How to hire a civil engineering designer

How to hire a civil engineering designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step civil engineering designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a civil engineering designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new civil engineering designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a civil engineering designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the civil engineering designer you need to hire. Certain civil engineering designer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A civil engineering designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, civil engineering designers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of civil engineering designers.

   Type of Civil Engineering Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Civil Engineering Designer	Civil engineers design, build, supervise, operate, and maintain construction projects and systems in the public and private sector, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment.	$19-39
   Structural Design Engineer	A Structural Design Engineer designs drawings, specifications, and computer models of structures for building contractors. They help design hospitals, office blocks, houses, bridges, ships, and other structures.	$25-50
   Structures Engineer	A structures engineer works in designing, planning, and overseeing the development of the latest buildings and bridges or modifications and extensions to an existing property or other structures. They are mainly concerned with the safety and capability of the structure to withstand the elements to which they will be exposed-also improving the existing building structural integrity... Show more	$25-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Civil 3D
   • Site Design
   • Erosion Control
   • Project Management
   • Cost Estimates
   • DOT
   • Construction Projects
   • Site Layout
   • Construction Drawings
   • Site Development
   • Roadway Design
   • Autodesk
   • Design Calculations
   • Geotechnical

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Project manage the overall reorganizing and restructuring of the telecommunication department.
   • Conduct topographical surveys using total station and GPS for design, layout, volumes and establishing boundaries.
   • Perform engineering work in water, wastewater and conveyance infrastructure.
   • Develop design reports, construction documents and specifications for water and wastewater projects.
   • Design and produce plans for commercial and residential projects using Autodesk Autocad/Civil3d, interacting with clients, subcontractors and project managers.
   • Design road intersections and bridge culverts following AASHTO specifications and MoDOT guidelines.

   More civil engineering designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the civil engineering designer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A civil engineering designer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a civil engineering designer in Iowa may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level civil engineering designer. Additionally, a civil engineering designer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average civil engineering designer salary

   $57,842yearly

   $27.81 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level civil engineering designer salary

   $40,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average civil engineering designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$91,454	$44
   2	New York	$72,856	$35
   3	Oregon	$70,238	$34
   4	Washington	$68,811	$33
   5	New Jersey	$67,457	$32
   6	Massachusetts	$66,666	$32
   7	Alabama	$64,762	$31
   8	Virginia	$63,650	$31
   9	Illinois	$60,598	$29
   10	Colorado	$60,287	$29
   11	Texas	$59,513	$29
   12	North Carolina	$59,368	$29
   13	Arizona	$58,512	$28
   14	Ohio	$57,820	$28
   15	Michigan	$57,299	$28
   16	Florida	$56,211	$27
   17	Indiana	$55,210	$27
   18	Georgia	$54,686	$26
   19	Kansas	$53,076	$26
   20	South Carolina	$52,082	$25

   Average civil engineering designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$143,357	$68.92	1,153
   2	BP America Inc	$129,283	$62.16	2
   3	Parsons	$109,765	$52.77	239
   4	City of Detroit	$92,674	$44.55	3
   5	Jacobs Engineering Group	$85,245	$40.98
   6	CDM Smith	$83,121	$39.96	1,938
   7	Fluor Corporation	$82,964	$39.89	29
   8	CEI Group	$79,597	$38.27	8
   9	EXP	$76,353	$36.71	36
   10	D.R. Horton	$76,256	$36.66	7
   11	Addison Group	$75,948	$36.51	8
   12	T.Y. Lin International	$75,493	$36.29	112
   13	Huitt-Zollars	$74,992	$36.05	28
   14	Gannett Fleming	$74,117	$35.63	308
   15	Alliance of Professionals & Consultants	$73,814	$35.49	6
   16	PEAK Technical Staffing USA	$73,452	$35.31
   17	Hogan Land Title	$72,630	$34.92
   18	Stantec	$72,574	$34.89	781
   19	AECOM	$72,299	$34.76	636
   20	TAIT & Associates	$72,193	$34.71	13

4. Writing a civil engineering designer job description

   A job description for a civil engineering designer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a civil engineering designer job description:

   Civil engineering designer job description example

   We are a leader in improving civilization through the design and development of our physical environment. TAIT is a family company and continues to grow since 1964. Join TAIT & become an integral part of a stellar team!

   We are looking for talented, motivated, and technically driven individuals who want to join a company with excellent opportunities for career growth and development. TAIT fosters and encourages each Associate's entrepreneurial spirit with every project & design opportunity. We provide a variety of training opportunities to develop your skills, top tier benefits because we care about your well-being, a real work-life balance & the flexibility life needs, and an unbeatable friendly, professional, positive work environment.
   

   Description

   This position is in the Loveland, CO office. The Civil Design Engineer will assist in the design of land development projects including grading, drainage analysis, street design, street widening, water distribution, sewage collection and storm drain systems. Additional tasks include preparation of SWPPPs, and SWMPs.

   Minimum Qualifications

   • B.S. in Civil Engineering with 1 to 3 years’ experience in civil engineering field. (Entry level also considered)
   • E.I.T. certification preferred.
   • Proficiency in computer design programs AutoCAD 2009 or newer, Civil 3D and Hydrology Hydraulics software.
   • Experience with commercial-retail projects a plus.
   • Excellent written and verbal communication skills required.

   Responsibilities

   • Transform initial rough product design information into working construction documents using AutoCAD.
   • Use AutoCAD software to establish horizontal and vertical alignments, profiles, cross sections and perform earthwork calculations.
   • Utilize AutoCAD and Civil 3D in preparation of plans for drainage, precise grading, water, sewer, storm drain, street improvements and site planning for land development projects.
   • Prepare engineering drawings to specified standards.
   • Design basic construction documents and prepare special exhibits and constraint maps using field data and engineering research.

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5. Post your job

   To find the right civil engineering designer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with civil engineering designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit civil engineering designers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your civil engineering designer job on Zippia to find and recruit civil engineering designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit civil engineering designers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new civil engineering designer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the civil engineering designer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new civil engineering designer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a civil engineering designer?