Senior Civil Engineer SME - AI Data Centers

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

This job opportunity is available at ANY location in the United States. Ideally, selected candidates will be near a JACOBS U.S. based office, but we intend to hire the "best" candidates.

Your Impact

Jacobs' Data Center & Hyperscale practice is experiencing record growth — and civil engineering is at the center of it. From the $10B+ Hut 8 River Bend campus in Louisiana to our strategic NVIDIA partnership driving next-generation AI factory development, Jacobs is delivering some of the most technically complex hyperscale programs in North America. We are building the practice's civil engineering leadership bench to match that ambition.

As a Senior Civil Engineer SME within our Advanced Manufacturing group, you will serve as the technical authority for civil site engineering across a national portfolio of hyperscale data center and advanced technology campus programs. This is not a project-only role — you are setting the civil engineering standards, governing the quality of civil deliverables produced by project teams and Global Integrated Delivery (GID) partners, mentoring the next generation of Jacobs civil engineers, and leading the permitting and regulatory strategy on programs that have no tolerance for schedule risk.

This role is open to candidates located anywhere near a Jacobs US office. Jacobs will recruit the best available civil SME — geography is a filter, not a barrier.

What You'll Do

Civil Site Design & Technical Leadership

You will lead civil site engineering across the full design lifecycle for multi-building hyperscale campus programs — from site selection and feasibility through construction documents, permit applications, and construction administration:

• Lead campus-scale mass grading and earthwork design for hyperscale programs of 50–1,000+ acres, including cut and fill optimization, soil import and export strategy, phased grading sequencing that maintains continuous operation of in-service facility phases, subgrade preparation specifications, and earthwork volume tracking.
• Design and govern stormwater management infrastructure for large impervious-surface campuses: storm sewer collection and hydraulic analysis, wet ponds, bioretention, underground detention, and discharge management consistent with post-development hydrology constraints and NPDES permit conditions.
• Lead site utility infrastructure design for hyperscale campuses — domestic water service, sanitary sewer capacity and routing, natural gas for emergency generator systems, fire protection water supply, and cooling tower makeup water, including reclaimed water systems to support Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) targets.
• Design heavy-duty pavement systems for campus roads, diesel fuel delivery routes, cooling tower crane access pads, transformer pad access, and security perimeters — accounting for extreme axle loads and repetitive heavy vehicle cycles unique to mission-critical facility operations.
• Provide civil technical leadership for underground fuel storage systems (UST) supporting large generator plants: secondary containment design, leak detection integration, spill containment grading, and EPA and state UST regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate geotechnical investigation programs with subconsultants; interpret boring logs and laboratory test data; translate geotechnical findings into earthwork specifications, compaction criteria, and foundation coordination inputs for the structural engineering team.
• Develop and maintain Jacobs civil engineering design standards, grading and drainage specification templates, standard detail libraries, and stormwater BMP criteria for the data center practice — ensuring consistency and quality across a national project portfolio.
• Provide technical governance for civil deliverables produced by project teams and GID partners: reviewing grading plans, utility plans, drainage reports, SWPPP documents, and IFC construction drawings for code compliance, permit condition adherence, and Jacobs quality standards.
• Mentor mid-level and junior civil engineers across the practice — developing technical depth, standards fluency, and project leadership capability.

Permitting, Entitlements & Regulatory Strategy

Hyperscale data center programs require complex, multi-agency permitting and land development entitlements that directly constrain site feasibility and construction schedule. The civil SME owns the regulatory pathway:

• Lead land use entitlement strategy for greenfield and adaptive-reuse hyperscale campus sites — rezoning applications, conditional use permits, site plan approvals, and variance requests — working closely with owners, land use counsel, and local planning authorities to protect schedule and maximize development yield.
• Direct NPDES Construction General Permit compliance strategy for large disturbed-area programs, including SWPPP development, BMP selection, QSP coordination, inspection program design, and regulatory agency response. Navigate state-specific regimes including Virginia VSMP, AZPDES, Texas CGP, and similar frameworks with schedule-sensitive permit sequencing strategies.
• Lead Clean Water Act Section 404 and Section 401 permitting for sites with jurisdictional wetlands, waterways, or Waters of the U.S. — including wetland delineation coordination, permit application strategy, mitigation planning, and agency negotiation to protect program schedule.
• Navigate floodplain permitting, LOMR/CLOMR applications, and endangered species Section 7 consultations for complex hyperscale site development programs in regulated markets.
• Develop early-release civil permit packages — rough grading permits, land disturbance permits, and utility installation permits — sequenced to support fast-track Design-Build and EPCM construction schedules while full entitlement packages are advanced in parallel.
• Serve as the civil SME interface with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), state regulatory agencies, utility providers, and local planning bodies throughout design, permitting, and construction administration phases.

Here's what you'll need

What You'll Need

• Civil PE License: Active Professional Engineer (Civil) license in at least one US state; NCEES Record maintained; willingness to obtain reciprocal licensure in additional states as project needs require. PE sign-off authority is required at SME level — this is a hard requirement.
• Experience: 15 or more years of civil engineering experience, including 8 or more years leading site civil design for large-site industrial, technology campus, or mission-critical facility programs. Candidates with strong adjacent-sector depth (pharmaceutical campus, power facility, military installation) who can demonstrate the transferability of their large-site civil skills are encouraged to apply.
• Civil 3D: Expert proficiency in AutoCAD Civil 3D — corridor modeling, grading surfaces, pipe network design, and plan/profile sheet production for large campus programs. Civil 3D is the production standard for Jacobs data center civil work.
• Stormwater & Drainage: Deep working knowledge of stormwater management design including SWPPP development, post-construction BMP design (ponds, bioretention, underground detention), and hydraulic modeling. Experience navigating NPDES permitting and state-level land disturbance regulatory programs.
• Multi-Discipline Collaboration: Demonstrated experience coordinating civil site scope with structural, MEP, and electrical disciplines — including utility routing conflict resolution, foundation clearance coordination, and underground ductbank integration in a multi-discipline delivery environment.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from an accredited institution.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills; demonstrated ability to present to clients, AHJs, and multi-discipline project teams and to represent the civil engineering scope in pursuit presentations and proposal development.

Ideally, You'll Also Have

• Master of Science in Engineering
• Experience with Virginia VSMP, AZPDES, Texas Construction General Permit, or other complex multi-agency regulatory frameworks for large land disturbance programs.
• Design-Build or EPCM delivery experience — having served as civil engineer of record or civil lead on a DB or EPCM contract, with experience developing early-release grading permit packages and integrating with GC-led construction teams.
• Direct experience on hyperscale or colocation data center campus programs at 50+ acres, including pad elevation strategy, phased grading, and campus-scale utility systems.
• CFM (Certified Floodplain Manager), ENV SP (Environmental Professional), QISP or QSP designation supporting stormwater compliance program leadership.
• LEED AP or sustainability-related credential; familiarity with how site civil design contributes to LEED BD+C certification for large campus programs.
• Experience with Section 404/401 and USACE permitting for jurisdictional wetlands or Waters of the U.S. on large development programs.
• Navisworks multi-discipline model coordination experience for underground utility conflict resolution.
• Bluebeam Revu proficiency for document review and markup workflows.
• Industry visibility through technical publications, ASCE presentations, or client-facing thought leadership in the data center or advanced technology market.

Jacobs offers a competitive base salary range of $169,000 – $233,000 depending on experience and qualifications, plus a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) with employer match, paid time off, and professional development support including PE reciprocity sponsorship and continuing education funding. Jacobs is committed to growing diverse engineering leadership at the SME level.

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to invest in you, and in the things you care about. Your health. Your well-being. Your security. Your future. Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, and caregiver leave. And certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.

The base salary range for this position is $169,500.00 to $233,000.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.