H-1B Visa Lead Project Engineer Jobs
Lead Project Engineer jobs with H-1B visa sponsorship sit firmly within specialty occupation territory: the role requires a bachelor's degree or higher in engineering or a closely related field, and sponsoring employers file a Labor Condition Application with DOL before submitting your I-129 petition to USCIS. Status is granted for up to three years, extendable to six.
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This Opportunity
WSP is seeking a Lead Substation Project Engineer for our Data Center Initiation Team in Overland Park, KS. The following locations will also be considered: Seattle, New York, and San Diego. We can also offer this position remotely. This role provides technical leadership for early-stage substation development and supports strategic decision-making for large-scale data center infrastructure projects.
As demand for AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure accelerates, our clients are developing some of the world's largest, most complex, and most power-intensive facilities. In this role, you will help deliver the electrical infrastructure that enables next-generation data center campuses—projects requiring hundreds of megawatts of power and unprecedented levels of planning, engineering, and coordination. You will work across the full project lifecycle, playing a key role in delivering critical infrastructure for some of the industry's most prominent clients.
What makes this opportunity unique is the breadth of collaboration across WSP's global organization. You will work alongside top experts in their field to solve highly complex infrastructure challenges. This multidisciplinary environment provides exposure to the full range of technical and strategic considerations required to successfully develop large-scale data center campuses. You will contribute to the planning and design of substations, transmission interconnections, and site electrical infrastructure while supporting fast-paced projects that demand innovation, technical excellence, and strong collaboration.
If you're energized by large-scale infrastructure projects, enjoy solving complex technical challenges, and want to help shape the future of digital infrastructure, this is an opportunity to make a lasting impact while accelerating your career on some of the most significant power delivery projects being developed today.
In this role, you’ll lead the development of innovative substation designs at the earliest stages of high-profile data center projects. Your work will directly enable clients to evaluate feasibility, scalability, and long-term reliability, setting the foundation for successful project delivery.
You’ll collaborate across WSP’s diverse business lines to assess site conditions, utility capacity, and system requirements, bringing together the insights needed to turn complex challenges into actionable solutions. As a technical leader, you’ll drive substation configuration, guide critical equipment selection, and define forward-thinking electrical infrastructure strategies.
Beyond design, you’ll play a key role in leading multidisciplinary teams and advancing projects from initial concept through to design handoff.
Your Impact
- Lead multidisciplinary coordination for site evaluation, infrastructure planning, and integration
- Support and contribute to proposal strategy, scope, and technical approach
- Lead execution of technical work during early project phases (initiation through design)
- Serve as a key interface with clients, utilities, and stakeholders
- Conduct site visits to validate designs and address constructability challenges
- Develop and track project scope, schedules, and technical deliverables
- Perform and oversee substation design, including:
- Physical design and/or protection & control systems
- Layouts, grounding, lightning protection, and SCADA integration
- Review and produce design deliverables (plans, elevations, wiring diagrams, etc.)
- Provide oversight and review of engineering studies and calculations
- Support equipment specification, procurement, and vendor evaluation
- Ensure QA/QC compliance across assigned deliverables
- Provide mentorship and technical guidance to junior engineers and designers
- Contribute to continuous improvement of design practices and standards
- Communicate technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences
- Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
- Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering
- 10+ years of substation design experience
- Experience leading design packages or acting as technical lead
- Strong knowledge of substation systems, equipment, and design standards
- Experience in either physical or P&C design (cross-discipline exposure preferred)
- Ability to independently execute and coordinate technical work
- Strong communication, leadership, and coordination skills
- Proven ability to manage competing priorities
- Must be flexible to a variety of schedules to meet business needs and able to prioritize responsibilities and quickly adapt to change in a pressure work environment.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor and support junior staff
- Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Professional Engineer (PE) License
- Experience serving as technical lead on multi-discipline projects
- Data center or large infrastructure project experience
WSP Benefits:
WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.
Compensation:
Expected Salary (all locations): $119,600 - $213,000
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
Expected Salary (Colorado only): $111,200 - $186,000
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and/or offer for this position within the state of Colorado, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship as a Lead Project Engineer
Align your credentials to SOC codes
Pull the O*NET profile for your target SOC code before you apply. Confirm your degree field matches the listed education requirements exactly, since USCIS adjudicators compare your transcript against the specialty occupation definition when reviewing the I-129.
Verify prevailing wage before negotiating offers
Run your target city and job title through the OFLC Wage Search to find the DOL wage level that applies to your role. Your offer must meet or exceed that figure on the certified LCA, so knowing the floor before negotiations protects you from offers that cannot support a petition.
Target employers with active LCA filing history
Use Migrate Mate to search Lead Project Engineer roles at employers whose DOL LCA filing history confirms they sponsor H-1B visa workers in your engineering discipline. This filters out employers who have never filed, saving you weeks of outreach to companies that won't sponsor.
Confirm each worksite gets its own LCA
If your role involves work at multiple client sites or company locations, each worksite address requires a separately certified LCA from DOL before you can work there. Raise this with the hiring manager during offer negotiations so the employer's legal team plans for it from the start.
Request premium processing before your start date
USCIS premium processing upgrades adjudication to a 15-business-day window. For Lead Project Engineer roles where project timelines are fixed, ask your employer to include the premium processing fee in the offer so delays in standard processing don't push your start date past a critical milestone.
Document progressive engineering responsibility carefully
If your previous roles used titles like Project Manager or Senior Engineer rather than Lead Project Engineer, compile project org charts, scope-of-work documents, and performance reviews that show you directed other engineers. USCIS may request evidence that your past experience maps to the specialty occupation duties in the LCA.
H-1B Visa Lead Project Engineer: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Lead Project Engineer role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes. Lead Project Engineer positions typically require a bachelor's degree or higher in mechanical, civil, electrical, or another engineering discipline, which meets the specialty occupation standard. USCIS reviews the job duties and the employer's normal hiring requirements, so your offer letter and the LCA must consistently reflect degree-level engineering responsibilities rather than general supervision.
How do I find employers who actively sponsor H-1B visas for Lead Project Engineers?
Search on Migrate Mate, which surfaces employers with verified H-1B LCA filing history for engineering roles. DOL discloses certified LCA data publicly, so Migrate Mate can show you which companies have filed for Lead Project Engineer or closely related titles, helping you prioritize outreach to employers already familiar with the sponsorship process.
What happens to my H-1B status if my project ends and I move to a new worksite?
Your employer must file a new certified LCA with DOL covering the new worksite address before you begin work there. If the move involves a material change in duties or location, an amended I-129 petition may also be required with USCIS. Confirm this workflow with your employer's immigration counsel before any worksite transition to avoid a gap in authorized employment.
Can I switch employers as an H-1B Lead Project Engineer without losing status?
Yes, through H-1B portability. If you filed an I-140 immigrant petition at least 180 days before your six-year H-1B maximum and it remains approved, you can extend beyond six years while your green card is pending. Without portability, your employer must file a new I-129 for you, and you can begin working for the new employer once USCIS receives that petition, not after approval.
How does the prevailing wage requirement affect Lead Project Engineer salary negotiations?
DOL assigns your position a wage level based on experience, supervision responsibilities, and complexity of duties. Your employer's LCA must certify they will pay at or above that level for the specific worksite location. Knowing your wage level from the OFLC Wage Search before you negotiate means you can confirm any offer will clear the DOL threshold and legally support the petition.