Civil Engineering Intern Jobs in Washington, DC

• This position will offer you the opportunity to utilize and expand your civil engineering degree and skills, while working in a multi-disciplined team environment with other engineers and/or designers in the design, modification, and analysis of power plants, substations, transmission lines and similar industrial systems.
• As a member of a multi-disciplined engineering and design team, you will work on a wide range of power plant projects and perform civil site development work that includes preparing calculations, designs, and specifications.
• As a member of the Civil Engineering group, you will coordinate with project managers, client personnel, contractors and suppliers, and permitting agency personnel as necessary to ensure a complete and timely design.
• Depending on the scope of work and the complexity of the design, you may guide other civil engineers and civil designers in taking on and completing civil engineering project work.
• Your responsibilities may include the following:
  • Prepare calculations relating to storm water drainage, sanitary sewer systems, pavement thickness, ponds and landfills, and earthwork to support permitting and design.
  • Prepare technical specifications to define construction requirements.
  • Prepare site layout, grading, and drainage designs, and work with designers to accurately portray designs in 3-D models and design drawings.
  • Design storm drainage systems, roads, trackwork, water storage and wastewater disposal ponds, and solid waste landfills.
  • Review contractor and material submittal drawings and other vendor documentation for conformity with technical specifications.
  • There is the potential for you to travel to client offices for design reviews and to plant site locations for construction coordination and field verification of designs.

We do not sponsor employees for work authorization in the U.S. for this position.

Essential skills and experience:

• This position requires a BSCE from an ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission-approved program.
• PE license or ability to earn a PE license is required.
• Five or more years of working in a project team environment in the design of industrial projects, power plant experience preferred, with specific experience in site grading and mass earthwork, storm water management, sanitary sewage systems, process wastewater systems, and road and railroad track design.
• Experience in technical writing for reports, calculations, and specifications.
• Experience in preparing, submitting, and obtaining site related permits from regulatory agencies.
• Proficiency with one or more of the following civil engineering design tools: Civil 3D, StormCad, PondPack, and AutoTurn.
• Proficiency with MS Office applications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to work in a team environment is essential.
• This position in based in Washington, DC and may require occasional travel.

• You are expected to lead others in taking engineering problems from issue to solution by setting expectations for using data and modern tools such as automation and AI to improve workflows, reduce rework, and deliver cost-effective designs.
• Leaders in these roles often direct automation and process-improvement work, for example, how teams automate calculations, summarize technical documents, or generate design documentation and guiding when and how AI or agentic AI tools are used while ensuring results are checked.
• Overseeing engineers who program or script (e.g., Python, MATLAB, advanced Excel) to automate engineering tasks, with review of automated outputs, is valued but not required.
• We also value additional learning, such as a minor, certificate, or other experience in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, or related fields that enables effective oversight of automation and agentic AI-enabled engineering workflows.

At Sargent & Lundy, we care about the health and well-being of our employees. Our commitment extends beyond the workplace, offering comprehensive healthcare plans and generous paid time off to support our team members in every aspect of their lives. We understand the importance of work-life balance, which is why we are proud to provide competitive, award-winning benefits. Our dedication to employee satisfaction has earned us the prestigious Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award for compensation and benefits in 2022, 2023, and 2024.