Senior Project Engineer

Your Opportunity

Stantec leads Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) at a major mine reclamation project in northern New Mexico and is seeking a senior, safety-focused engineer to fill a Senior Project Engineer role on the CQA team. This is a full-time onsite leadership position with a minimum 2-year commitment. It may be possible to adjust the onsite requirement to enable a 3-week onsite, 1-week offsite rotation. The Senior Project Engineer is the most senior Stantec team member based onsite and is responsible for safety leadership, managing the Stantec onsite team, coordinating directly with the Construction Contractor, the Engineer of Record (EOR), the Client, and administering Stantec's verification-based Quality Management System (QMS) built on the ArcGIS Online platform.

The Senior Project Engineer reports to the Stantec Project Manager and the Stantec CQA Lead and is accountable for the day-to-day execution of Stantec's CQA scope onsite. This is not a traditional field-lead role — it includes onsite management and office time focused on team leadership, contractor and EOR coordination, and quality program ownership. The Senior Project Engineer will keep construction moving by working with the contractor and EOR to resolve issues, elevating only the items that truly require Client decision-making.

This position will require:

• A dynamic, detail-oriented critical thinker who is driven by innovation and technology-based solutions to transform designs into real-world construction for the mining industry.
• A hard working individual who can arrive on time in a rugged, high-altitude environment 5-6 days per week and meet the mental and physical challenges of this position.
• Curiosity and creativity to help solve problems and drive the success of a multi-year reclamation project at a large mine.
• Proven experience leading construction quality assurance on heavy civil earthworks, mine reclamation, or comparable infrastructure projects.
• A track record of administering quality programs — including verification workflows, non-compliance reports, requests for information, submittal review, and variance management. 
• Proven abilities as an independent decision maker who is driven to solve problems when unable to immediately communicate with the offsite Project Manager, CQA Lead, or design EOR.
• Comfort working in a digital-forward quality program (Trimble, AutoCAD, ArcGIS Online, Field Maps, Survey123) and helping it evolve throughout project completion.
• Excellent communication skills to direct the technical aspects of the field team and coordinate daily with the Contractor, EOR, and Client representatives onsite.
• Detail-oriented in both verbal and written communication, data collection, and data review.
• Experience working on projects at sites with vertical challenges regarding equipment mobilization and construction difficulties.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Lead the onsite safety program in compliance with Stantec and the client’s rigorous safety requirements. Drive safety planning, awareness, and solutions onsite.
• Serve as Stantec's senior onsite representative for the project, accountable for day-to-day execution of the CQA program and for the technical quality of work produced by the onsite team.
• Manage the Stantec onsite team (Field Team Lead, CQA Monitors, Field Technician/Safety, and rotating support staff) and coordinate with the offsite Project Manager, CQA Lead, and CQA Administrator.
• Administer Stantec's verification-based Quality Management System (QMS) on the ArcGIS Online platform, including workflows, decision trees, dashboards, and data exports to the Client's information management system; support continuous improvement of the QMS over the project duration.
• Coordinate directly with the Construction Contractor on day-to-day execution, planning, and issue resolution; lead daily, weekly, and monthly meetings as appropriate. Reinforce a culture in which design intent survives the handoff from designer to field.
• Interface directly with the EOR in weekly coordination meetings and routine site walks; document deficiencies and recommend acceptance, corrective action, or rejection.
• Coordinate directly with Client representatives onsite, providing routine status updates and elevating only items that truly require Client decision-making.
• Participating effectively in EPA and State agency site visits.
• Own the non-compliance report, request for information, submittal, and variance workflows onsite and drive efficient closure of each.
• Direct independent verification of constructed features and confirm compliance with tolerances and specifications. 
• Provide technical leadership pertaining to survey verification, material sampling, and field testing. Including use of high-accuracy Trimble GPS to evaluate material thickness and slope, using photogradation software to evaluate riprap material gradations, using an electronic density gage to evaluate compaction, and using an XRF to evaluate metal and pH.
• Work with the geotechnical instrumentation team regarding slope stability and piezometer installation and troubleshooting.
• Review construction quality control and CQA data and determine if the work meets the design and specifications; make defensible recommendations and document them.
• Plan upcoming work, staffing, and equipment needs, including 2- to 6-week rolling lookaheads with the Construction Contractor.
• Manage project data for contractor submissions, including reviewing and responding to technical memoranda, RFIs, and detailed as-built reports.
• Support contractor payment review, monthly CQA status reporting, and the eventual Construction Completion Report. 

Your Capabilities and Credentials

• Exceptional technical writing and verbal communication skills, organizational skills, technical leadership abilities, and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a CQA program, and to make defensible quality decisions in the field.
• Ability to work independently and make decisions at a remote site.
• Dynamic time management to meet project schedule.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite.
• Willingness to live near Taos, NM and work onsite 5 days per week (occasionally 6).
• Ability to work at an active construction site at an elevation of up to 10,000 feet above sea level.
• Capability to carry heavy (up to 50 lbs.) and awkward equipment across uneven terrain.
• OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER and supervisor training required, or the ability to obtain after employment.
• MSHA 24-hour training preferred.
• Good driving record and valid Driver's License.
• Licensed as a Professional Engineer in the State of New Mexico, or able to obtain reciprocity within 6 months is preferred.

Education and Experience

• Minimum B.S. in engineering (Civil, Geotechnical, Mining, or Environmental).
• 12+ years of progressively responsible experience on civil and/or geotechnical projects, with at least 5 years in a CQA leadership role on heavy earthworks, mine reclamation, or comparable infrastructure construction.
• Preference for candidates with experience administering a digital quality management system and working in an owner / engineer-of-record / construction-contractor delivery environment.

This description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of the employee and other duties, responsibilities and activities may be assigned or may be changed at any time with or without notice.

Stantec is a place where the best and brightest come to build on each other's talents, do exciting work, and make an impact on the world around us. Join us and redefine your personal best. The experience will forever shape your future. #FeelingEnergized