Civil Design Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
Civil design engineer visa sponsorship jobs in California are concentrated with infrastructure-heavy employers across Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Sacramento. Firms like AECOM, WSP, Jacobs, and Caltrans contractors regularly hire for transportation, water systems, and land development projects, making California one of the most active states for sponsored civil design engineering roles.
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Get Access To All JobsRequisition ID # 175626
Job Category: Engineering / Science
Job Level: Individual Contributor
Business Unit: Energy Delivery
Work Type: Hybrid
Job Location: Fresno
Department Overview
The hardworking coworkers of Electric Engineering ensure all manners of electric engineering—including electric standards and process safety, electric design engineering, instrumentation testing and controls, undergrounding, electric regulatory compliance and electric investment planning—are in place to safely enable a strategic and stable workplan for our Electric Operations partners. Our organization is accountable for program planning, financial budgeting, and project execution and delivery of all electric engineering projects. Electric Engineering is comprised of approximately 2,000 coworkers.
The Engineering and Design team of Transmission Operations Substation Engineering is responsible for civil, electrical and protection engineering work for all PG&E’s substations. Civil design includes substation design of foundations, structures, grading, equipment seismic qualification, SPCC plans and modifications, and seismic retrofit of buildings and equipment.
Position Summary
This entry-level position is represented by Engineers and Scientist of California (ESC) subject to collective bargaining.
As a Civil/Structural Design Engineer in the Substation Civil Engineering department, you will develop civil, structural and environmental designs for our large network of high voltage substations. From our centralized office, you will prepare construction drawings and supporting calculations, participate in field reviews at substation facilities and discuss project objectives with other stakeholders in engineering, construction, operations and maintenance. You will use a variety of design tools, including AutoCAD 3D for drawing development, and SAP2000, PLS-CADD and L-PILE for structural analysis and design.
This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location based on business need. The assigned work location will be within the PG&E Service Territory.
PG&E is providing the hourly rate range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual hourly rate paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, collective bargaining agreement, and internal equity.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, the hourly rate range for this position is $46.94 to $78.14, subject to collectively bargained wage increases.
Job Responsibilities
- Actively promote safe practices and conduct in accordance with the Corporate Safety policy.
- Design and retrofit steel structures, reinforced concrete foundations, anchorage, retaining walls, control buildings and equipment support per PG&E Design Criteria.
- Design access roads, drainage and soil retention systems, and grading and layout of new substations.
- Design spill containment systems for large oil-filled electrical equipment for environmental compliance.
- Prepare construction drawings using AutoCAD Civil 3D.
- Provide Construction Administration assistance to the Responsible Engineer, including review of shop drawings, RFIs and submittals.
- Foster teamwork and innovation and embrace new approaches to accomplish our work more efficiently and effectively.
- Travel 10% of the time.
Qualifications
Minimum: Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering; or, its equivalent in education and experience to include education and design drafting experience totaling six years; or education and experience totaling four years including two years at PG&E as a Design Drafter or Senior Design Drafter. Must possess and maintain a valid Class C California Driver's License (or higher) by day 1 of hire.
Desired:
- 1 year of experience in structural engineering
- M.S. degree in Civil or Structural Engineering
- EIT or PE License
- Knowledge of building codes including ASCE 7, CBC, ACI 318 and AISC 360
- Experience with SAP2000 or equivalent structural analysis software
- Experienced with MS Office
Requisition ID # 175626
Job Category: Engineering / Science
Job Level: Individual Contributor
Business Unit: Energy Delivery
Work Type: Hybrid
Job Location: Fresno
Department Overview
The hardworking coworkers of Electric Engineering ensure all manners of electric engineering—including electric standards and process safety, electric design engineering, instrumentation testing and controls, undergrounding, electric regulatory compliance and electric investment planning—are in place to safely enable a strategic and stable workplan for our Electric Operations partners. Our organization is accountable for program planning, financial budgeting, and project execution and delivery of all electric engineering projects. Electric Engineering is comprised of approximately 2,000 coworkers.
The Engineering and Design team of Transmission Operations Substation Engineering is responsible for civil, electrical and protection engineering work for all PG&E’s substations. Civil design includes substation design of foundations, structures, grading, equipment seismic qualification, SPCC plans and modifications, and seismic retrofit of buildings and equipment.
Position Summary
This entry-level position is represented by Engineers and Scientist of California (ESC) subject to collective bargaining.
As a Civil/Structural Design Engineer in the Substation Civil Engineering department, you will develop civil, structural and environmental designs for our large network of high voltage substations. From our centralized office, you will prepare construction drawings and supporting calculations, participate in field reviews at substation facilities and discuss project objectives with other stakeholders in engineering, construction, operations and maintenance. You will use a variety of design tools, including AutoCAD 3D for drawing development, and SAP2000, PLS-CADD and L-PILE for structural analysis and design.
This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location based on business need. The assigned work location will be within the PG&E Service Territory.
PG&E is providing the hourly rate range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual hourly rate paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, collective bargaining agreement, and internal equity.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, the hourly rate range for this position is $46.94 to $78.14, subject to collectively bargained wage increases.
Job Responsibilities
- Actively promote safe practices and conduct in accordance with the Corporate Safety policy.
- Design and retrofit steel structures, reinforced concrete foundations, anchorage, retaining walls, control buildings and equipment support per PG&E Design Criteria.
- Design access roads, drainage and soil retention systems, and grading and layout of new substations.
- Design spill containment systems for large oil-filled electrical equipment for environmental compliance.
- Prepare construction drawings using AutoCAD Civil 3D.
- Provide Construction Administration assistance to the Responsible Engineer, including review of shop drawings, RFIs and submittals.
- Foster teamwork and innovation and embrace new approaches to accomplish our work more efficiently and effectively.
- Travel 10% of the time.
Qualifications
Minimum: Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering; or, its equivalent in education and experience to include education and design drafting experience totaling six years; or education and experience totaling four years including two years at PG&E as a Design Drafter or Senior Design Drafter. Must possess and maintain a valid Class C California Driver's License (or higher) by day 1 of hire.
Desired:
- 1 year of experience in structural engineering
- M.S. degree in Civil or Structural Engineering
- EIT or PE License
- Knowledge of building codes including ASCE 7, CBC, ACI 318 and AISC 360
- Experience with SAP2000 or equivalent structural analysis software
- Experienced with MS Office
Civil Design Engineer Job Roles in California
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Search Civil Design Engineer Jobs in CaliforniaCivil Design Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for civil design engineers in California?
Large engineering and infrastructure consultancies are the most consistent sponsors for civil design engineers in California. AECOM, WSP, Jacobs, Tetra Tech, and HDR have active California offices and documented LCA filing histories for civil engineering roles. Public agencies working through design-build contractors, such as Caltrans project teams, also generate sponsorship activity, particularly for transportation corridor and water infrastructure work.
Which visa types realistically fit civil design engineer roles in California?
Civil design engineering qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring a relevant bachelor's degree, so H-1B visa is the primary path for most international candidates. Canadian and Mexican citizens can pursue TN visa status under the USMCA Engineer category without entering the H-1B lottery. Australian citizens may qualify for the E-3 visa. Those on F-1 OPT or STEM OPT with a qualifying engineering degree can work for a sponsoring employer while transitioning to a longer-term visa. EB-2 and EB-3 green card paths are also available for experienced engineers with employer support.
Which cities in California have the most civil design engineer sponsorship jobs?
Los Angeles and San Diego lead in volume, driven by ongoing transit, highway, and coastal infrastructure projects. The San Francisco Bay Area draws civil design engineers for water utility upgrades and seismic retrofit programs. Sacramento is active given its proximity to state agency procurement and Central Valley flood management initiatives. Inland Empire cities like Riverside and Ontario are growing markets tied to logistics and municipal expansion projects.
How to find civil design engineer visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate lists California civil design engineer roles specifically filtered to employers with verified visa sponsorship history, so you can search by city or project type without sifting through unsponsored postings. The platform is particularly useful for identifying which Bay Area and Southern California infrastructure firms are actively filing LCAs for civil engineering positions, saving significant research time during your job search.
Are there state-specific factors that affect civil design engineer sponsorship in California?
California's size and infrastructure investment cycle make it one of the strongest states for sponsored civil design roles, but PE licensure matters here. California's Professional Engineer exam and Board of Professional Engineers requirements are state-specific, and some employers preference candidates who already hold or are eligible for California PE licensure. University programs at UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and USC feed strong graduate pipelines into firms that have established sponsorship processes for civil engineering hires.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored civil design engineer jobs in California?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.