How to hire a project field engineer

How to hire a project field engineer, step by step

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

What does a project field engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your project field engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a project field engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a 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 project field 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 project field engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Project Field Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Project Field 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.	$26-43
   Research And Development Engineer	Research and development engineers generally execute research and tests on product ideas, develop new products, and perform redesigns. They are employed in many industries, including manufacturing, electrical, and science-based companies... Show more	$35-64
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Shop Drawings
   • Project Management
   • OSHA
   • Construction Management
   • Field Supervision
   • Construction Projects
   • Construction Contracts
   • CAD
   • Bid Packages
   • Microsoft Project
   • Technical Support
   • Rehabilitation
   • Concrete Pours
   • Construction Drawings

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage work orders utilizing client's MAXIMO and BSL system.
   • Manage document control including change orders, billings, RFI tracking, purchasing documentation and contract administration.
   • Manage and/or participate in a variety of water and wastewater assist company principles as engineering consultants for numerous municipal clients.
   • Obtain and evaluate geotechnical data at project sites.
   • Negotiate change-order work and prepare monthly project CPM updates.
   • Create and maintain change order logs on each project also maintaining RFI logs on all projects.

   More project field engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the project field engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A project field engineer 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 project field engineer in Nebraska may be lower than in Oklahoma, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level project field engineer. Additionally, a project field engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average project field engineer salary

   $71,292yearly

   $34.27 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level project field engineer salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average project field engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$88,703	$43
   2	New York	$78,944	$38
   3	New Jersey	$78,893	$38
   4	Washington	$78,637	$38
   5	Maryland	$76,387	$37
   6	Pennsylvania	$76,079	$37
   7	Illinois	$75,410	$36
   8	Virginia	$74,236	$36
   9	Alaska	$74,049	$36
   10	Georgia	$71,685	$34
   11	Texas	$70,393	$34
   12	Nevada	$69,110	$33
   13	Oregon	$68,152	$33
   14	Minnesota	$67,529	$32
   15	Colorado	$66,907	$32
   16	Arizona	$66,353	$32
   17	Florida	$65,764	$32
   18	New Mexico	$65,342	$31
   19	Ohio	$63,329	$30

   Average project field engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	OHL USA	$79,425	$38.19	12
   2	Tesla	$78,730	$37.85
   3	Eaton	$75,482	$36.29	146
   4	Barry-Wehmiller	$73,779	$35.47	38
   5	Axiom Cloud	$72,648	$34.93
   6	InfraSource LLC	$72,648	$34.93
   7	Randstad North America, Inc.	$72,070	$34.65
   8	Pinkard Construction	$71,165	$34.21	2
   9	Mersino Dewatering	$71,129	$34.20	8
   10	Rmci	$70,860	$34.07
   11	York	$70,700	$33.99
   12	Kirby	$70,585	$33.94	27
   13	Kiewit	$70,382	$33.84	550
   14	Acuity Brands	$69,724	$33.52	2
   15	JE Dunn Construction	$69,667	$33.49	110
   16	Bechtel Corporation	$69,478	$33.40	87
   17	Mazzella Companies	$69,113	$33.23
   18	Hazen and Sawyer	$68,894	$33.12	59
   19	Skanska	$68,773	$33.06	56
   20	Gray & Company	$67,986	$32.69	10

4. Writing a project field engineer job description

   A good project field engineer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a project field engineer job description:

   Project field engineer job description example

   At Reeves Young, everything we do – from 30 feet below the ground to 30 floors above – is about people. The culture we cultivate spreads throughout our employees and flows into the relationships we build with our clients, owners, and business partners. We pride ourselves in celebrating the accomplishments of our staff and promoting growth through challenging our employees each and every day. Whether it’s in the boardroom or at the ping-pong table, we are making an impact on the construction industry. Don’t just read what we’re about, join our team and see for yourself.

   What We Offer

   • Amazing Coworkers
   • Competitive Pay
   • Full Benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision and more
   • 401(K) Matching
   • Paid Time Off
   • Company Celebrations & Events
   • Office Snacks
   • On-Site Fitness Facility

   What Can You Expect

   • Manage our projects from start to finish, anticipating challenges and overcoming obstacles
   • Control the time, cost and quality of construction projects
   • Cultivate strong relationships with our staff, clients, subcontractors and business partners
   • Maintain project schedules, budgets, workflow and productivity

   What You Bring to the Table

   • Experience within the Construction Industry
   • Ability to both manage and be part of a team
   • Ability to develop strong business plans
   • Experience utilizing Microsoft products + scheduling software
   • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

   Visit our website at www.reevesyoung.com to learn more about our growing team and the opportunities we are creating for people just like YOU!

   Reeves Young is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We maintain a drug-free, smoke-free workplace. We participate in E-Verify. We perform background checks. We drug test.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find project field engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any project field engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level project field engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your project field engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality project field engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting project field engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 project field engineer

   Once you've found the project field 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 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 project field 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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How much does it cost to hire a project field engineer?