Senior Project Engineer

Ames Construction, Inc.; Corona (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Ames Construction is seeking a Senior Project Engineer to provide advanced technical and operational support for heavy civil projects. You will help manage scheduling, cost control, forecasting, document management, subcontractor coordination, risk identification, and field operations support while mentoring junior staff and coordinating with clients.

Based at project locations in Corona, CA, you will travel to sites around Los Angeles, Riverside, and surrounding counties.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in progressive Project Engineer roles for heavy civil projects.
• Ability to manage schedules, costs, and documentation across multiple scopes.
• Experience coordinating with clients, subcontractors, and field teams.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to resolve field discrepancies.
• Proven leadership and mentoring of junior staff.

Responsibilities

• Contract management: review docs, pricing, change documentation, and coordination.
• Communication: lead meetings, track decisions, and ensure alignment with requirements.
• Financial management: support cost control, forecasting, and budget updates.
• Operational planning: support field operations, reviews, and permits coordination.
• Scheduling: monitor progress, plan short-term work, and develop mitigation plans.
• Leadership: mentor engineers and ensure quality and safety standards.
• Compliance: assist with documentation and inspections for quality.
• Procurement and materials: support buyout, submittals, and delivery schedules.
• Change management: document and track changes and claims.

Skills

Heavy civil construction experience

Project controls proficiency

Education

Civil Engineering degree

Construction Management degree

Tools

Primavera P6

Job description

Position Summary

The Senior Project Engineer provides advanced technical, administrative, and operational support to help ensure the successful delivery of heavy civil construction projects. Building on prior Project Engineer experience, this role assumes increased responsibility for scheduling, cost control, forecasting, document management, subcontractor coordination, risk identification, and field operations support. The Senior Project Engineer works with a high degree of independence, mentors junior project staff, and serves as a key liaison between project management, field operations, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.

Please note: Visa sponsorship is not currently available for this position.

Essential Functions

• Contract Management: Reviews design, contract and bid documents, bid analysis, subcontracts, material contracts, permits, RFIs, submittals, and change documentation; identifies contract, scope, procurement, notice, and coordination issues early; develops recommended solutions; and supports the Project Manager in documenting, pricing, negotiating, and resolving changes.
• Communication: Leads and supports coordination meetings with clients, subcontractors, vendors, field teams, designers, and key stakeholders; prepares agendas, documents decisions, tracks commitments, and follows through on action items to promote alignment with project requirements under the direction of the Project Manager.
• Financial Management: Supports project cost control, forecasting, quantity tracking, budget updates, production analysis, change management, and subcontractor/vendor cost coordination; reviews cost trends and production performance; helps identify budget risks and recovery opportunities; and provides timely information to the Project Manager and Operations team to support informed decision-making.
• Operational Planning and Execution: Provides technical support to heavy civil field operations, performs constructability reviews, assists with work planning, evaluates drawings and specifications, helps resolve field issues, coordinates upcoming work with project stakeholders, and supports crews with the information, materials, permits, and subcontractor coordination needed to execute work safely, efficiently, and in compliance with project requirements.
• Scheduling: Monitors project progress and schedule updates, coordinates short-term planning with operations, subcontractors, vendors, and clients, identifies schedule risks and constraints, tracks commitments affecting upcoming work, and helps develop recovery plans or mitigation strategies when schedule performance is at risk.
• Leadership: Provides guidance and mentoring to Project Engineers, Field Engineers, Interns, and other project support staff; delegates tasks based on individual skills and experience; reviews work for completeness and accuracy; promotes accountability and professional development; and helps reinforce company standards for communication, documentation, safety, quality, and follow-through.
• Compliance: Assists with inspection, documentation, and verification of work to ensure compliance with plans, specifications, permits, environmental requirements, safety standards, and quality expectations; supports preparation and closeout of required records, including testing documentation, inspection reports, deficiency tracking, as-built information, and other project quality documentation.
• Procurement and Materials: Supports procurement planning and execution, buyout tracking, material submittals, vendor coordination, delivery schedules, expediting and material status reporting to ensure required materials and subcontractor resources are available to support the project schedule.
• Change Management: Assists in identifying, documenting, pricing, tracking, and resolving potential changes, extra work, claims, and owner or subcontractor change requests; maintains organized records to support entitlement, cost recovery, schedule impacts, and timely resolution.

Qualifications

• Experience:5+ years of progressive Project Engineer experience in heavy civil construction, preferably supporting complex infrastructure projects. Must have previous heavy civil construction field-related experience in earthwork, grading, concrete structures, foundations, underground utilities, and related civil infrastructure work. A degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related engineering discipline is preferred.
• Operational Excellence:Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, support complex project schedules, coordinate multiple scopes of work, and proactively resolve issues to keep projects on track.
• Technical Proficiency:Advanced working knowledge of project controls systems and software, including document control, cost control, quantity tracking, forecasting, and scheduling tools such as P6 or equivalent. Strong understanding of heavy civil jobsite activities, safety, environmental, quality, permits, specifications, procurement, subcontractor coordination, RFIs, submittals, change documentation, and production reporting.
• Precision:Exceptional organizational skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to independently identify, analyze, and help resolve plan, specification, quantity, schedule, and scope-related field discrepancies.
• Leadership and Communication: Energetic, proactive, and professional communicator who coordinates effectively with internal teams, field leadership, subcontractors, vendors, owners, and designers. Demonstrates sound judgment, ownership, follow-through, and the ability to mentor junior project staff while maintaining a solution-oriented approach.

Working Conditions

• Location: This position is based at an assigned project location within the Ames Pacific Office region headquartered in Corona, CA. Projects are primarily located throughout Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties, with future opportunities throughout California as business needs arise.
• Travel: Regular travel to and from project sites is required. Candidates must be willing and able to commute within assigned project areas.
• Office Environment: extensive sitting at desk and computer; some standing, bending at the waist, stooping and reaching required; ability to lift 5-20 pounds occasionally. / Construction Site Environment: physical ability to stand, walk, crawl, bend, reach and climb. Potential exposure to high noise levels.

Total Rewards

People are the most important asset at Ames Construction.

• Base salary range is $125,000 - $150,000 a year, which varies depending on many factors, including experience, skills, and knowledge.
• This role is eligible for a discretionary bonus.
• Ames offers generous retirement benefits, including Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) participation and a 401k match.
• Ames' non-craft health benefits package is designed so that our team members flourish, with medical, dental, and vision (all at one low premium), voluntary benefits, company holidays, and paid time off. Please see the Benefits section of our Careers page for more information.

Ames Construction is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.