Lead Resident Engineer

Lead Resident Engineer

The Lead Resident Engineer will supervise activities related to a multi-year, > $1 billion (USD) water transmission system program in the Chicagoland area by managing a portfolio of construction contracts for large water supply infrastructure projects. With help from several Resident Engineers, the Lead Resident Engineer will be responsible for administering multiple construction contracts, monitoring cost, schedule and quality of the Construction Contractor’s work, and establishing that construction work is completed in conformance with the requirements of the contract documents. 

Your Key Responsibilities

The Lead Resident Engineer, under the supervision of the Construction Manager, will be responsible for the following on their assigned portfolio of construction contracts:

• Supervising Resident Engineers (REs) and other assigned personnel; filling in for REs as necessary.


• Ensuring that construction work is performed in accordance with contract documents, specifications and applicable codes and standards.


• Overseeing the day-to-day activities related to construction management administrative and financial matters including record keeping, processing of periodic payments, drafting of field change orders, negotiation of change orders, general correspondence, and compiling and drafting of required reports.


• Ensuring that safety protocols are followed.


• Overseeing the process for review of Contractor’s payment applications, including recommending appropriate adjustments as necessary based on work completed. 


• Reviewing and evaluating potential items of extra work and preparation of justifications and cost estimates.


• Monitoring and reporting on Contractor(s) performance, schedule compliance, overall responsiveness, and effectiveness. 


• Oversight of CM Field Office staff, which may include sub-consultants, including timekeeping practices, training and development, mentoring, and rewarding exceptional performance.


• Acting as liaison to program and design staff for resolution of issues.


• Coordinating the construction work with facility operations, maintenance, police, other contractors and other stakeholders.


• Ensuring that non-conformances are satisfactorily resolved for close out of contracts.

• Experience on water/wastewater infrastructure projects in a Construction Management or Owner’s Representative role managing the observation of construction progress, site management, permitting requirements, code compliance and local regulations, conformance with plans and specifications, contractor practices, and QC/QA and performance of inspections, commissioning, close-out, and final acceptance.


• Proficiency in MS Office Suite products including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.


• Familiarity with systems for organizing and managing construction-related communications, reports, photos, etc. (e.g., Kahua, e-Builder or other similar software).


• Excellent organization skills and capacity to handle multiple tasks and projects concurrently.


• Ability to quickly adapt to new priorities.


• Strong oral and written communication skills.


• Strong work ethic, attention to detail, and commitment to exceptional client service.


• Demonstrated ability to build trust and positive business relationships.


• Effective problem-solving, facilitation, and negotiation skills.


• The position involves work associated with critical infrastructure and confidential information; therefore, a background check is required.


• Knowledge of local, state, and federal building codes, construction principles, techniques and procedures, occupational hazards, and safety precautions.


• Ability to be an independent thinker capable of solving problems within a team environment by analyzing technical issues, applying underlying principles, and delivering cost-effective solutions that provide value to clients.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or closely related field.


• Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois is preferred


• Experience with construction of water or wastewater projects, $100M in construction value or greater is preferred.


• Minimum of 10 years of experience on multi-discipline construction projects, with extensive experience managing construction work and project staff is preferred.


• Preference given to candidates located in northeastern Illinois or northwest Indiana