Senior Site Civil Engineer

Equagen; North Carolina; On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Annual bonus

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Education support

Job summary

Equagen Engineers is seeking a Senior Site Civil Engineer to lead site development design for electrical substations and utility‑scale solar farms. You will guide civil design from planning through IFC, mentoring engineers and designers while collaborating with clients, utilities, contractors, and multidisciplinary teams.

The role requires strong grading, drainage, stormwater, erosion control, and permitting expertise, plus AutoCAD Civil 3D proficiency and hydraulics modeling know‑how to deliver

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.
• At least 5 years of relevant site civil engineering experience, including experience with electrical substations and/or utility-scale solar projects.
• Demonstrated responsibility for delivering site civil design packages from concept through IFC.
• Strong knowledge of grading, earthwork, drainage, stormwater management, erosion control, and site development permitting.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD Civil 3D and experience with hydrologic and hydraulic modeling software.
• Ability to interpret surveys, geotechnical reports, equipment layouts, and environmental constraints.
• Strong technical writing, communication, coordination, and project leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead site civil engineering for substations, solar farms, and access roads.
• Evaluate site feasibility using surveys, geotechnical reports, floodplain info, wetlands mapping, and other constraints.
• Develop site layouts, grading plans, earthwork calculations, drainage plans, access roads, and pads.
• Design stormwater facilities, detention/retention basins, culverts, channels, and drainage crossings.
• Prepare hydrologic and hydraulic calculations, drainage reports, and stormwater documentation.
• Develop erosion and sediment control plans, construction sequencing, and stabilization measures.
• Coordinate civil design with substation layouts, solar arrays, foundations, trenches, grounding systems.
• Mentor junior engineers and designers and help maintain civil engineering standards.
• Coordinate permit applications with local, state, and federal agencies.
• Review geotechnical recommendations and incorporate into designs.

Skills

Site civil design

Grading & earthwork

Drainage & stormwater mgmt

Permitting coordination

Substation/utility-scale solar exp

Leadership & mentoring

Technical writing & communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD Civil 3D

Hydrologic/Hydraulic modeling software

HydroCAD

HEC-RAS/HEC-HMS/SWMM

Job description

Equagen Engineers is a rapidly growing, mid-sized engineering and manufacturing firm headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, specializing in power delivery, renewable energy, and critical infrastructure. We are seeking a Senior Site Civil Engineer to lead site development design for electrical substations and utility‑scale solar farms. This role requires strong technical expertise in grading, drainage, stormwater management, erosion control, and permitting, along with experience delivering coordinated, construction‑ready engineering documents.

The successful candidate will lead civil design from conceptual planning through Issued for Construction (IFC), mentor engineers and designers, and work closely with clients, utilities, contractors, and multidisciplinary project teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead site civil engineering for new and expanded substations, solar farms, and associated access roads and infrastructure.
• Evaluate site feasibility using topographic surveys, geotechnical reports, floodplain information, wetlands mapping, and other site constraints.
• Develop site layouts, grading plans, earthwork calculations, drainage plans, access roads, equipment pads, and construction detailed
• Design stormwater management facilities, detention and retention basins, culverts, channels, and drainage crossings.
• Prepare hydrologic and hydraulic calculations, drainage reports, and stormwater management documentation.
• Develop erosion and sediment control plans, construction sequencing, and stabilization measures.
• Coordinate civil design with substation equipment layouts, solar array layouts, foundations, underground electrical systems, cable trenches, and grounding systems.
• Optimize solar site grading to balance earthwork, drainage, tracker requirements, constructability, and environmental constraints.
• Coordinate substation grading and drainage with equipment elevations, foundations, containment systems, fencing, and utility requirements.
• Prepare and support permit applications with local, state, and federal agencies, as applicable.
• Review geotechnical recommendations and coordinate their incorporation into grading, pavement, access road, and site preparation designs.
• Perform quality reviews of calculations, drawings, specifications, and reports.
• Develop scopes of work, engineering estimates, schedules, and civil design budgets.
• Support construction through site visits, responses to RFIs, submittal reviews, and resolution of field conditions.
• Mentor junior engineers and designers and help maintain civil engineering standards and workflows.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.
• At least 5 years of relevant site civil engineering experience, including experience with electrical substations and/or utility‑scale solar projects.
• Demonstrated responsibility for delivering site civil design packages from concept through IFC.
• Strong knowledge of grading, earthwork, drainage, stormwater management, erosion control, and site development permitting.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD Civil 3D and experience with hydrologic and hydraulic modeling software.
• Ability to interpret surveys, geotechnical reports, equipment layouts, and environmental constraints.
• Strong technical writing, communication, coordination, and project leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct design experience with both substation sites and utility‑scale solar farms.
• Experience with HydroCAD, HEC‑RAS, HEC‑HMS, SWMM, or similar modeling tools.
• Familiarity with solar tracker grading criteria, pile reveal constraints, and earthwork optimization.
• Experience with substation oil containment and Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) coordination.
• Experience supporting EPC contractors, utilities, and renewable energy developers.
• Benefits: 401(k) retirement plan, annual bonus, comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, and educational assistance and professional development support.

What We Offer

• Technical leadership and career growth within a multidisciplinary power engineering firm.
• Exposure to integrated solar, BESS, substation, and power delivery projects.
• Competitive compensation commensurate with experience and qualifications.