Sr. Resident Engineer Transportation

Arcadis; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 112,000 - 168,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental coverage

Vision benefits

401K

Short/Long-term disability

AD&D

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Wellbeing benefits

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Arcadis is seeking a Sr. Resident Engineer to lead field construction oversight for roadway and bridge projects, directing inspection staff and coordinating with contractors and clients. This role ensures work aligns with contract requirements, guiding decisions to prevent cost, schedule, safety, or quality impacts.

You will review plans, manage change orders, and lead project meetings while maintaining accurate records and building strong working relationships with stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or related field or equivalent construction experience.
• Active Illinois PE license required.
• CCM preferred; PMP certification a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day field construction oversight for roadway and bridge projects.
• Mentor inspection staff and assign daily responsibilities.
• Review contract docs, plans, RFIs, submittals, and pay estimates for accuracy.
• Identify field issues and support change order negotiations with documentation.

Skills

Strong leadership

Communication

Documentation

Issue resolution

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

Tools

Primavera P6

Bluebeam Revu

Microsoft Office

Job description

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role description

As a Sr. Resident Engineer, you will lead field construction oversight for roadway and bridge projects, with responsibility for directing inspection staff, setting expectations for daily field operations, working directly with contractors and clients, verifying work is performed in accordance with contract requirements, and helping resolve field issues before they affect cost, schedule, safety, or quality. This role requires a steady field leader who can make sound decisions, communicate clearly, mentor staff, and keep the project team aligned through changing field conditions.

Role accountabilities

• Lead day-to-day construction oversight for roadway and bridge projects, including coordination of inspection staff, contractor activities, client representatives, and other project stakeholders.
• Provide leadership, direction, and mentoring to inspection staff, including assigning daily responsibilities, reviewing documentation, reinforcing quality expectations, and helping less-experienced team members develop sound field judgment.
• Review contract documents, plans, specifications, RFIs, submittals, daily reports, quantity records, pay estimates, and other project documentation for accuracy and compliance with client requirements.
• Identify, document, and help resolve field issues, including differing site conditions, schedule impacts, constructability concerns, quantity discrepancies, and potential change order items.
• Lead contractor coordination and support change order negotiations by preparing clear documentation, cost and schedule information, and recommendations for project management and client review.
• Lead project meetings, field discussions, and issue‑resolution efforts with a calm, professional approach that keeps decisions moving while maintaining productive relationships with the contractor and client.
• Work closely with project management staff to monitor scope, budget, schedule, staffing, safety, and quality performance throughout construction.
• Maintain accurate and consistent project records, including daily inspection reports, quantity documentation, payment support, issue logs, and change order files.
• Serve as a primary field point of contact for the client and contractor, building productive working relationships while maintaining accountability to the contract requirements.

Qualifications & Experience

• 12 years of construction management or field engineering experience on transportation infrastructure projects, with roadway and bridge construction experience strongly preferred.
• Prior experience serving as a Resident Engineer, Assistant Resident Engineer, Chief Inspector, or similar field leadership role on IDOT, Illinois Tollway, or comparable public agency projects.
• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent field construction experience may be considered where appropriate.
• Active Illinois Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
• Certified Construction Manager (CCM) preferred; Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is a plus.
• Strong working knowledge of IDOT and/or Illinois Tollway standards, specifications, documentation procedures, pay item tracking, and construction administration practices.
• Proficiency with common construction management and documentation tools such as Primavera P6, Bluebeam Revu, Microsoft Office, and agency-specific reporting systems.
• Strong leadership, communication, documentation, and issue‑resolution skills, with the ability to lead inspection teams, set clear expectations, make timely field decisions, and work constructively with contractors, clients, inspectors, designers, and project managers.

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills‑based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We are an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Arcadis offers benefits for full time and part time positions. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision, EAP, 401K, STD, LTD, AD&D, life insurance, paid parental leave, reward & recognition program and optional benefits including wellbeing benefits, adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement.

• medical
• dental
• vision
• EAP
• 401K
• STD
• LTD
• AD&D
• life insurance
• paid parental leave
• reward & recognition program
• wellbeing benefits
• adoption assistance
• tuition reimbursement

We offer nine paid holidays and 15 days PTO that accrue per year. The salary range for this position is $112,000 - $168,000. Actual salaries will vary and are based on several factors, such as experience, education, budget, internal equity, project and location.

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