How to hire a transportation design engineer

How to hire a transportation design engineer, step by step

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

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

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a transportation design 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a transportation design engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a transportation design engineer that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of transportation design engineers.

   Type of Transportation Design Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Transportation 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.	$25-43
   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
   Traffic Engineer	The Traffic Engineer is responsible for the design of roadways that provide free traffic flow. In city planning, congested roads are one of the crucial problems that need solving... Show more	$25-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Civil 3D
   • Cost Estimates
   • Roadway Design
   • Transportation Projects
   • CAD
   • Inroads
   • Aided Design
   • Business Development
   • Technical Guidance
   • FDOT
   • Traffic Control
   • Construction Projects
   • Design Specifications
   • IP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Validate specifications that achieve function requirements and Honda standards using FTA, FMEA, simulation, design logic & team collaboration.
   • Network technologies support included DWDM and SONET.
   • Complete the ASIC physical design on multiple projects.
   • Develop migration plans in support of SONET and DWDM strategies.
   • Lead designer on VHDL core for use in satellite communications.
   • Propose and design the ESD scheme for the image sensor.

   More transportation design engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your transportation design engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A transportation design 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 transportation design engineer in Utah may be lower than in California, and an entry-level transportation design engineer usually earns less than a senior-level transportation design engineer. Additionally, a transportation design 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 transportation design engineer salary

   $70,042yearly

   $33.67 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level transportation design engineer salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average transportation design engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$93,401	$45
   2	Oregon	$77,234	$37
   3	Virginia	$76,790	$37
   4	New York	$75,246	$36
   5	New Jersey	$74,278	$36
   6	Massachusetts	$74,157	$36
   7	Washington	$70,434	$34
   8	Texas	$68,414	$33
   9	Illinois	$67,949	$33
   10	Colorado	$66,910	$32
   11	Delaware	$66,752	$32
   12	North Carolina	$65,904	$32
   13	Rhode Island	$65,775	$32
   14	Maryland	$65,682	$32
   15	New Hampshire	$65,415	$31
   16	Pennsylvania	$64,882	$31
   17	Alaska	$64,816	$31
   18	Minnesota	$64,730	$31
   19	Florida	$64,299	$31
   20	North Dakota	$63,527	$31

   Average transportation design engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Woods Services	$81,444	$39.16
   2	DISH Network	$76,349	$36.71
   3	SCJ Alliance	$76,055	$36.56	1
   4	Amec Foster Wheeler	$76,055	$36.56
   5	Jacobs Enterprises	$76,030	$36.55	516
   6	Maryland State Highway Administration	$76,026	$36.55
   7	HDR	$73,329	$35.25	131
   8	DuBois & King	$72,157	$34.69	9
   9	Maryland Transportation Authority	$71,557	$34.40
   10	Obec	$70,696	$33.99	11
   11	Jacobs Engineering Group	$70,581	$33.93
   12	TAD PGS	$70,335	$33.81	2
   13	PRIME AE Group	$70,012	$33.66	8
   14	Talascend Worldwide Technical Resources	$69,930	$33.62
   15	GEI Consultants	$69,646	$33.48	15
   16	Colliers Engineering & Design	$69,478	$33.40	1
   17	Mccormick Taylor, Inc.	$68,852	$33.10	11
   18	Syska Hennessy Group	$68,619	$32.99	2
   19	Nitsch Engineering	$68,595	$32.98
   20	RK&K	$68,546	$32.95

4. Writing a transportation design engineer job description

   A good transportation design 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 transportation design engineer job description:

   Transportation design engineer job description example

   This mid-to-upper-level civil engineer works on transportation engineering projects with a focus on alternative delivery by performing the following duties.
   Essential duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
   
   Prepares or directs preparation and modification of reports, specifications, plans and designs for projects.
   
   Prepares and monitors project budgets on transportation projects with little assistance from supervisors. Establishes design-fee budgets, estimating, scoping, and marketing strategies for proposed alternative delivery and other design projects. Prepares forecast of anticipated workload for internal staff.
   
   Responsible for creating and adhering to project schedules for alternative delivery and other design projects. Can multi-task several projects at any one time and prioritize schedules and deadlines for projects.
   
   Monitors client relationship strategies for the firm. Attends and directs client meetings-days or evenings.
   
   Instructs and assists designers/technicians with project designs and construction document production.
   
   Responsible for project manager and/or project team quality system tasks as defined in quality manual.
   
   Requirements
   
   Civil engineering bachelors degree from an accredited four-year college or university.
   
   Seven to ten years of experience including but not limited to transportation engineering projects with an emphasis on alternative delivery projects.
   
   Experience with the standards and procedures of AASHTO, CDOT, and Colorado's front range municipalities. Established and successful working relationships with personnel from the front range contractor community, CDOT, and local agencies.
   
   Professional Engineer Certificate in Colorado
   
   SALARY RANGE: $88,000 - $105,000
   
   Benefits
   
   At FHU we seek to provide a benefits package that helps our team maintain a healthy work-life balance - a concept that is a guiding principle for us. Employees enjoy benefits including:
   
   Medical/RX, HSA, Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability; all of which FHU contributes a significant portion towards or, for some plans, covers 100% of the premiums
   
   Generous Vacation and Sick leave programs
   
   401(k) with employer match
   
   Adoption Assistance program
   
   Flexible schedules & Remote works options
   
   Professional and career development opportunities including tuition reimbursement for continuing education.
   
   Support of employee participation in professional and technical societies & various civic organizations.
   
   Reimbursement of professional certification and registration fees.
   
   FHU Employees are encouraged to participate in a variety of internal committees which include groups such as the Technology Committee, CAD Committee, FHUlanthropy Committee and the FHUn Committee, which plans multiple events that keep energy (and bragging rights) high and helps us remain a tight-knit team. We also enjoy many opportunities to socialize at various FHU sponsored events throughout the year.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find transportation design 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 transportation design engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level transportation design 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 transportation design engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit transportation design 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 transportation design engineers, 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.

   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 transportation design engineer

   Once you've selected the best transportation design engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new transportation design 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a transportation design engineer?