Staff Engineer - Solar (Civil)

Job Summary

Dominion Energy is seeking motivated and experienced Engineering candidates to be part of the multi-discipline Solar Project Construction (Photovoltaic) PV Engineering Team, with a primary focus on site/civil engineering for utility-scale solar generation facilities. The position will support civil design review and construction execution including grading, drainage and stormwater management, erosion and sediment control (ESC)/SWPPP compliance, site access roads, constructability reviews, and coordination of civil interfaces for electrical and structural scopes. The candidate will be responsible for performing engineering studies and analyses, reviewing civil construction drawings/specifications, managing requests for information (RFIs), and supporting project documentation and closeout reviews.

In this role, the incumbent is responsible for effective and efficient use of company and contractor resources with emphasis on safety, quality, cost control, adherence to schedule, and regulatory compliance. The successful candidate will communicate effectively across engineering, environmental/permitting, surveying, geotechnical, and construction teams to help ensure EPC civil deliverables are buildable, permit-compliant, and aligned to site conditions.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Execute all duties and responsibilities in a safe manner while ensuring compliance with codes, laws, and company policies.
• Provide site/civil engineering recommendations to leadership and to contracting, design (EPC), and construction teams.
• Coordinate review and evaluation of solar project EPC civil design packages (site, grading, drainage/stormwater, ESC, roads, and details) across design stages (e.g., 30/60/90/IFC) for constructability and permit compliance.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders (environmental/permitting, survey, geotechnical, EPC, and construction) to provide engineering support for the safe and reliable development of solar generation facilities.

• Evaluate civil design approaches and construction methods that improve constructability, reduce rework and change orders, and support environmental compliance (e.g., earthwork balance, drainage improvements, ESC phasing, access/haul routing).
• Provide site/civil engineering support to construction, operations, and other Company engineering groups including review/response of RFIs, field change evaluation, civil QA/QC of as-builts, procedures, and testing/inspection documentation (e.g., compaction, SWPPP/ESC documentation).
• Review grading models/earthwork quantities and coordinate with survey and geotechnical recommendations to confirm assumptions for cut/fill, subgrade preparation, and compaction requirements.
• Support stormwater management and ESC/SWPPP compliance during construction including review of ESC plans and phasing, readiness for inspections, and response to permitting/JHA comments as applicable.
• Coordinate civil interfaces with other scopes including underground MV/communication trenches, HDDs, ductbanks, inverter/transformer equipment pads, O&M building foundations, and substation/switchyard grading tie-ins.

• Develop and maintain Civil design requirements for the Company’s EPC contracts

• Perform other duties as requested or assigned.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Experience

•   Knowledge of engineering theories and principles.
  •    Ability to think analytically and solve complex problems.
  •    Competency in applying engineering principles, fundamental concepts, practices and procedures requiring some evaluation, originality and/or ingenuity to achieve project objectives.
  •    Ability to process information quickly and effectively manage multiple tasks.
  •    Strong planning, organizational and project management skills
  •    Strong oral and written communication skills and develop rapport with internal and external stakeholders;
  •    Strong personal computer skills.
  •    Ability to interpret codes, regulations and practices.
  •    Knowledge of various computer applications, with the ability to manipulate personal computer applications and perform engineering calculations using applicable software programs 
  •    Equally effective working independently or in team environment.
  •    Proven decision making skills.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Experience: 

•    Registered as an Engineer in Training (EIT) or Professional Engineer (PE) (Civil preferred).
Experience with site/civil engineering for utility-scale renewable generation (solar PV preferred) including construction support and EPC plan set reviews.
•    Proficiency reviewing and/or developing civil deliverables: grading plans, drainage and stormwater management (SWM), culverts/channels, and erosion & sediment control (ESC) plans (SWPPP familiarity strongly preferred).
•    Experience supporting construction: civil RFIs, field changes, quantity verification, survey coordination, geotechnical recommendations (subgrade/compaction), and review of civil as-builts and closeout documentation.
•    Knowledge of site access/haul road design, construction phasing/temporary works, and common tools used for plan review and coordination (e.g., AutoCAD/Civil 3D, Bluebeam, and quantity takeoff methods).

REQUIRED ENGINEERING CRITERIA:  For placement of a candidate in the Engineer job series, the following criteria must be met:  

Possess a 4-year Engineering degree from an ABET accredited Engineering program based on the year that the Engineering program was accredited by ABET, or   

Possess a 4-year Engineering degree from an institution outside of the U.S. which is accredited through the country's own Engineering accrediting body under the Washington Accord as a full signatory, and is a degree that was recognized by the country's accrediting body on or after the date that full signatory status was achieved, or   

Possess a 4-year degree in Engineering (non-ABET accredited), Physics, Chemistry, Math or Engineering Technology and a post-graduate Engineering degree from an institution where the undergraduate degree in the same Engineering discipline is ABET-accredited based on the year the Engineering program was accredited by ABET, or   

Holds or has previously held a valid U.S. Professional Engineer license.

Education Requirements

Required Degree (equivalency not accepted in lieu of required degree):

Bachelor’s in Engineering

Licenses, Certifications, or Quals Description

Working Conditions

Other Working Conditions

Test Description

No Testing Required