Hire Site Development Engineers

Time to shortlist is typically 2 weeks from scoping call. Total time to placement (shortlist through offer acceptance) is typically 3–4 weeks. Seats that require a PE in a specific state, an active clearance, or relocation to a remote greenfield site can run a week longer.

Most US Site Development Engineers on industrial and mission-critical programs land between $95K and $135K base depending on metro, site scale, and whether the seat is owner-side or contractor-side. Senior and lead-level engineers carrying PE sign-off on gigafactory, hyperscale, or launch-site programs typically run $135K–$175K, plus per diem or relocation on remote sites. These are market bands; we confirm live market bands during scoping. See our civil engineer salary guide for the wider civil market.

The Land Development Engineer works the entitlement and master-plan side — zoning, platting, preliminary civil, agency approvals. The Site Development Engineer takes the entitled parcel and delivers it: geotech, grading, stormwater, utilities, interconnect, roads, and field engineering through pad-ready. On smaller programs one person holds both; on industrial campuses they are separate seats and usually work in sequence.

A Field Engineer typically supports the vertical build — layout, RFIs, submittals, quantities on the structure. The Site Development Engineer owns the horizontal scope before and under it, with design responsibility for grading, drainage, and utilities plus field engineering during sitework. If your building is going up, hire a Field Engineer; if the dirt is still moving or the parcel is raw, this is the seat.

Not by default. A PE (Civil) is required where the seat stamps grading, drainage, or SWPPP documents, and we filter for it in the right state when that is the case. Otherwise, reference-verified delivery of a greenfield site outweighs the license, and many strong candidates are EIT-track engineers with 5–10 years of sitework. We confirm the sign-off requirement during scoping.

Yes. Launch and test sites and MILCON programs add range-safety interface, energetics and cryogenic setbacks, FAA or DoD environmental review, and badge-and-escort rules to the sitework scope. We confirm clearance eligibility or active status during scoping and shortlist only candidates who can start on your timeline.

Yes. Every Site Development Engineer placement carries a replacement guarantee. Guarantee terms are confirmed in writing at engagement start.

Yes. Multi-hire builds (Site Development Engineers plus Civil Engineers, Permit Coordinators, and Field Engineers across a greenfield program) route through embedded recruiting or RPO. Common for owners and EPCs standing up a new campus in a market where they have no bench.