Civil Designer Jobs in Virginia
Civil Designer jobs in Virginia are in strong demand, concentrated in transportation engineering, land development, and federal infrastructure contracting, with openings from entry-level drafters through senior project designers. Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the Hampton Roads corridor are the largest hiring markets, home to established firms like Kimley-Horn, HNTB, and Dewberry that maintain large Virginia offices and hire civil designers consistently. Stormwater management, roadway design, and site development are the most sought-after specialties across the state. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Position Summary
The Civil Designer will support the development of civil design packages for utility-scale solar, battery energy storage, and other energy infrastructure projects. This role will work closely with civil engineers and other technical disciplines to translate engineering requirements, survey data, and project criteria into accurate, constructible drawing packages.
The ideal candidate has strong AutoCAD skills, hands-on Civil 3D experience, and experience producing civil drawings for large land development or energy projects.
Responsibilities
- Prepare conceptual, preliminary, and final civil design drawings for utility-scale solar, battery energy storage, and large land development projects.
- Develop site layouts, grading plans, access roads, drainage features, erosion and sediment control plans, and other civil design elements under the direction of project engineers.
- Use AutoCAD Civil 3D to develop and manage surfaces, alignments, profiles, grading features, corridors, and other site design elements.
- Develop grading surfaces from topographic surveys, project layouts, and engineering criteria.
- Perform earthwork calculations and develop cut/fill quantities to support site design and constructability evaluations.
- Review survey, geotechnical, environmental, and other project reference documents and incorporate relevant information into project base files and drawing packages.
- Coordinate with civil, structural, electrical, and other engineering disciplines to ensure site infrastructure is accurately represented and integrated across the design package.
- Work with project engineers to incorporate technical requirements, design revisions, and engineering comments into drawings.
- Prepare and maintain drawing sets using established drafting standards, templates, sheet sets, blocks, external references, and file-management practices.
- Extract coordinates, points, surfaces, quantities, and other drawing information needed to support construction and field activities.
- Identify design conflicts and constructability issues and work with engineers to develop practical solutions.
- Manage design responsibilities across multiple concurrent projects while meeting project schedules and deliverable requirements.
- Perform drawing reviews and quality checks for completeness, consistency, and adherence to company and project standards.
Basic Qualifications
- Professional experience using AutoCAD for civil drafting and design.
- Working proficiency with AutoCAD Civil 3D.
- Experience developing civil drawing packages for land development, site development, infrastructure, or similar projects.
- Understanding of civil drafting standards and drawing production practices.
- Experience working with survey data, existing conditions, contours, and topographic surfaces.
- Proficiency with sheet sets, blocks, external references (Xrefs), layers, and drawing/file management.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, surveys, and technical documentation.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a deadline-driven environment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience designing utility-scale solar PV or battery energy storage system (BESS) projects.
- Experience with large-scale grading, earthwork optimization, stormwater management, and erosion and sediment control design.
- Experience developing access roads, drainage systems, and other site infrastructure.
- Experience with additional 2D or 3D civil design or modeling software outside the Autodesk platform.
- Experience with Bluebeam Revu or Adobe Acrobat for drawing review and markup.
- Experience with AutoCAD customization or automation using AutoLISP, .NET, Python, Dynamo, or similar tools.
- Familiarity with construction drawings and the use of civil design data for field layout and construction.
Work Location
This position is based in our Glen Allen, Virginia office and is expected to work primarily in the office. The role will work closely with our civil engineering and project teams on the development of civil design packages for utility-scale energy projects.
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
See All 8 Civil Designer Jobs in Virginia
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Find Civil Designer JobsCivil Designer Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Civil Designer Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Construction & Real Estate
- Consulting & Professional Services
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in civil designer jobs across Virginia.
- Engineer-in-Training or Professional Engineer registration through the Virginia Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers, and Landscape Architects
- Proficiency in AutoCAD Civil 3D for grading, alignment, and utility design
- Experience preparing construction documents for VDOT or local Virginia municipalities
- Bachelor's degree in civil engineering, civil engineering technology, or a related field
- Familiarity with Virginia stormwater management regulations and DEQ permitting requirements
- Strong understanding of land development entitlements and site plan approval processes
Civil Designer Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a civil designer in Virginia?
The most direct path is earning a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or civil engineering technology, then pursuing the Engineer-in-Training credential by passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. Licensure is administered through the Virginia Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers, and Landscape Architects. Many civil designers work productively in non-PE design roles before licensure, but registration strengthens your candidacy for project leadership roles.
How much do civil designers make in Virginia?
Civil designers in Virginia earn a median of about $67,100 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $45,300 for the lowest 10% to over $99,320 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire civil designers in Virginia?
Employers hiring civil designers in Virginia right now include Burns & McDonnell, Atwell, and Pennoni, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Virginia's mix of federal contracting, VDOT-funded transportation work, and rapid land development in Northern Virginia and the Richmond suburbs keeps a broad range of civil and infrastructure firms actively recruiting.
Which Virginia cities have the most civil designer jobs?
Reston, Richmond, and Norfolk have the most civil designer openings in Virginia. Northern Virginia's concentration of federal agencies and large engineering contractors drives the bulk of listings, while Richmond anchors land development and VDOT project work, and Hampton Roads supports significant port infrastructure and military installation projects that require consistent civil design staffing.
Are there remote civil designer jobs in Virginia?
Yes, but they're limited. Civil design involves site visits, coordination with surveyors, and local jurisdiction reviews that keep most roles primarily in-office or on-site. About 25% of civil designer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, with flexibility most common for CAD production and plan review tasks rather than project management or field coordination work.
How can I get hired as a civil designer in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is applying for junior designer or CAD technician roles at mid-size Virginia engineering firms, which regularly hire new graduates into production-focused positions. Firms like Kimley-Horn and Dewberry run structured entry-level programs in their Virginia offices. A portfolio showing Civil 3D drafting work, a completed FE exam, or coursework in stormwater and site design gives candidates a clear edge over applicants with no credentialing progress.
Where can I find and apply to civil designer jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to civil designer jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers hiring in the state right now. Find roles that fit your experience and specialization and apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 8 Civil Designer Jobs in Virginia
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