Project Manager/Civil Engineering Team Lead - Lacey

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