How to hire a civil engineering technician

How to hire a civil engineering technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step civil engineering technician 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 technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new civil engineering technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a civil engineering technician do?

Post a civil engineering technician job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The civil engineering technician hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect civil engineering technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

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

   Type of Civil Engineering Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Civil Engineering Technician	Civil engineering technicians help civil engineers to plan, design, and build highways, bridges, utilities, and other infrastructure projects. They also help to plan, design, and build commercial, industrial, residential, and land development projects.	$17-37
   Autocad Drafter	An Autocad Drafter develops drawings and plans for the construction and manufacturing industries. They use various types of computer-aided design and drafting software.	$14-26
   Structural Designer	A Structural Designer designs, develops, and supervises the construction of new buildings and bridges, or extensions to existing properties or other structures. They review and update construction drawings as well as communicate project problems and flaws to managers.	$22-40

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Civil 3D
   • Asphalt
   • Construction Sites
   • Construction Projects
   • GPS
   • GIS
   • Auto CAD
   • Data Collection
   • Engineering Drawings
   • Cost Estimates
   • Field Testing
   • Sanitary Sewer
   • Geotechnical
   • Construction Materials

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
   • Develop detailed MEP AutoCAD layouts and details and Revit families drawings of complex products.
   • Generate coordination sections for MEP meetings.
   • DOT experience as an inspector for several road striping projects.
   • Install and decom equipment for all sprint t- mobile sits.
   • Perform multiple functions while with this mechanical engineering firm, including HVAC and plumbing calculations and design.

   More civil engineering technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your civil engineering technician job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A civil engineering technician salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, civil engineering technicians' average salary in montana is 40% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level civil engineering technicians earn 54% less than senior-level civil engineering technicians.
   • Certifications. A civil engineering technician with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a civil engineering technician's salary.

   Average civil engineering technician salary

   $53,829yearly

   $25.88 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level civil engineering technician salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated February 1, 2026

   Average civil engineering technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$75,067	$36
   2	District of Columbia	$70,702	$34
   3	Massachusetts	$69,391	$33
   4	New Jersey	$69,341	$33
   5	Alaska	$66,860	$32
   6	Iowa	$66,159	$32
   7	Connecticut	$64,718	$31
   8	Minnesota	$64,008	$31
   9	Illinois	$60,742	$29
   10	Maryland	$60,363	$29
   11	New York	$60,094	$29
   12	Virginia	$58,719	$28
   13	Ohio	$58,294	$28
   14	Hawaii	$57,614	$28
   15	Arizona	$55,132	$27
   16	South Carolina	$51,980	$25
   17	Nevada	$51,317	$25
   18	Georgia	$48,218	$23
   19	Florida	$44,766	$22
   20	Texas	$43,970	$21

   Average civil engineering technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	City of Los Angeles	$84,020	$40.39
   2	City of Cincinnati	$79,525	$38.23
   3	DC Water	$76,966	$37.00	10
   4	Black & Veatch	$70,883	$34.08	246
   5	Shive-Hattery	$65,916	$31.69	31
   6	Wallace Design Collective	$65,146	$31.32
   7	Eastern Kentucky University	$64,998	$31.25	2
   8	Tkda	$64,220	$30.88	14
   9	Aia Engineers, Ltd.	$63,438	$30.50
   10	Houston Engineering, Inc.	$63,286	$30.43	35
   11	Halff Associates	$62,874	$30.23	16
   12	Minnesota State Fair	$62,713	$30.15	2
   13	Olsson	$62,500	$30.05	393
   14	DuBois & King	$62,498	$30.05	29
   15	Stantec	$62,429	$30.01	604
   16	Power Design	$62,302	$29.95	2
   17	Wsp USA Buildings Inc.	$62,056	$29.83	668
   18	City of Georgetown	$61,956	$29.79
   19	Structural Group	$60,625	$29.15
   20	Pape-Dawson Engineers	$59,930	$28.81	11

4. Writing a civil engineering technician job description

   A civil engineering technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a civil engineering technician job description:

   Civil engineering technician job description example

   Larson Design Group is looking for a motivated and enthusiastic individual who is ready to join a strong and well-respected team in the Energy consulting engineering industry. The fast-paced nature of this industry gives team members the opportunity to aid in the planning, design and execution of numerous high-value projects with the immediate reward and learning associated with witnessing your project's construction. This position will sit in LDG's Williamsport office with a tenured team of professionals excited to help our new team member and the team as a whole grow to new levels.
   * This position will be responsible for completing basic engineering drafting and design tasks.
   * Uses AutoDesk Civil 3D, ArcGIS, and other engineering-related software programs to develop technically accurate and high-quality deliverables.
   * Assist with field tasks as necessary, such as erosion control Inspections.
   * Aid in development of stormwater management, erosion and sediment control, and construction plans while under the direction of a Professional Engineer.
   * Promotes, utilizes, and supports quality assurance and quality control processes to improve the quality of deliverables and reduce design errors and omissions.
   * Ability to research, learn and apply written design standards, regulations, code compliance, and permit requirements and applies them to design projects.
   * Assists with simple design calculations, calculates quantities, and aids in preparing cost estimates.
   * Performs tasks within the assigned work-hour budget.
   
   Requirements/Preferences
   
   * Associates or Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or other technical discipline preferred.
   * Zero (0) to four (4) years job-related experience.
   * Desire to learn and flexibility to help with a wide variety of office and field tasks.
   * Possess strong independent problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills.
   * Proficient in AutoDesk Civil 3D or ability to quickly learn productive routines.
   * Proficiency in ArcGIS, Hydraflow Hydrographs, and other civil related software experience preferred.
   
   Larson Design Group is an Affirmative Action/EEO employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right civil engineering technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your civil engineering technician job on Zippia to find and recruit civil engineering technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with civil engineering technician candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 technician

   Once you've found the civil engineering technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new civil engineering technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

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