OPT Roadway Engineer Jobs
Roadway Engineer OPT jobs are a strong fit for F-1 students with degrees in civil or transportation engineering. Most roles qualify as STEM OPT extensions, giving you up to three years of work authorization. Employers in this field regularly sponsor H-1B visas, making it a viable long-term path.
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WSP USA is seeking a Senior Civil Roadway Engineer to join our Transportation and Infrastructure team. The position is hybrid and will be based out of WSP’s NJ Offices (either Morristown or Lawrenceville).
In this role, you will provide roadway, transportation, and infrastructure design and project management services for NJDOT, NJTPA, and county/municipal clients throughout New Jersey.
Responsibilities include task management, roadway design, feasibility studies, final design, preparation of plans and specifications, procurement support, and construction phase services for roadway projects. The successful candidate will provide technical leadership and guidance to project teams while ensuring that project deliverables meet or exceed client expectations, industry standards, and quality requirements for safety, functionality, and innovation.
Your Impact
- Lead or assist with the preparation of plan drawings, specifications, design documentation reports, and bid quantities on a range of project types including highway construction and re-construction, interchanges, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, innovative intersections, design-build, and more.
- Collaborate with junior, mid-level, and senior professionals across multiple disciplines to deliver successful projects.
- Develop practical and innovative solutions to complex engineering challenges encountered during design and construction.
- Manage task budgets and schedules to support successful project delivery.
- Mentor, train, and provide technical guidance to early-career engineers and staff.
- Conduct occasional site visits to verify field conditions and support project development.
- Prepare technical reports, calculations, exhibits, sketches, charts, tables, and other visualizations to communicate engineering analyses and recommendations.
- Assist with project development, planning, and scope definition.
- Coordinate and communicate effectively with clients, regulatory agencies, subcontractors, and project stakeholders.
- Perform engineering assignments requiring critical thinking, sound judgment, and creativity.
- Exercise ethical and responsible decision-making regarding company resources and adhere to WSP's Code of Conduct and related policies.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering.
- Minimum of 4 years of relevant post-graduate engineering experience, including roadway or civil infrastructure design.
- EIT Certification in New Jersey.
- Experience with design teams on NJDOT and municipal projects (highway, roadway geometric design, roadway plan production, and drainage design).
- Strong commitment to collaboration and active participation in WSP's culture and values.
- Demonstrated knowledge of roadway engineering principles, practices, and design standards related to transportation and infrastructure projects.
- Experience in infrastructure planning, design, and construction support, including both rehabilitation and new construction projects.
- Ability to manage multiple assignments and competing priorities.
- Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Ability to work independently while providing leadership, mentorship, and guidance to junior staff, with a strong commitment to quality assurance and quality control procedures.
- Proficiency with engineering and office software, including MicroStation, OpenRoads and Microsoft Office applications.
Preferred Qualifications
- Professional Engineer (PE) license in New Jersey, or the ability to obtain licensure within six months of hire.
- Experience delivering roadway design and project management services for NJDOT, NJTA, county, or municipal transportation projects.
- Familiarity with NJDOT, NJTA and local agency design standards.
- Experience serving as a task manager on transportation infrastructure projects.
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: $107,500 - $156,600
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.
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.
This Opportunity
WSP USA is seeking a Senior Civil Roadway Engineer to join our Transportation and Infrastructure team. The position is hybrid and will be based out of WSP’s NJ Offices (either Morristown or Lawrenceville).
In this role, you will provide roadway, transportation, and infrastructure design and project management services for NJDOT, NJTPA, and county/municipal clients throughout New Jersey.
Responsibilities include task management, roadway design, feasibility studies, final design, preparation of plans and specifications, procurement support, and construction phase services for roadway projects. The successful candidate will provide technical leadership and guidance to project teams while ensuring that project deliverables meet or exceed client expectations, industry standards, and quality requirements for safety, functionality, and innovation.
Your Impact
- Lead or assist with the preparation of plan drawings, specifications, design documentation reports, and bid quantities on a range of project types including highway construction and re-construction, interchanges, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, innovative intersections, design-build, and more.
- Collaborate with junior, mid-level, and senior professionals across multiple disciplines to deliver successful projects.
- Develop practical and innovative solutions to complex engineering challenges encountered during design and construction.
- Manage task budgets and schedules to support successful project delivery.
- Mentor, train, and provide technical guidance to early-career engineers and staff.
- Conduct occasional site visits to verify field conditions and support project development.
- Prepare technical reports, calculations, exhibits, sketches, charts, tables, and other visualizations to communicate engineering analyses and recommendations.
- Assist with project development, planning, and scope definition.
- Coordinate and communicate effectively with clients, regulatory agencies, subcontractors, and project stakeholders.
- Perform engineering assignments requiring critical thinking, sound judgment, and creativity.
- Exercise ethical and responsible decision-making regarding company resources and adhere to WSP's Code of Conduct and related policies.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering.
- Minimum of 4 years of relevant post-graduate engineering experience, including roadway or civil infrastructure design.
- EIT Certification in New Jersey.
- Experience with design teams on NJDOT and municipal projects (highway, roadway geometric design, roadway plan production, and drainage design).
- Strong commitment to collaboration and active participation in WSP's culture and values.
- Demonstrated knowledge of roadway engineering principles, practices, and design standards related to transportation and infrastructure projects.
- Experience in infrastructure planning, design, and construction support, including both rehabilitation and new construction projects.
- Ability to manage multiple assignments and competing priorities.
- Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Ability to work independently while providing leadership, mentorship, and guidance to junior staff, with a strong commitment to quality assurance and quality control procedures.
- Proficiency with engineering and office software, including MicroStation, OpenRoads and Microsoft Office applications.
Preferred Qualifications
- Professional Engineer (PE) license in New Jersey, or the ability to obtain licensure within six months of hire.
- Experience delivering roadway design and project management services for NJDOT, NJTA, county, or municipal transportation projects.
- Familiarity with NJDOT, NJTA and local agency design standards.
- Experience serving as a task manager on transportation infrastructure projects.
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: $107,500 - $156,600
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.
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 OPT Sponsorship as a Roadway Engineer
Target infrastructure-focused employers
Engineering consultancies like AECOM, Jacobs, and WSP file H-1B petitions regularly for civil and transportation engineers. These firms have established immigration processes and are more likely to sponsor OPT students than smaller regional firms.
Confirm your degree qualifies for STEM OPT
Civil engineering, transportation engineering, and urban planning degrees typically qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension. Verify your program CIP code with your DSO before applying to roles that expect multi-year availability from OPT candidates.
Apply before your OPT start date
Roadway engineering roles often involve government contracts with hiring timelines that run two to four months. Start applications at least 90 days before your OPT begins so offers and employment authorization align without a gap.
Highlight software skills tied to deliverables
Proficiency in AutoCAD Civil 3D, MicroStation, or OpenRoads Designer signals direct project readiness. Employers sponsoring OPT students want to see tools that translate immediately to roadway design and construction documentation work.
Ask about sponsorship during the second interview round
Raise H-1B sponsorship after receiving a hiring signal, not before. At that stage, ask directly whether the firm sponsors for full-time engineers who begin on OPT. Most established consultancies will give a clear answer.
Use your EIT credential as a differentiator
Passing the Engineer in Training exam before or during OPT demonstrates professional commitment and reduces employer hesitation about sponsoring an international hire. Many state DOTs and consultancies prefer or require EIT certification for junior roadway roles.
Roadway Engineer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Roadway Engineer jobs qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, in most cases. Civil engineering and transportation engineering programs are on the STEM Designated Degree Program List, which makes graduates eligible for a 24-month STEM OPT extension beyond the initial 12 months. Your DSO must approve the extension using Form I-983, which requires a signed training plan from your employer. Confirm your specific CIP code with your school's international student office before assuming eligibility.
Which types of employers commonly sponsor OPT students for Roadway Engineer roles?
Large engineering and infrastructure consultancies are the most consistent sponsors. Firms that hold federal highway or state DOT contracts file H-1B petitions regularly because roadway engineering is consistently classified as a specialty occupation. Smaller firms without dedicated HR or legal infrastructure are less likely to have an established sponsorship process. Browse Migrate Mate to filter for employers that have a track record of sponsoring F-1 and H-1B workers in civil and transportation engineering.
Can I work on government infrastructure projects as an OPT student?
Yes, OPT work authorization allows you to work for private employers on government-funded projects. The restriction to be aware of is that OPT does not permit direct federal employment with agencies like the Federal Highway Administration. Working for a private consultancy that holds a contract with a state DOT or FHWA is standard practice and raises no OPT eligibility issues. Security clearance requirements on certain projects may add a separate layer of review.
What happens to my OPT status if my Roadway Engineer role ends before my authorization expires?
F-1 students on post-completion OPT are allowed up to 90 days of unemployment in total. If your position ends, that clock starts running. For STEM OPT extension holders, the limit is 150 days across the full OPT period. Finding a new qualifying position before those thresholds are crossed is critical. Make sure any new role is in a field directly related to your degree, and report the job change to your DSO promptly.
Does roadway engineering qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Roadway engineering consistently qualifies as a specialty occupation under H-1B standards because the work requires a bachelor's degree or higher in civil or transportation engineering as a minimum. USCIS has approved H-1B petitions for roadway and highway engineers across a wide range of employers, including both large consultancies and state-level infrastructure contractors. This makes the transition from OPT to H-1B more straightforward than in fields where the degree requirement is ambiguous.