Greetings!
Welcome to August!
It was a busy July, with the ASCE Florida Section Annual Conference in Orlando and the Branch finalizing our Annual Budget for the new fiscal year. We also held our annual elections, to be announced at the Annual Officer Installation Luncheon (September 9th).
The East Central Branch Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament (September 30th) is coming up as well as a social, an all-inclusive Orlando City Soccer match!
The ASCE 2022 Convention is scheduled for October 23-26, 2022 in Anaheim California, and is slated to be a unique opportunity to gather with fellow ASCE members across the nation. You can find program highlights and registration information at www.asceconvention.org.
A HUGE congratulations to our East Central Branch award winners:
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ASCE Florida Section Engineer of the Year – Susan Woodbery
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ASCE Florida Section Government Engineer of the Year – Kelly Nowell
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Kelly Nowell (left), and Susan Woodbery
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If you see either recipient – please congratulate them and thank them for their continued dedication to ASCE and East Central Branch Community!
A complete listing of upcoming events can be found in the newsletter below, including socials, institute events, and technical luncheons. I hope you find something that meets your interests and are able to participate!
Cheers,
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Melissa Burns, PE
ASCE East Central Branch President
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This issue
- Sustainability Committee
- Structural Engineering Institute
- Education Committee
- Younger Member Forum
- Student Chapter Activities
- Employment Opportunities
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ANNUAL OFFICER INSTALLATION LUNCHEON
Please join us for the installation of the 2022/2023 slate of officers and recognition of all who served this past year. This year we have the pleasure of hosting Mr. Kevin Thibault, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.
When
Friday, September 9, 2022, from 11:30 AM to 1:15 PM
Where
The Historic Dubsdread Golf Club
549 W Par St.
Orlando, FL 32804
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2022 SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT
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ASCE Orlando City Soccer Game
When
Wednesday, September 14, 2022, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Where
Exploria Stadium (Tailgate located outside Gate B)
655 W Church St
Orlando, FL 32805
ASCE East Central Branch invites you to our September social and sporting event! This is a great opportunity to meet other engineering professionals while attending an Orlando City Soccer game versus Atlanta United FC. Registration includes a ticket to the game and an all-inclusive pre-game tailgate, including a variety of food and beverages. Gametime is 6 PM, with pre-game tailgate access opening at 3 PM.
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SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE
The Sustainability Committee’s core mission and function are to organize and facilitate outreach opportunities allowing the members of the East Central Branch to stay informed and promote sustainable engineering practices. Below are some upcoming events and interesting reads recommended by the committee.
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At the recent ASCE FL Conference in Orlando on July 14th and 15th, 38 attendees showed off their RBCs (reusable beverage containers) when they checked in for a chance to win some prizes. Five (5) fortunate attendees won these prizes to help further do their part for sustainability and resiliency:
- Composting Starter Kit (countertop container & book)
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[Case of] Bamboo Toilet Paper (from Who Gives a Crap)
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Waterbob (alternative to bottled water for hurricane prep)
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Biodegradable dog waste bags (from O-town Compost)
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Bird Strike Preventor (clear, exterior window tape from Collidescape)
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Florida Section Sustainability Chair Chris Sharek (left), and “Who Gives a Crap” prize winner (right).
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The East Central Branch Sustainability Committee and Ferguson Waterworks were happy to sponsor the raffle prizes for the conference. The raffle was such a hit that planning prizes for the 2023 Conference is already underway! Please let us know if you have any suggestions.
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Upcoming Events
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August 9, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.: ASCE FL Section Sustainability Committee Meeting. Email Chris Sharek for a Teams invitation.
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August 10, Noon to 1 p.m.: Updating Structural Specifications to Reduce Embodied Carbon. ASCE live webinar. Login to your ASCE account, go to MyLearning, and select ‘Launch’ at the appropriate time for Course 7060IW2022.
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August 30, Noon to 1:00 p.m.: East Central Branch Sustainability Committee Meeting. Email Steve Sommerfeldt, Committee Chair, for Teams invitation.
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September 21, 2022, 10:30 a.m.: East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC) committee in-person meeting. ECFRPC comprises 32 members from our region’s eight counties and municipalities. The council is tasked with approving the annual budget and county dues and setting regional priorities to be dealt with by council staff. Council meetings are a forum for council members to collaborate on regional issues such as land use, environmental protection, emergency preparedness, economic development, and transportation. East Central Branch ASCE is a partner with ECFRCP and members from the Sustainability Committee will be attending this meeting to help advise on civil infrastructure.
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Other News / Resources
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Orange County Government is Hiring! Jeff Benavides, the former Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer, asked before leaving the County to share the following opportunity with our members: Senior Environmental Specialist
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Chris Castro, the former City of Orlando Director of Sustainability & Resilience, was appointed by President Biden and Vice President Harris to the Department of Energy as Chief of Staff, Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP). Read more here: DOE Welcomes New Biden-Harris Administration Appointees
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Trick or Trash by RUBICON© - Don’t let your Halloween candy wrappers go to waste! Join the mission to help reduce waste by hosting a candy wrapper collection box. Click for more info.
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If you would like to join the ECB Sustainability Committee, please reach out to our Committee Chair Steve Sommerfeldt. The committee typically meets (virtually) on the last Tuesday of the month during lunch to plan out future activities and ideas related to sustainability. We welcome any new and/or seasoned individuals interested.
Want to hear more? Join the Sustainability Committee mailing list today!
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STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING INSTITUTE
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Bridge the Gap Initiative
SEI is looking for professionals to assist with our “Bridge the Gap Initiative”. We are looking for four engineering professionals with experience with concrete or steel design/testing. These professionals are asked to commit to attending three meetings with students from Embry Riddle and/or UCF ASCE student chapters. The meetings will provide opportunities for the students and professionals to work together to create concrete and/or steel test specimens and to test the specimens for failure. The goal of this initiative is to foster stronger relations between SEI and the student chapters and to encourage/support students pursuing structural engineering. For more information, please contact Michael Olka, at molka@lakecountyfl.gov
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The SEI Standards Series debuted in 2021 as a 6-part sequence of educational, virtual sessions designed to showcase the six, unique, about-to-be-published SEI Standards that govern several niche markets. Now in 2022, the SEI Standards Series will preview ASCE 7-22 as a 5-part series that reviews the changes from ASCE 7-16. This unique program includes a dialogue between the leaders and experts who develop ASCE 7 and includes a detailed technical presentation on the specific changes and three main hazards - Seismic, Wind & Tornado, and Snow/Rain. In addition, information will be provided on the ASCE 7 Digital Products/Hazard Tool. Attendees will be encouraged to join the discussion for the extensive live Q&A portion of the session.
Schedule-At-A-Glance
- September 8, 2022: How & Why to Use ASCE 7-22 in Your Practice
PDH:
1.5 PDHs available per session
Join ASCE/SEI now to receive the member rate and all SEI benefits
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CALL FOR PROJECTS
The Structural Engineering Institute is seeking submissions from fellow structural engineers about their past or present projects. The submission is to quickly discuss the project's highlights, uniqueness, and/or challenges the structural engineer encountered during the project. This will provide ASCE-ECB members and aspiring student engineers with insight into the current structural engineering practices, and provide an opportunity for local or regional structural engineers to showcase their work. The submittals must include the following:
- At least one photograph of the project location.
- A summary of the project setting and background, such as location, new construction/restoration, private/government, etc.
- A summary of the challenges and/or unique aspects of the project, such as new design technology or use of new construction material not typically used in similar designs.
The submittals shall be sent to Rocio Rodriguez at rocio_rodriguez2@hotmail.com which we will review and prepare for the presentation in a future ECB newsletter.
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CALL FOR OFFICER
SEI is looking for members who would like to serve as an Institute Officer beginning in September 2022. Interested members should send a message to Rocio Rodriguez at rocio_rodriguez2@hotmail.com.
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EDUCATION COMMITTEE
(K-12 OUTREACH)
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Welcome to another school year, with classes starting on August 10th in Central Florida please be alert for the increase in congestion around schools.
Committee Members
The Education Committee is always looking for more volunteers who are passionate about Education Outreach. If you are interested in joining, please contact Michael Olka at mike.olka@lakecouhtyfl.gov
Volunteer Training and Screening
Please be aware that some institutions are requiring new training and screening procedures for adult volunteers to interact with minors. The committee is working to find out the new procedures and will provide information as it becomes available.
New ASCE Outreach Video
At the Florida Section Annual Conference, ASCE President Dennis Truax shared a trailer for a new ASCE video similar to the previous film Dream Big. The committee will provide more details as more information becomes available.
2022 ASCE ECB STEM Teacher Award
Deadline: August 31, 2022
The ASCE ECB Education Committee is seeking nominations from local teachers of Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM). The award is open to Pre-K through high school teachers working in public, private, or charter schools within Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia Counties. This award is to recognize teachers who teach or support STEM in their classrooms. The nomination should include the name of the teacher, their school, and a brief description of their efforts in teaching and/or supporting STEM in the classroom. Please email Michael Olka a completed nomination form by August 31, 2022.
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If you have any questions, or comments about K-12 Outreach or would like to join the committee, please contact Michael Olka molka@lakecountyfl.gov
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ASCE Younger Members Forum is looking for officer and chair candidates for the upcoming year! If you are interested in being more involved with YMF over the next year and would like more information or to submit your name for a specific chair or officer position, please complete the attached survey by September 10th! Elections will be held the 3rd week of September.
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Please join ASCE YMF for an online information session on Engineering Your Mind. This workshop introduces mindfulness and mindfulness practices, examines the science of stress and mindfulness, and provides connections between the benefits of mindfulness and the skills needed for engineering professionals. This presentation will discuss the science behind stress, the personal, team, and leadership benefits, and how to implement these practices in a realistic manner in everyday life.
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The presentation is called “An Overview of Common Flow Technologies”. It covers the pros and cons of the most widely used flow technologies. There is a focus on cost, accuracy, and installation concerns. Products include but are not limited to Inline magmeters, insertion meters, and ultrasonic clamp-on the focus. 10 technologies will be discussed in this presentation. This presentation has been approved for 1 PDH! If you are interested please register via the link below.
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Please join us for our September Service event where we will be cooking dinner for families at the Ronald McDonald House. Volunteering at the RMHC allows the non-profit to cut costs and ensure that financial contributions received are maximized to help families.
When
Saturday, September 17, 2022, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Where
Ronald McDonald House
2201 Alden Road, Orlando
Orlando, FL 32803
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Disney Sports has selected our ASCE YMF chapter to volunteer for the upcoming Disney race season! We will be volunteering at TWO events for the upcoming Disney Marathon Weekends! Registration for the November Wine and Dine Half Marathon is now closed but we are looking for volunteers for the Walt Disney World Full Marathon this coming January! If you are interested in volunteering with us, please follow the link below to register with the YMF group. Once we have the positions filled, we will provide more information on how to officially register with Disney, waiver forms, etc. Please carefully note the volunteer time slot and don't forget to mark your calendars!!
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July Activities
Some of our officers got the opportunity to attend the 2022 ASCE Florida Section Annual Conference It was a great opportunity for them to attend technical sessions from industry professionals, network with other student chapters, and learn ways to manage and improve the chapter for the upcoming year. They also got the chance to do a technical tour of the new Brightline station at MCO and see the process of the project is completed. Our concrete canoe and steel bridge teams continue to work on doing research for the upcoming competition, and our officers continue to plan out all the events and opportunities that will be offered to our members.
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Inwood Consulting Engineers, Inc. has an opportunity for a full-time Roadway Design Project Manager. The ideal candidate will perform project and team management and engineering services supporting our roadway design projects. The position includes project oversight, engaging with clients, mentoring support staff, and overseeing and assisting with the development and preparation of plans, estimates, specifications, or reports for the design of transportation facilities.
Essential Tasks
- Oversee the design and preparation of plans for new transportation systems or parts of systems, such as highways, streets, intersections, interchanges, bridges, drainage, and pedestrian facilities
- Direct, manage, and develop plans and reports for transportation infrastructure projects according to established engineering standards and local, state, or federal criteria
- Assist and advise junior-level team members while being a positive mentor/leader for the team
- Perform QA/QC reviews to ensure completeness, accuracy, and conformity to engineering standards and practices
- Pursue and assist in the pursuit of transportation infrastructure projects and other business development activities
- Develop and monitor project budgets and schedules to ensure profitability and timeliness of deliverables
- Collaborate with others to identify, clarify, analyze, and resolve complex engineering problems
- Coordinate activities and assign work across multiple disciplines, both in-house and externally
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering
- PE license in the State of Florida (or if registered in another state, the ability to obtain registration in the State of Florida within six months)
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Seven or more years of prior practical experience successfully managing transportation projects and supporting business development efforts
- Familiarity or established relationships with FDOT and other municipal clients is a plus
- Strong knowledge of AASHTO, FDOT, and municipal design criteria, standards, and plans preparation requirements
- Experience writing proposals, scopes of work, and budgets for projected work and delivering presentations
- Ability to communicate technical and complex information and to work well with others
- Possess attention to detail, organizational skills, and a positive attitude
About Inwood
Founded in 1995, Inwood is proud to play a role in helping improve transportation infrastructure throughout Florida. Our team is full of engineers, ecologists, planners, designers, specialists, technicians, coordinators, and all-around awesome people that work hard every day to make a difference! Our talented professionals are committed to meeting our clients' project needs by applying innovative thinking combined with personal service on every assignment. To be successful at this, we feel it’s important to provide a great work environment for our team members. We enjoy year-round “summer hours”, on-site locker room facilities, and hybrid work opportunities. Some of our other benefits include paid medical, dental, disability, and life insurance coverage; 401k matching; paid time off; holiday pay; bonuses; and professional development.
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Inwood Consulting Engineers, Inc. has an excellent opportunity for a full-time Utility Coordinator at our main office in Oviedo, Florida. The ideal candidate will perform utility coordination and track schedules to support our roadway design projects. The position includes coordinating utility issues with in-house design teams and external parties, including clients, subconsultants, and utility agency owners (UAOs), to ensure all utilities are identified and proper accommodation plans are prepared and communicated.
Essential Tasks
- Coordinate activities and act as a liaison across multiple parties, both in-house and externally
- Develop and monitor utility work schedules to ensure the timeliness of deliverables
- Perform records research and conduct field reviews
- Determine the need for Subsurface Utility Engineering
- Identify potential utility conflicts by reviewing plans
- Support the Engineer of Record in the development of utility conflict matrices
- Resolve utility/roadway conflicts through coordination with the Engineer of Record and UAOs
- Assist in determining the responsible agency for utility reimbursement
- Aid in the preparation and submittal of Utility Certification/Clear Packages
- Participate in constructability reviews
- Act as a backup to other staff in the Utilities group to perform related work as needed
Preferred Qualifications
- High school diploma or equivalent
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Four or more years of prior practical experience performing utility coordination for transportation projects according to established state and federal standards, policies, procedures, and design criteria
- Strong knowledge of FDOT utility coordination practices and processes, including FDOT Utility Procedures Manual, FDOT Utility Accommodation Manual, and FDOT Utility Work by Highway Contractor Plans Development
- Familiarity with municipal clients and their standards
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and experience with MicroStation or similar software
- Ability to communicate technical and complex information, multi-task, and work well with others
- Possess attention to detail, organizational skills, and a positive attitude
About Inwood
Founded in 1995, Inwood is proud to play a role in helping improve transportation infrastructure throughout Florida. Our team is full of engineers, ecologists, planners, designers, specialists, technicians, coordinators, and all-around awesome people that work hard every day to make a difference! Our talented professionals are committed to meeting our clients' project needs by applying innovative thinking combined with personal service on every assignment. To be successful at this, we feel it’s important to provide a great work environment for our team members. We enjoy year-round “summer hours”, on-site locker room facilities, and hybrid work opportunities. Some of our other benefits include paid medical, dental, disability, and life insurance coverage; 401k matching; paid time off; holiday pay; bonuses; and professional development.
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ENTRY-LEVEL ROADWAY DESIGN ENGINEER
Leading land development firm Poulos & Bennett is actively seeking an Entry Level Roadway Design Engineer for immediate employment in their Orlando, Florida office. This position provides a unique opportunity to join an established, well-respected, and growing Land Planning, Civil Engineering, and Construction Management firm with a variety and diverse range of projects. Our teams develop solutions to policy and design challenges and focus on providing our Clients with the highest quality services and technical expertise.
Our culture is based on collaboration, accountability, empowerment, recognition, and continuous learning. P&B, ranked one of the region’s Best Places to Work by the Orlando Business Journal, offers a dynamic, fun and family feel atmosphere with a focus on professionalism and employee growth.
Qualifications:
- BS in Civil or Environmental Engineering
- 0-5 years of Roadway Design experience
- Experience with Microstation or AutoCAD Civil 3D is a plus
- Experience with ICPR and Geopak Drainage/StormCAD is a plus
- Understanding of permitting process, codes, and criteria is a plus
- Experience preparing construction plans and reports is a plus
- Fundamentals of Engineering (EI) certification or ability to obtain within 12 months of employment preferred
Responsibilities:
- Prepare engineering design services for municipal roadway improvements with guidance from senior engineer staff
- Assist senior engineers and project managers with sub-consultant coordination, project schedules, plan review, utility coordination, & drainage design
- Understanding and implementation of FDOT & municipality design criteria documents
- Prepare plans utilizing MicroStation or AutoCAD Civil 3D
Skills and Abilities:
- Proficient in MS Excel, Word, Outlook
- Highly organized
- Able to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
- Detail oriented
- Must work well on teams
- Must be solution-oriented
Benefits
- The compensation package commiserates with experience and location
- Excellent PTO and holiday program
- 401K plan with company match
- Competitive health and dental insurance options
- Tuition reimbursement program
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ROADWAY DRAINAGE DESIGN ENGINEER
Leading land development firm Poulos & Bennett is actively seeking a Roadway Drainage Design Engineer for immediate employment in their Orlando, Florida office. This position provides a unique opportunity to join an established, well-respected, and growing Land Planning, Civil Engineering, and Construction Management firm with a variety and diverse range of projects. Our teams develop solutions to policy and design challenges and focus on providing our Clients with the highest quality services and technical expertise.
Our culture is based on collaboration, accountability, empowerment, recognition, and continuous learning. P&B, ranked one of the region’s Best Places to Work by the Orlando Business Journal, offers a dynamic, fun and family feel atmosphere with a focus on professionalism and employee growth.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering
- 2+ years of experience providing secondary and primary drainage calculations, reports, and plans for various roadway projects
- Experience with GeoPak Drainage or StormCAD and ICPR
- Florida PE is preferred but not required.
- Familiar with FDOT and water management district criteria and methodologies
Responsibilities:
- Prepare drainage studies and plans, roadway drainage systems, storm drain systems, and stormwater quality projects
- Prepare planning studies and design plans for a variety of drainage projects
- Prepare technical reports, letters, and memos for the development of stormwater projects
- Calculate quantities and generate engineering cost estimates
- Perform preliminary field investigations and existing data research
- Assure that all submittals are in accordance with company and design standards
- Communicate with the water management district and sub-consultants as needed to prepare permits and documentation for each project.
Skills and Abilities:
- Ability to think critically
- Ability to work well in a team environment
- Able to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
- Highly organized & Self-motivated
- Strong computer skills with Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
- GeoPak and/or StormCAD proficiency
- ICPR proficiency
Benefits
- The compensation package commiserates with experience and location
- Excellent PTO and holiday program
- 401K plan with company match
- Competitive health and dental insurance options
- Tuition reimbursement program
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SENIOR ROADWAY DESIGN ENGINEER
Leading land development firm Poulos & Bennett is actively seeking an Senior Roadway Design Engineer for immediate employment in their Orlando, Florida office. This position provides a unique opportunity to join an established, well-respected, and growing Land Planning, Civil Engineering, and Construction Management firm with a variety and diverse range of projects. Our teams develop solutions to policy and design challenges and focus on providing our Clients with the highest quality services and technical expertise.
Our culture is based on collaboration, accountability, empowerment, recognition, and continuous learning. P&B, ranked one of the region’s Best Places to Work by the Orlando Business Journal, offers a dynamic, fun and family feel atmosphere with a focus on professionalism and employee growth.
Qualifications:
- 5-15 years of Roadway Design experience
- BS in Civil or Environmental Engineering
- Experience with MicroStation or AutoCAD Civil 3D required
- Exposure to and general understanding of permitting process, codes, and criteria
- Licensed Professional Engineer (Florida) preferred
Responsibilities:
- Design and analysis of horizontal and vertical alignments
- Prepare roadway plan set components including plan, profile, cross section, and detail sheets
- Calculate quantities and prepare construction cost estimates
- Prepare design documentation
- General understanding of Preliminary drainage design and provide secondary drainage design and analysis on roadway projects.
- Work with other disciplines on creative solutions to design challenges
- Coordinate with design team and sub-consultants
- Develop and mentor junior staff
Skills and Abilities:
- Strong roadway design background
- Ability to think critically
- Ability to work well in a team environment
- Able to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
- Highly organized
- Self-motivated
- Strong computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
- Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills
Benefits
- Compensation package commiserate with experience and location
- Excellent PTO and holiday program
- 401K plan with company match
- Competitive health and dental insurance options
- Tuition reimbursement program
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Sincerely,
Khanh Olka
Communications Chair
ASCE East Central Branch
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