Lead Civil Engineer - PE, Power & Infrastructure

Most civil roles are about grading one site after another the way it's been done for decades. This one is different. Yes, you'll design grading, drainage, and foundations and take projects through plan check, but you'll also work shoulder-to-shoulder with our AI engineering team to encode your expertise into a system that produces coordinated site designs faster and more reliably than anything the industry has seen. You won't just be doing the work. You'll be re-imagining how it gets done.

The Opportunity

Monterra is a new kind of consulting engineering firm. We are a team of consulting engineers and technologists specializing in power and energy infrastructure projects (modular data centers, battery storage and microgrids, generators and backup power, and EV charging). At Monterra, licensed PEs direct and supervise our in-house AI agents to deliver faster and better engineering services.

Since launching the service a few months ago, we've been winning and delivering projects, and our client base is growing.

We're hiring our Lead Civil Engineer, our first civil hire. Our projects frequently require both the electrical design that powers them and the civil design that puts them on the ground. You'll own civil across the firm, working directly with our principal electrical engineers to deliver coordinated civil and electrical sets.

Your time will be split across:

• Client project delivery: civil and light structural design, from grading and drainage to equipment foundations and plan-check responses.

• Discipline building: develop and continuously improve Monterra's civil engineering standards and processes.

• AI agent development: liaise with AI engineering team to improve our in-house AI agent.

Our goal is to reimagine how engineering services are delivered and push the frontier of quality, speed, and client experience. As our first civil engineer, you'll be a key part of that journey.

What You'll Do

Site, Grading & Drainage

• Develop grading and drainage plans for equipment yards, data center pads, and charging lots, including accessible stalls and routes to ADA / CBC 11B.

• Build existing-ground surfaces in Civil 3D from survey, LiDAR, and aerial site data, and specify topographic and boundary surveys when a desktop surface isn’t enough.

• Run hydrology and hydraulics, and prepare erosion control and SWPPP plans where the AHJ or site disturbance requires them.

Light to Moderate Structural

• Design equipment pads and foundations for transformers, switchgear, BESS enclosures, generators, and EV chargers, per ACI 318 and IBC / CBC.

• Calculate equipment anchorage for seismic and wind per ASCE 7.

• Know the limits: flag when a structure needs a geotech report or an SE, and scope that work to our sub-consultants.

Coordination & Delivery

• Coordinate trench routes, utility crossings, and utility pad requirements with the electrical design.

• Respond to AHJ civil plan-check comments through to permit.

• Seal civil and structural sheets as the engineer in responsible charge of civil across the firm.

Civil Standards & AI Agent Coaching

• Set Monterra's civil standards from day one: details library, templates, drawing conventions, and a QC checklist.

• Document design decisions, rules of thumb, and AHJ-specific requirements to coach our AI agent.

• Review and QC AI-generated site output, and work with our AI engineering team to improve our AI agent's capabilities.

Who You Are

You're a civil engineer who's always been passionate about your craft but a little frustrated by how slowly the industry moves. You've stamped plenty of drawing sets and worked with clients, and you know what plan checkers look for. But you're also the person who built spreadsheets to automate your own calculations, who thinks about how engineering knowledge could be systematized, and who gets excited about the idea of an AI that amplifies engineers' productivity.

Required

• Active civil PE license in California, with willingness to obtain comity licensure in other states we work in.

• 7+ years of site / land development design (grading, drainage, stormwater), including taking projects through plan check to permit.

• Working structural competence for pads, footings, and anchorage (ACI 318, ASCE 7, IBC / CBC).

• Fluency in AutoCAD Civil 3D.

• Strong communication skills: ability to explain engineering rules to teammates outside your field.

• Qualities we value: intensely curious, strong sense of ownership, self-starter, creative problem solver, and comfortable juggling multiple fast-moving projects.

Preferred But Not Required

• Structural Engineer (SE) license.

• Experience on data center, BESS, substation, solar, or EV charging sites.

• Utility coordination on transformer pads, vaults, and service equipment.

• Stormwater permitting in CA, AZ, or TX.

• Experience building automation (e.g., scripts) and using AI tools in day-to-day work.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience.

• Early-stage equity: you'll be the first civil engineer on a small team, not employee #50.

• Health, vision, and dental insurance, commuter benefits, unlimited PTO, and more.

• Remote-first; occasional travel for site visits, conferences, customer meetings, and team gatherings.

About Monterra

You'll work most closely with:

• David Kim, Co-Founder & CEO

• Kelson Reiss, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

• Daniel Ihlenfeldt, PE, Principal Electrical Engineer

• Tyler Blauvelt, PE, Principal Electrical Engineer

Monterra is backed by reputable VC and Angel investors, including Urban Innovation Fund, Base10 Partners, Very Serious Ventures, and more. Learn more about the company here.