How to hire a supervisory civil engineer

How to hire a supervisory civil engineer, step by step

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

What does a supervisory civil engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the supervisory civil engineer you need to hire. Certain supervisory civil engineer 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 supervisory civil engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, supervisorsy civil engineer 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 supervisorsy civil engineer.

   Type of Supervisory Civil Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Supervisory Civil 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:

   • Project Management
   • DOD
   • Technical Assistance
   • Engineering Services
   • Geotechnical
   • COR
   • Government Agencies
   • Technical Guidance
   • Office Engineering
   • HVAC
   • Emergency Operations
   • Control Structures
   • HQ
   • Cost Analysis

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage production of full sets of contract documents (grading, drainage, water, sewer, paving and SWPPP).
   • Perform take-offs of select components of the dam and assist the procurement of permanent materials by answering RFI's from vendors.
   • Perform geotechnical instrumentation monitoring and data collection
   • Perform geotechnical instrumentation monitoring and data collection

   More supervisory civil engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your supervisory civil engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A supervisory civil engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a supervisory civil engineer in Nebraska may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level supervisory civil engineer usually earns less than a senior-level supervisory civil engineer. Additionally, a supervisory civil engineer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average supervisory civil engineer salary

   $84,776yearly

   $40.76 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level supervisory civil engineer salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average supervisory civil engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$103,877	$50
   2	Colorado	$93,719	$45
   3	Oregon	$89,697	$43
   4	Alabama	$88,178	$42
   5	Rhode Island	$81,215	$39
   6	Virginia	$80,380	$39
   7	Montana	$80,335	$39
   8	North Dakota	$79,161	$38
   9	Louisiana	$78,094	$38
   10	Texas	$77,782	$37
   11	New Mexico	$76,453	$37
   12	District of Columbia	$75,338	$36
   13	Arizona	$73,821	$35
   14	South Dakota	$70,016	$34

   Average supervisory civil engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	General Services Corporation	$84,183	$40.47
   2	Air National Guard	$84,030	$40.40
   3	United States Army Corps of Engineers	$83,538	$40.16
   4	Indian Health Service	$82,387	$39.61
   5	Natural Resources Conservation Service	$76,228	$36.65
   6	National Park Foundation	$74,808	$35.97

4. Writing a supervisory civil engineer job description

   A good supervisory civil 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 supervisory civil engineer job description:

   Supervisory civil engineer job description example

   Locations: Many Farms, AZ | Polacca, AZ | Tuba City, AZ | Yuma, AZ | Bangor, ME | Bemidji, MN | Billings, MT | Crownpoint, NM | Gallup, NM | Shiprock, NM | Bremerton, WA | Rhinelander, WI
   Type:Federal
   
   Salary Range:$ 79,363 - $103,176 / Per Year
   
   Open Period:9/20/2022 to 12/30/2022
   
   Summary:To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. BASIC REQUIREMENT(S): A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1 , or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive.) In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: GS-11: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, AND/OR, one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. This includes experience in the preparation of design documents, construction drawings, technical specifications and procurement documents for water supply, wastewater, or solid waste construction projects. Time In Grade Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).
   
   Work Type:,
   
   Announcement #:IHS-22-HQ-11650642-ESEP/MP

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find supervisorsy civil engineer 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 supervisorsy civil engineer they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level supervisorsy civil engineer 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 supervisory civil engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit supervisory civil engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit supervisorsy civil engineer, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 supervisory civil engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the supervisory civil engineer 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 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new supervisory civil engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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