DOMAIN & BUSINESS ACUMEN - Applying a scientific approach and critical thinking in operations and solution development within area of expertise.
• INTERPERSONAL INFLUENCE - Skills and strategies we use to interact effectively with others.
• WORKPLACE DYNAMICS - Resourcefulness in shaping progress and working efficiently.
• FORESIGHT & INSIGHT - Context awareness adopting a systemic perspective and informed decision making.
• PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT - Ownership for life, work and results, striving to grow professionally and personally.

At RINA, your growth drives our innovation. We bring together engineers, inspectors, digital minds and specialists from more than 100 nationalities, creating an environment where diverse perspectives sharpen how we think, collaborate and deliver.

RINA North America provides a comprehensive benefits package, including the following insurance options: Medical, Dental, Vision, Medical Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Transit, Parking, Basic Life, Basic AD&D, Voluntary Life, Voluntary AD&D, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Voluntary Accident, Voluntary Critical Illness, Identity Theft Protection, Pet Insurance, and Employee Assistance Program. Additional benefits provided include paid time off, company holidays, tuition reimbursement, nursery grant, travel resource services, and 401K plan with company discretionary match.

Flexibility and respect drive how we work. We are committed to building a workplace where every person feels valued, empowered to develop their potential, and safe from discrimination or harassment of any kind. It is the policy of RINA to provide equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disabilities, marital status, sexual orientation, genetics, military status, disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, other protected veterans (veterans who served during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a badge has been authorized), and Armed Forces service medal veteran, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. We are strongly committed to this policy and believe in the concept and spirit of the law.

RINA does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or agencies. Any resumesubmittedto any employee of RINA without a prior written search agreement will be considered unsolicited and the property of RINA. Please, no phone calls or emails.