Senior Field Geotechnical Engineer

Bechtel Global Corporation; New Albany (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Bechtel is seeking two Senior Field Geotechnical Engineers for Project Cardinal in the Columbus/New Albany, OH area. These on-site roles require leadership in earthwork, deep foundation, and site civil tasks with extensive field supervision.

Ideal candidates bring an MS in Geotechnical Engineering, 6–8+ years of experience, PE/EIT credentials, and ability to travel. The team reports to the G&HES group in Bechtel and will operate primarily in the field at the project site.

Qualifications

• MS degree in Geotechnical Engineering or PhD in Geotechnical Engineering with relevant experience.
• PE registration preferred; EIT required at minimum.
• Demonstrated ability to lead field staff on active construction sites and provide technical direction.

Responsibilities

• Serve as senior geotechnical field point of contact, directing work and mentoring junior staff.
• Coordinate with home-office geotechnical engineers on design changes and nonconformances.
• Direct exploration programs including soil borings, CPTu, groundwater measurements, and DCP tests.
• Oversee deep foundation installation and load testing (caissons, drilled shafts, APs).
• Inspect subgrade, excavation support, dewatering, backfill, compaction, and site civil works.
• Prepare daily geotechnical reports and ensure compliance with codes and project specs.

Skills

Geotechnical leadership

Field supervision

Technical mentoring

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

MS in Geotechnical Engineering

PE registration preferred

EIT required

Tools

gINT

LPILE

APILE

SHAFT

Settle3

SLOPE/W

Job description

• Relocation Authorized:National/International - Family
• Telework Type:Full-Time Office/Project
• Work Location: New Albany, OH

Extraordinary teams building inspiring projects:

Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.

Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. We serve the Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security & Environmental; Energy; Mining & Metals, and the Manufacturing and Technology markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations.

Core to Bechtel is our Vision, Values and Commitments. They are what we believe, what customers can expect, and how we deliver. Learn more about our extraordinary teams building inspiring projects in our Impact Report.

Project Overview:

Bechtel is building a semiconductor manufacturing plant in New Albany, Ohio. Bechtel will design and build Phase 1 of the Ohio One project, a total of 2.5 million square feet, including 600,000 square feet of cleanrooms. Construction will require as much steel as eight Eiffel Towers and as much concrete as the tallest skyscrapers.

Bechtel will strengthen future economic development in the region by partnering with the North America Building Trades Unions and suppliers to create several thousand new jobs and work with local education organizations to implement new training programs that will support the future talent pipeline.

Job Summary:

This position is dedicated to Project Cardinal, a large-scale Manufacturing & Technology (M&T) construction project in the Columbus / New Albany, Ohio area involving extensive earthwork, deep foundation, and site civil construction. Bechtel is seeking two (2) Senior Field Geotechnical Engineers (Grade 26) to provide on-site engineering leadership and supervision across geotechnical field exploration, earthwork and ground improvement, deep foundation installation and testing, and general site civil works. This is a senior field role: in addition to hands-on field supervision, the successful candidates will provide technical direction to junior field staff and serve as the primary field interface with home-office geotechnical engineering. This role is primarily field-based; the majority of the work involves on-site inspection and supervision of excavation, dewatering and excavation support, subgrade preparation, backfill and compaction, soil stabilization, deep foundations (drilled shafts/caissons and aggregate piers) with associated load and integrity testing, and paving and site civil works.

The position is part of the Geotechnical & Hydraulic Engineering Services (G&HES) group. The successful candidates will report to and receive technical supervision and functional oversightfrom the G&HES Group Supervisor / Geotechnical Engineering Manager or theirdesignee, andare expected to work independently in the field while coordinating closely with Construction, CSAOM, ES&H, rigging engineers, and the project management team. The role is site-based at Project Cardinal for an extended duration, with potential transition to another Bechtel project or permanent office thereafter, andmay require travel to other Bechtel and client offices within the U.S. Excellent verbal and written communication skills and a commitment to Bechtel's diversity & inclusion, leadership, quality, and safety values are required. #LI-CL1

Major Responsibilities:

• Serve as the senior geotechnical field point of contact, providing technical direction, review, and mentoring to junior field engineers and inspectors.
• Lead coordination with home-office geotechnical engineering on design changes, RFIs, and nonconformances, and contribute to field procedures, inspection plans, and constructability input.
• Exercise independent engineering judgment on complex or non-routine field conditions and recommend remedial measures in coordination with the engineering team.
• Coordinate field exploration programs - soil borings, cone penetration tests (CPTu), monitoring-well installation, groundwater measurements, pore-pressure dissipation tests, and dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) investigations.
• Perform and oversee field soil tests, including density tests, plate load tests, and anchor pull-out tests.
• Inspect excavations and trenches daily - dewatering systems, slope protection measures, and remedial actions for long‑term slope stability and regulatory compliance.
• Implement excavation support systems - sloping and shoring (such as trench boxes), seepage control, and dewatering - to maintain safe, stable working conditions.
• Inspect crane pad foundations - bearing capacity for rigging operations, coordination with rigging engineers, and offset distances from slopes per home‑office geotechnical reports.
• Verify subgrade suitability following excavation and direct remediation - removal and replacement of unsuitable material, soil stabilization, or geogrids.
• Conduct proof‑rolling and probing of subgrade soils to identify soft or yielding areas and execute required remediation or improvement.
• Protect prepared subgrades with mudmats to maintain integrity prior to foundation construction.
• Schedule and inspect backfill activities (including winter and wet‑conditioning), oversee compaction testing, and verify backfill around structures and utilities per specifications.
• Prepare and review excavation and backfill quantity estimates, coordinate laboratory soil testing on imported and onsite materials, and manage stockpile volumes to maintain site balance.
• Direct site soil stabilization techniques, including cement and lime treatment of soils.
• Apply geogrids for stabilization and reinforcement, and geofabrics for separation, drainage, and filtration.
• Oversee deep foundation installation and load testing for caissons and drilled shafts - compression, tension, and lateral - to verify design performance.
• Direct non‑destructive integrity testing using Pile Integrity Testing (PIT) and Thermal Integrity Profiling (TIP), and review installation records to assess shaft quality and identify defects.
• Inspect aggregate pier (AP) load tests and installations for design performance, settlement behavior, and compliance with specifications and manufacturer requirements.
• Oversee road‑base placement, compaction, and asphalt concrete (AC) paving for proper thickness, compaction, and surface quality.
• Manage excavation and backfill permits in the Q4 permitting system, update project‑specific instructions, develop Earthworks Testing and Inspection Plans (TIP), and coordinate Competent Person training.
• Prepare and review daily geotechnical reports documenting field observations, proof‑rolling results, inspection findings, and laboratory or in‑situ test results.
• Ensure all geotechnical related construction activities comply with project specifications, engineering drawings, and applicable City, County, and State codes and regulations.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• An M.S. degree in Geotechnical Engineering from an accredited university with a minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience, or a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering with a minimum of 6 years of relevant work experience.
• Professional Engineer (PE) registration is preferred; Engineer‑in‑Training (EIT) certification is required at a minimum.

Required Knowledge and Skills:

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to work independently and provide technical leadership and direction to field staff on an active construction site.
• Demonstrated field experience supporting or supervising earthwork, excavation and backfill, and deep foundation (drilled shaft/caisson and/or aggregate pier) construction.
• Working knowledge of subgrade preparation, proof‑rolling and probing, compaction control, dewatering, and excavation support systems (sloping and shoring), together with the associated field and laboratory testing.
• Familiarity with soil stabilization (cement and lime treatment) and geosynthetics (geogrids and geofabrics) for reinforcement, separation, drainage, and filtration.
• Knowledge of foundation construction quality control, load testing, and non‑destructive integrity testing (PIT and TIP), and of field documentation such as daily reports and nonconformance reports (NCRs).
• Familiarity with excavation and trench safety, Competent Person requirements, and excavation/backfill permitting.
• Ability to read and interpret geotechnical drawings and specifications; familiarity with soil and rock characterization.
• Familiarity with geotechnical and data‑management software such as gINT, LPILE, APILE, SHAFT, Settle3, and SLOPE/W, as well as Microsoft Office programs.
• Strong coordination and communication skills (verbal and written), with the ability to work effectively in an active construction environment.
• Willing and able to travel to and remain at the Project Cardinal jobsite in Ohio, and other jobsites in the U.S., on short‑and long‑term assignments.
• Authorized to work legally in the U.S. without sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) registration.
• Experience on large industrial, manufacturing and technology, energy, or infrastructure projects.
• Prior involvement in deep foundation, aggregate pier, or ground‑improvement load‑testing programs.
• Experience providing technical leadership or mentoring to field engineering and inspection staff.
• Hands‑on experience with soil stabilization (cement/lime