STEM OPT Highway Engineer Jobs
Highway Engineer roles in transportation planning, structural design, and traffic systems qualify for STEM OPT when your degree is in civil engineering, transportation engineering, or a related STEM field. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify to hire you, and the 24-month extension gives you up to 36 months total to build your U.S. career in infrastructure.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Join Colliers Engineering & Design as a Highway & Traffic Engineer in Hamilton, NJ, or Holmdel, NJ, and help shape the future of transportation.
Help build the roads that connect communities! As part of our design engineering team, you’ll contribute to projects of varying size and complexity, from local and county roads to state and interstate highways. Your work will span conceptual planning, alignment studies, and the preparation of contract documents, helping turn roadway improvements into actionable plans. You’ll also develop and evaluate alternatives that balance project costs with environmental, utility, and property impacts while bringing thoughtful engineering solutions to every project.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Evaluate, select, and apply engineering techniques and principles, with the guidance of senior staff, to develop designs, reports, presentation materials, and other elements necessary for project success.
- Research design options and apply code provisions/standards.
- Work with senior engineers and planners, often involving multiple disciplines, to create designs that meet or exceed client needs.
- Perform engineering calculations and create cost estimates.
- Establish and maintain positive relationships with co-workers, supervisors, clients, and colleagues.
- Meet schedule, budget, and quality goals set by project managers.
- Work toward fluency in AutoCAD Civil 3D and MicroStation and create plans, CADD models, etc.
- Conduct field work in collaboration with project engineers and above.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in civil engineering required.
- EIT (Engineer-in-Training) certification preferred.
- Previous internship experience and/or capstone project work pertaining to highway/traffic engineering preferred.
- Some experience working with AutoCAD and/or MicroStation and other software packages is preferred.
- Previous experience with Traffic analysis software is a plus.
- Strong background in the principles of Traffic Engineering and Operations.
- Familiarity with the MUTCD and other transportation publications.
- Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
- Effective time management and organizational skills, including the ability to multi-task.
- Thrive in a team setting and have a great attitude, strong work ethic, attention to detail and exhibit an eagerness to learn.
- Valid driver’s license.
- Ability to read, write, and understand English for purposes of comprehending written job-related communications and verbal instructions and interactions.
COMPENSATION
- Compensation: $81,730 to $96,800 per year (depending on qualifications)
INTRODUCTION
Join Colliers Engineering & Design as a Highway & Traffic Engineer in Hamilton, NJ, or Holmdel, NJ, and help shape the future of transportation.
Help build the roads that connect communities! As part of our design engineering team, you’ll contribute to projects of varying size and complexity, from local and county roads to state and interstate highways. Your work will span conceptual planning, alignment studies, and the preparation of contract documents, helping turn roadway improvements into actionable plans. You’ll also develop and evaluate alternatives that balance project costs with environmental, utility, and property impacts while bringing thoughtful engineering solutions to every project.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Evaluate, select, and apply engineering techniques and principles, with the guidance of senior staff, to develop designs, reports, presentation materials, and other elements necessary for project success.
- Research design options and apply code provisions/standards.
- Work with senior engineers and planners, often involving multiple disciplines, to create designs that meet or exceed client needs.
- Perform engineering calculations and create cost estimates.
- Establish and maintain positive relationships with co-workers, supervisors, clients, and colleagues.
- Meet schedule, budget, and quality goals set by project managers.
- Work toward fluency in AutoCAD Civil 3D and MicroStation and create plans, CADD models, etc.
- Conduct field work in collaboration with project engineers and above.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in civil engineering required.
- EIT (Engineer-in-Training) certification preferred.
- Previous internship experience and/or capstone project work pertaining to highway/traffic engineering preferred.
- Some experience working with AutoCAD and/or MicroStation and other software packages is preferred.
- Previous experience with Traffic analysis software is a plus.
- Strong background in the principles of Traffic Engineering and Operations.
- Familiarity with the MUTCD and other transportation publications.
- Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
- Effective time management and organizational skills, including the ability to multi-task.
- Thrive in a team setting and have a great attitude, strong work ethic, attention to detail and exhibit an eagerness to learn.
- Valid driver’s license.
- Ability to read, write, and understand English for purposes of comprehending written job-related communications and verbal instructions and interactions.
COMPENSATION
- Compensation: $81,730 to $96,800 per year (depending on qualifications)
See all STEM OPT Highway Engineer Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Highway Engineer
Verify your CIP code before applying
Pull up your degree's Classification of Instructional Programs code and cross-check it against the STEM Designated Degree Program List that USCIS maintains. Civil Engineering (14.0801) and Transportation Engineering (14.0804) both qualify, but general engineering or construction management degrees sometimes do not.
Filter employers by E-Verify enrollment status
Before submitting any application, confirm the employer is actively enrolled in E-Verify, not just registered. State DOTs and large federal contractors are almost always enrolled, but smaller regional engineering firms frequently are not, which disqualifies them for your STEM OPT extension.
Target DOT contractors with active federal work
Federal highway and infrastructure contractors are required to use E-Verify under executive order, making them structurally eligible to hire STEM OPT students. Focus your search on prime contractors holding Federal Highway Administration or Army Corps of Engineers contracts, where E-Verify compliance is built into contract terms.
Draft your I-983 training plan around PE licensure milestones
Your I-983 must connect your daily work to your STEM degree with measurable learning objectives. Highway engineers have a natural structure to use: map your plan around the experience hours required for your Professional Engineer licensure, which DOT employers already track and document.
Search for STEM OPT roles on Migrate Mate
Use Migrate Mate to find Highway Engineer positions filtered for E-Verify-enrolled employers. The platform surfaces DOL Labor Condition Application filing data by employer and role, so you can see which infrastructure firms have a demonstrated history of sponsoring work authorization before you apply.
Request the LCA before accepting an offer
Ask your prospective employer to share the Labor Condition Application job classification and prevailing wage level before you sign. For highway engineers, the relevant SOC code is 17-2051, and you can cross-check the offered wage against the OFLC Wage Search to confirm the role is filed at the correct wage level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a civil engineering or transportation engineering degree qualify me for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your degree is in a field on the STEM Designated Degree Program List. Civil Engineering (CIP 14.0801) and Transportation and Highway Engineering (CIP 14.0804) both qualify. Environmental Engineering and systems-focused engineering degrees typically qualify too. Check your degree's exact CIP code with your Designated School Official before assuming eligibility, since general studies or construction management degrees often do not appear on the list.
Does my Highway Engineer employer need to be enrolled in E-Verify?
Yes. E-Verify enrollment is a hard requirement for every employer hiring a STEM OPT student. This applies even if the employer has previously hired F-1 students on standard OPT. State departments of transportation and large federal infrastructure contractors are almost always enrolled, but smaller regional or municipal engineering firms may not be. Confirm enrollment directly with HR before accepting any offer.
What goes into the I-983 training plan for a Highway Engineer role?
Your I-983 must describe how your daily work connects to your STEM degree through specific, measurable learning objectives. For highway engineering, you can structure objectives around design tasks, transportation modeling software, environmental compliance processes, or the engineering experience hours required for Professional Engineer licensure. Your employer's designated supervisor signs the plan and must provide evaluations every six months throughout the extension period.
How does cap-gap protection work if I'm applying for an H-1B while on STEM OPT?
If your STEM OPT is still valid on April 1 of the H-1B visa filing season and your employer files a timely H-1B petition on your behalf, cap-gap automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of that fiscal year. If your petition is selected and approved, your H-1B status begins October 1. You can continue working as a highway engineer throughout this period without any gap in authorization.
Where can I find Highway Engineer jobs with E-Verify-enrolled employers?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for STEM OPT students and filters Highway Engineer roles by E-Verify enrollment status. It also surfaces DOL Labor Condition Application filing history by employer, so you can see which transportation and infrastructure firms have an established record of sponsoring work authorization rather than discovering enrollment issues after you've already applied.