Anticipate. Envision. Create.
At SCJ Alliance, you’ll have the opportunity to shape a local civil practice, lead a team of 10, and help win the work that drives its future.
We’re looking for a civil engineering Project Manager and Lacey Team Lead who combines technical judgment with a talent for building client relationships and developing people. You’ll guide projects from early planning through design and permitting, stay involved in technical decisions, and help your team build the skills and confidence to take on more.
As part of a 100% employee-owned firm, you’ll contribute to a company you have a stake in. Our mission, “Serving our clients, communities and each other with creativity, knowledge, insight and perspective,” connects the projects you deliver with the people and communities they serve.
The work and the team
Our site civil work spans educational, commercial, industrial, residential, and public facilities, along with municipal infrastructure, stormwater, and roadway design. You’ll collaborate with colleagues across disciplines to develop practical solutions that reflect each project’s needs.
As the Lacey Civil Team Lead, you’ll report to the Civil Business Group Director and lead a team of 10 project managers, project engineers, design engineers, and designers. Some team members will report directly to you; others will report to managers within the group. Alongside managing your own projects, you’ll coordinate workloads and staffing and partner with those managers to guide performance, support career development, and build the team’s technical and leadership capabilities.
You’ll work with the Office Principal and Civil Business Group Director on business development, resource planning, annual budgeting, and training priorities. This role offers the opportunity to influence both the work we deliver and how our local team develops.
A few projects we’re proud of
- Lacey Fire Station #34. SCJ provided civil engineering and landscape architecture services for a new, approximately 11,625-square-foot fire station and an expanded vehicle repair facility near Lacey’s Regional Athletic Center. From early feasibility analysis supporting bond funding to grading, drainage, utilities, landscape, and irrigation design, our team helped the district plan and develop facilities that support essential emergency services.
- East Bay Public Plaza. SCJ provided civil engineering, utility, and stormwater design for an Olympia public space that helps visitors explore the value of clean and reclaimed water through interactive features, wetlands, and interpretive elements. Located on a former brownfield site near Budd Inlet, the project required careful analysis of tidal influences on stormwater capacity to support a welcoming community gathering place.
- Orin Smith and Lintott Elementary Schools. SCJ provided civil engineering and landscape architecture services for two new elementary schools on a shared 42-acre site in Chehalis. Our design integrated bus circulation, parent parking and drop-off areas, frontage improvements, water and sewer infrastructure, and a stormwater detention system that reduces downstream impacts on neighboring residents.
What you’ll do
Lead projects from start to finish. Establish project objectives, scopes, budgets, schedules, and work plans. Coordinate design and permitting, manage changing needs, and keep clients and project teams informed.
Bring sound technical judgment. Guide site civil design, resolve engineering challenges, and provide quality control and peer review of calculations, plans, and other deliverables.
Build trusted client relationships. Understand client priorities, facilitate productive meetings, manage expectations, and address concerns early.
Win work and build the practice. Take a leading role in securing projects for the civil team. Develop new client relationships, expand work with existing clients, and lead pursuits, proposals, interviews, and presentations. Partner with the Office Principal and civil management team to build a project pipeline that aligns with the team’s expertise, capacity, and growth goals.
Manage project financial performance. Oversee contracts, including subcontractor agreements, budgets, and scope changes with attention to client relationships and the firm’s long-term success.
Lead and develop people. Set clear expectations, delegate thoughtfully, provide regular feedback, conduct performance evaluations, and help team members put career development plans into action.
Coordinate workloads and resources. Manage team workload, staffing, and forecasting in partnership with the Office Principal and other offices. Match project needs with staff skills and capacity, clarify priorities, and address competing demands.
Keep the team connected. Hold regular group and project meetings, communicate clearly, share knowledge, and encourage collaboration across offices and disciplines.
Support business and training planning. Work with principals on annual budgeting and training needs, and ensure team members complete required training.
Model the expectations you set. Demonstrate sound judgment, respectful communication, and accountability, and help team members follow company policies and best practices.
What you bring
- A bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or equivalent.
- A Professional Engineer license.
- 7+ years of progressively responsible civil engineering experience, including project management.
- Experience in site civil or land development design and permitting.
- The ability to manage project scope, schedules, budgets, contracts, and client expectations.
- Leadership experience with responsibility for direct supervision and mentoring of technical staff.
- The ability to provide useful feedback, address performance concerns, and support employee development.
- A demonstrated ability to win consulting work through client relationship development, successful project pursuits, and repeat business.
- Clear written and verbal communication, including leading meetings and presenting to clients and other stakeholders.
- Practical problem-solving skills and the judgment to move work forward independently while knowing when to bring others in.
- Experience with AutoCAD &/or Civil 3D.
- Experience with Vantagepoint &/or Mosaic experience is preferred but not required.
Why SCJ
Employee ownership. SCJ is 100% employee-owned, giving you an opportunity to share in the company’s long-term success. We make annual contributions to our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) on behalf of eligible employees, with no cost to you. Alongside our 401(k), the ESOP supports your retirement savings while giving you a stake in the company you help build. Participation and vesting are subject to plan requirements.
Meaningful work and professional variety. Employees regularly point to interesting projects and their impact on communities as reasons they enjoy working here. Our multidisciplinary practice brings together civil engineering, transportation planning and design, environmental and urban planning, landscape architecture, and public outreach. You’ll tackle challenges with colleagues whose different perspectives and expertise can strengthen your work and broaden your own experience.
Room to grow and contribute. Employees value the trust to take ownership, try new approaches, and learn from one another. As the Lacey Civil Team Lead, you’ll help shape our Lacey civil practice: the work we pursue, how we develop our people, and how we serve our clients. Bring your ideas and help put them into action. Leadership training, participation in strategic planning, and hands-on team management will help you strengthen your people leadership, business development, and financial management skills.
Potential career paths include Civil Business Group Director, guiding the growth, development, and coordination of civil teams across offices; Office Principal; or, over time, an executive leadership position. Your path would reflect your strengths and interests, with advancement dependent on demonstrated readiness, available opportunities, and business needs.
Expertise and support. You’ll work alongside experienced civil engineering professionals to solve design challenges, strengthen project delivery, and serve clients well. Our HR team will also provide practical guidance, leadership tools, and support as you navigate people management and team development.
Values that guide how we work. Curiosity, Compassion, Stewardship, Integrity, and Empowerment shape how we serve our clients, communities, and each other. In this role, that means asking good questions, supporting people, managing resources thoughtfully, communicating honestly, and giving team members the guidance and trust to take ownership of their work.
Caring and collaborative colleagues. Ask employees what makes SCJ a great place to work, and the people come up again and again: knowledgeable coworkers who welcome questions, help solve problems, and look out for one another. Employees also appreciate the camaraderie, humor, and understanding that life happens outside work. From photo scavenger hunts and Taskmaster-style challenges to our Roots & Recipes potluck and silent auctions supporting the American Cancer Society, we make time to connect, get creative, and have fun together.
Connection to our communities. Serving our communities is part of our mission, and our values of Compassion and Stewardship help bring it to life. Through community involvement opportunities and a charitable matching program, we support causes our people care about and give back to the places where we live and work.
Benefits that support your life
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Company-provided life, AD&D, travel, EAP, and short- and long-term disability insurance policies.
- HSA and FSA options.
- PTO, paid holidays, and floating holidays.
- A 401(k) plan and employee stock ownership plan.
- Reimbursement for eligible licensing and professional organization expenses.
- Dog-friendly office
Location and work expectations
This position is based in our Lacey office, home to approximately 60 employees. You’ll lead a civil team that includes colleagues based in Lacey and one fully remote team member. Most Lacey staff work in the office three or more days per week. We expect leaders to be present most days to support their teams, with some flexibility for a hybrid schedule.
With civil teams in five of our eight offices, there are opportunities to travel for collaboration and conferences. Site visits occur as needed and are typically local, though occasional overnight travel may be required.
Let’s talk
If you’re ready to lead people, win work, and shape a civil practice, we’d like to meet you.
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Equal opportunity and our hiring process
SCJ Alliance embraces diversity. Different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives strengthen our work and help us better understand, represent, and serve the communities we work with.
We are an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
If needed, please contact us and we will work with you to find a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process.
SCJ Alliance complies with the employment eligibility verification requirements of the federal Form I-9. The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States. SCJ does not provide immigration sponsorship; therefore, applicants must possess work authorization that does not require employer sponsorship.
