How to hire a highway design engineer

How to hire a highway design engineer, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The highway design engineer 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 highway design 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.

   This list presents highway design engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Highway Design Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Highway Design 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.	$24-48
   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
   Civil Engineering Internship	Civil engineer interns work to improve their knowledge about construction and its relevant works. An internship provides them insight into various aspects of construction and how things run at the site... Show more	$16-38

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Autocad
   • Highway Design
   • Engineering Design
   • Roadway Design
   • CAD
   • Construction Cost Estimates
   • Design Standards
   • Highway Projects
   • Traffic Control
   • Aided Design
   • Interchange
   • Plan Preparation
   • Typical Sections
   • Vertical Alignments

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Implement safety and quality standards to attain the ISO certification.
   • Design a route using AUTOCAD.
   • Contribute and assist in preparation of tender documents and BOQ items.
   • Evaluate the soil conditions from the geotechnical reports and perform foundation analysis.
   • Develop new products, produce prototypes and ultimately submit viable product samples to UL for verification working in conjunction with sales/marketing.
   • Project lead for design projects in Puerto Rico pharmaceutical API manufacturing facility.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, highway design engineers' average salary in arkansas is 42% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level highway design engineers 50% less than senior-level highway design engineers.
   • Certifications. A highway design 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 highway design engineer's salary.

   Average highway design engineer salary

   $71,899yearly

   $34.57 hourly rate

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   Entry-level highway design engineer salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a highway design engineer job description

   A highway design 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 highway design engineer job description:

   Highway design engineer job description example

   Job DescriptionHIghway Design Engineer - ALL levels We are a design and engineering firm that provides highway design engineering services to the DOT and DPW in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. As we grow we have a need for several highway design engineers at every different level, from entry to senior. The main thing is we need P.E.'s who have highway design experience . Our offices are located halfway between Baltimore and Washington, and while many people come into our offices , for the right person this can be a remote role to start, but we would need you to relocate here within 6 months or so.What You Will Be Doing- The design engineer will demonstrate an ability to collaboratively work with a group or independently on a wide-range of small- or large-scale multi-discipline projects for state, county, or local jurisdictions.
   
   - Design engineers will assist with development of project plans under the guidance of project engineers and project managers. The job requires analytical thinking, adaptive problem solving, creativity, and innovation.
   
   - Design engineers shall be dependable, open minded, focused, and attentive to details including project schedules, budgets, and design quality.
   
   - Responsibilities include developing plans, specifications and estimates for design services including but not limited to highway design, highway drainage, concept design and analysis, horizontal and vertical geometrics, parking lots, site improvements, utilities, maintenance of traffic, signing and pavement markings, ADA, sidewalk design, bicycle facilities, etc.What You Need for this Position- BSCE in Civil Engineering or appropriate discipline
   - Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE/EIT) or equivalent
   - 2- 15 years of design experience in highway design
   - Experience working with DOT and DPW
   - Working knowledge of CADD and Microstation and associated design software
   - Excellent written and verbal communication skills
   - Strong computer skills including Microsoft office products and GIS applications
   - Ability to work well within a project team by building relationships and teamwork
   - High-level of integrity, ethics, quality service, and safety
   - Maintain a positive rapport with supervisor and employees
   - Ability to travel to project sites So, if you are a Highway Design Engineer with a P.E. and experience working with the DOT and the DPW either locally here in MD, or live somewhere else but want to move here eventually, please apply today.Colorado employees will receive paid sick leave. For additional information about available benefits, please contact Paul Miller - Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.
   
   CyberCoders, Inc is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer
   
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
   
   Your Right to Work – In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right highway design engineer 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 highway design engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit highway design 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

   To successfully recruit highway design engineers, 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 highway design engineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect highway design engineer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new highway design engineer 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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