How to hire a civil transportation engineer

How to hire a civil transportation engineer, step by step

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

What does a civil transportation engineer do?

Post a civil transportation engineer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a civil transportation engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   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 transportation engineer 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.

   Here's a comparison of civil transportation engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Civil Transportation Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Civil Transportation Engineer	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.	$29-54
   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
   Structural Engineering Internship	A structural engineering intern is responsible for supporting the engineering team on construction and structural projects, identifying cost-reduction techniques, and drafting layouts that adhere to clients' specifications, business requirements, and budget limitations. Structural engineering interns join the engineers on area visits, inspecting site foundation, and calculating dimensions and material costing... Show more	$15-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Civil 3D
   • Transportation Projects
   • Inroads
   • Roadway Design
   • Design Reviews
   • Design Calculations
   • Design Software
   • DOT
   • GIS
   • Traffic Engineering
   • Technical Reports
   • Construction Management
   • Highway Design
   • Construction Projects

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage production of full sets of contract documents (grading, drainage, water, sewer, paving and SWPPP).
   • Perform geotechnical instrumentation monitoring and data collection
   • Perform geotechnical instrumentation monitoring and data collection

   More civil transportation engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your civil transportation engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A civil transportation engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, civil transportation engineers' average salary in georgia is 36% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level civil transportation engineers 46% less than senior-level civil transportation engineers.
   • Certifications. A civil transportation engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a civil transportation engineer's salary.

   Average civil transportation engineer salary

   $84,097yearly

   $40.43 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level civil transportation engineer salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average civil transportation engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$108,890	$52
   2	Alaska	$95,430	$46
   3	Washington	$90,644	$44
   4	Idaho	$82,177	$40
   5	New Jersey	$81,127	$39
   6	Minnesota	$78,677	$38
   7	Indiana	$75,887	$36
   8	Colorado	$73,531	$35
   9	Illinois	$73,359	$35
   10	Texas	$69,454	$33
   11	Florida	$66,745	$32
   12	Maryland	$66,541	$32
   13	Michigan	$65,014	$31
   14	Georgia	$61,783	$30

   Average civil transportation engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Parsons	$96,100	$46.20	220
   2	California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)	$88,247	$42.43
   3	Burns & McDonnell	$85,578	$41.14	88
   4	Parkhill	$84,877	$40.81	8
   5	Gentis	$84,869	$40.80
   6	Sambatek	$84,243	$40.50	3
   7	Wsp USA Buildings Inc.	$82,971	$39.89	423
   8	Michael Baker	$82,334	$39.58	51
   9	Huitt-Zollars	$81,837	$39.34	23
   10	U.S. Engineering	$81,217	$39.05
   11	Bowman Consulting Group	$80,504	$38.70	115
   12	Sheladia Associates	$80,311	$38.61	5
   13	Snyder & Associates	$80,065	$38.49	19
   14	Merrick & Co	$79,970	$38.45	25
   15	Halff Associates	$79,732	$38.33	21
   16	Epstein	$78,623	$37.80	1
   17	AECOM	$78,598	$37.79	562
   18	Obec	$78,042	$37.52	10
   19	C2AE	$77,960	$37.48
   20	STV Group	$77,694	$37.35	15

4. Writing a civil transportation engineer job description

   A civil transportation engineer 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. Below, you can find an example of a civil transportation engineer job description:

   Civil transportation engineer job description example

   AMT is seeking a highly motivated Transportation Civil Engineer to assume a key role in the firm's growing Virginia Beach office. Qualified candidates will possess a minimum of 5 years of experience working on transportation and other infrastructure projects for VDOT and Virginia localities.
   
   Excellent Work / Life Balance and opportunity to work a Hybrid (Combination of Office and Remote) schedule.
   
   ResponsibilitiesAs a Transportation Civil Engineer, the selected candidate will be responsible for client coordination, working with the design team, coordinating with other disciplines, performing Quality Control reviews, assisting in the preparation of scope and fee proposals, adhering to budgets and schedules, and assisting with RFP responses and presentations. The selected candidate will be responsible for leading a design project and working with the design team in preparing roadway, grading, sediment and erosion control, SWM and storm drainage construction plans for a variety of infrastructure improvement projects.Design tasks may include: roadway, trail and sidewalk design; open and closed system storm drainage design; stormwater management design; erosion and sediment control plans; Transportation Management Plans; signing and pavement marking plans; traffic signal plans; quantity and cost estimating; utility coordination; and other engineering design and support tasks related to the development of roadway construction plans.
   
   QualificationsVirginia licensed Professional Engineer license preferred, EIT required Minimum of 5 years Transportation / Civil Engineering experience Ability to work in a fast-paced team environment and lead a design team Technical proficiency with Microstation/Geopak/OpenRoadsMust possess strong communication skills (written and oral)
   Why Join AMT?
   
   At AMT, we understand that our most valuable asset is our staff. For 65 years, we have worked diligently to build a team of talented employees who fully embody our values as an organization - values such as teamwork, integrity, and innovation. Now that we have transitioned into an employee-owned firm, we are excited to place the future of AMT into nearly 450 sets of dedicated hands.
   
   The AMT Difference
   
   Our company culture is characterized by a workforce that holds the highest standards of ethics and integrity, focused client care, and commitment to AMT's Core Values of safety, respect, integrity, commitment, quality, teamwork. leadership, responsibility, and profitable growth.
   
   Operating as an ESOP allows us to reward our dedicated and loyal employees with additional benefits from the company's stock as well as an incentive to continue building a high-performance ownership culture. To strengthen and support its employees, AMT invests in programs and processes to sustain an engaging work environment. AMT also recognizes the importance of employee benefits and policies and remains committed to providing programs that are both comprehensive and competitive in the industry.
   
   Competitive Benefit Package
   
   To strengthen and support its employees, its greatest asset, AMT invests in programs and processes to sustain an engaging work environment. AMT also recognizes the importance of employee benefits and policies and remains committed to providing programs that are both comprehensive and competitive in the industry. With AMT, you will get:
   
   • Tiered medical coverage
   • Dental/Vision
   • 401(k)
   • Short- and long-term disability
   • College savings plan
   • Life insurance
   • Paid time off
   • Holidays
   • Training/Certifications

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find civil transportation engineers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your civil transportation engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit civil transportation engineer 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

   Your first interview with civil transportation engineer 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 transportation engineer

   Once you've found the civil transportation engineer 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.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new civil transportation engineer. 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 transportation engineer?