Senior Civil Engineering Leader | Land Development

Senior Civil Engineer / Technical Lead - Land Development

Orange County, CA | Full-Time | Direct Hire

Lead Projects. Develop People. Shape the Future of a Growing Firm.

Are you a Senior land development professional who enjoys being the technical expert others rely on? Do you thrive in a leadership role where you can mentor engineers, make impactful decisions, and influence the direction of both projects and people?

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Civil Engineer / Technical Lead to serve as a key leader within a respected land development consulting firm specializing in civil engineering, planning, entitlement, surveying coordination, and site development services for commercial, industrial, retail, residential, and mixed-use projects throughout California.

Known for its client-focused approach, technical expertise, and long-standing industry relationships, the firm has built a strong reputation for successfully guiding complex developments from concept through construction. With a collaborative culture and entrepreneurial mindset, the organization empowers its professionals to take ownership, make decisions, and directly contribute to the success of projects, clients, and the firm as a whole.

This is more than a traditional project management role. It is an opportunity to become the engineering backbone of the office , serving as a trusted technical leader, mentor, and strategic partner to executive leadership.

About the Role

As a Senior Civil Engineer / Technical Lead, you will provide technical leadership and engineering oversight across a diverse portfolio of land development projects. You'll play a critical role in guiding project teams, mentoring engineers, strengthening technical standards, and helping drive the continued growth of the organization.

This position offers the opportunity to step into a highly influential leadership role where your expertise, judgment, and decision‑making skills will directly impact project success and team development.

What You'll Do

Technical Leadership

• Serve as a Senior technical resource for engineering staff across the organization
• Provide engineering oversight, technical review, and quality control throughout project lifecycles
• Make independent engineering decisions and provide guidance on complex project challenges
• Help establish and maintain high standards for engineering excellence and project delivery
• Function as a trusted advisor and technical partner to company leadership

Project Oversight

• Provide leadership on commercial, retail, industrial, mixed-use, and land development projects
• Support grading, drainage, utility design, site planning, and infrastructure development efforts
• Guide project teams through entitlement, permitting, and agency review processes
• Review and approve engineering work products prepared by project teams
• Ensure projects are delivered efficiently while maintaining quality standards and client expectations

Client & Agency Coordination

• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, municipalities, regulatory agencies, and consultants
• Participate in project planning, strategy discussions, and technical meetings
• Help navigate challenging entitlement and permitting issues
• Support proposal development and project pursuit efforts

Team Development & Mentorship

• Mentor project engineers and junior staff
• Foster technical growth and professional development throughout the organization
• Promote accountability, collaboration, and engineering best practices
• Support succession planning and long-term talent development initiatives
• Help create consistency in processes, technical execution, and decision‑making across the team

What Makes This Opportunity Unique?

Be the Technical Leader

This role is designed for someone who wants to influence projects, people, and the future direction of a successful consulting organization.

Visible Impact

Your expertise will directly affect project quality, staff development, operational effectiveness, and client success.

Leadership Without Excessive Bureaucracy

Join a firm where decisions can be made efficiently, ideas are valued, and contributions are visible.

True Partnership Opportunity

Work closely with executive leadership and serve as the organization's primary engineering resource and strategic advisor.

Diverse Project Portfolio

Support a variety of exciting private-sector developments across commercial, retail, mixed-use, industrial, and site development markets.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering
• 10+ years of civil engineering or land development experience
• Significant experience supporting private-sector land development projects
• Strong understanding of:
  • Grading design
  • Drainage systems
  • Site development
  • Utility coordination
  • Entitlement processes
  • Agency review and permitting requirements
• Demonstrated experience leading projects and making engineering decisions with minimal oversight
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and technical staff
• Strong client relationship and communication skills
• Ability to balance technical excellence with project schedules and business objectives
• Proven accountability, ownership mentality, and professional judgment
• Experience operating successfully in a consulting environment
• Experience reviewing and approving technical work prepared by other engineers

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) license strongly preferred
• California PE license preferred but not required
• Senior land development leaders without a PE license may still be considered based on experience
• Experience working within land development consulting firms
• Proficiency with AutoCAD Civil 3D
• Experience supporting multiple project types within private development environments
• Strong background developing and mentoring technical teams

Technical Skills

• Land Development Engineering
• Civil Engineering Design
• Site Development
• Grading Plans
• Drainage Design
• Utility Design and Coordination
• Entitlements
• Agency Coordination
• AutoCAD Civil 3D
• Project Leadership
• Engineering Review
• Mentorship and Team Development

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Costa Mesa, CA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $ - $ /yr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job‑related factors.

• Annual Bonus: Up to 10%
• Flexibility available for exceptional candidates who demonstrate the leadership, technical judgment, and long-term value CDR is seeking.

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Costa Mesa, CA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 1, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.

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