The Opportunity

This role is intended for a leader who enjoys staying connected to project delivery while also developing people. The right candidate will be a strong transportation professional, a practical problem solver, and a steady people leader who can help engineers grow through project work, coaching, clear expectations, and consistent support.

Our Technical Managers are expected to operate in a seller-doer leadership model. That means staying engaged in billable project work, supporting client relationships, contributing to pursuits, and helping grow the business while also leading and developing the team. This is not a role where leadership happens separate from work. It happens through the work: by creating clarity, supporting quality, mentoring staff, helping project teams solve problems, and building trust with clients and internal partners.

The selected candidate will report to an Associate Director and work closely with project managers, task leads, subject matter experts, account managers, marketing, and shared services. This is a meaningful opportunity for someone who wants to help shape a team, strengthen delivery, support NDDOT and local agency transportation work, and make a real impact in Ulteig's Transportation business.

If you are energized by developing people, solving project challenges, building client trust, and helping a team grow in a sustainable way, this may be the right next step.

What You'll Do

Project and Technical Leadership / Billable Delivery - 50%

• Serve in a billable project leadership role by leading, supporting, and reviewing transportation design work through planning, design, proposal, and construction support phases.
• Provide technical guidance for transportation projects, including roadway design, corridor improvements, safety-focused improvements, multidisciplinary coordination, and public agency delivery.
• Support NDDOT and local agency projects by helping teams understand project requirements, design expectations, quality standards, review comments, schedule commitments, and client priorities.
• Review drawings, calculations, specifications, estimates, reports, and other project deliverables as appropriate.
• Assume responsible charge when needed and appropriate based on licensure, project role, and client requirements.
• Work closely with project managers and task leads to align scope, schedule, budget, staffing, quality expectations, and delivery commitments.
• Help project teams make timely decisions, resolve technical issues, and deliver work that meets Ulteig standards and client expectations.
• Use project delivery as a platform for staff development by creating opportunities for engineers to learn, stretch, and build confidence through meaningful project roles.
• Model strong ownership of project outcomes, including quality, responsiveness, budget awareness, risk management, and follow-through.

People Leadership and Team Development - 30%

• Lead, coach, and support transportation professionals as they work toward individual, team, department, and enterprise goals.
• Develop employees' technical, leadership, communication, and project delivery skills through regular one-on-ones, career development conversations, goal setting, and performance feedback.
• Create clarity around priorities, workload, expectations, and decisions so team members understand what needs to be done, why it matters, and how their work connects to the bigger picture.
• Foster a team environment where quality, accountability, training, continuous improvement, and practical innovation are part of the normal way the team operates.
• Support a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace where employees can ask questions, raise concerns, learn from mistakes, and contribute fully.
• Partner with project managers and other leaders to balance workload, support utilization goals, and align the right people with the right project opportunities.
• Identify and develop future technical and project leaders by helping team members gain experience, exposure, and confidence over time.

Seller-Doer and Business Performance Leadership - 20%

• Support Ulteig's seller-doer model by helping maintain and grow client relationships through responsive delivery, technical credibility, and proactive communication.
• Build trust with NDDOT, local agencies, and internal client-facing leaders by helping deliver high-quality work and staying engaged in client needs, project risks, and upcoming opportunities.
• Participate in pursuit and proposal efforts by contributing to technical approaches, staffing strategies, project examples, risk identification, quality review planning, and NDDOT-specific delivery considerations.
• Partner with account managers, project managers, marketing, and technical leaders to position Ulteig for transportation opportunities in North Dakota and adjacent markets.
• Help strengthen client confidence by supporting consistent delivery, clear communication, practical technical solutions, and follow-through on commitments.
• Contribute to business performance through workload awareness, project execution support, quality leadership, and an understanding of how team decisions affect financial outcomes.
• Help improve tools, processes, communication routines, and operating practices that make it easier for the team to deliver quality work efficiently.

What We Expect from You

• B.S. in Civil Engineering, Planning, or a related field is required.
• Civil Professional Engineer (PE) licensure is preferred. PTOE, AICP, or other relevant professional credentials may also be considered depending on background and role alignment.
• Minimum of 8+ years of experience in transportation engineering, roadway design, traffic, planning, construction, or a closely related field is required.
• Experience supporting NDDOT, local agency, county, municipal, or similar public transportation clients is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical work while mentoring and developing staff.
• Interest in a seller-doer leadership model, including billable project delivery, client engagement, proposal support, and business development activities.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain decisions, give clear feedback, and work through difficult conversations constructively.
• Practical understanding of transportation project delivery, including scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk, and client expectations.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while helping the team stay focused, organized, and supported.
• Sound judgment, initiative, and a willingness to step into challenges with a steady and solutions-oriented mindset.
• Experience collaborating with project managers, technical staff, clients, public agencies, and internal business partners.
• Proven experience with Microsoft Software Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Experience with transportation design software and related technical tools is preferred based on discipline and project needs.
• Demonstrates openness to innovation by embracing and applying evolving technology and AI tools to enhance workflows, solve problems, and drive continuous improvement.
• Must have authorization to work permanently in the U.S.

What Makes This Role Different

This role is for someone who wants to lead from the middle of the work, not from the sidelines.

The North Dakota Transportation Design Team needs a Technical Manager who can stay meaningfully engaged in billable project delivery while also helping the team grow. That includes reviewing work, guiding design decisions, coordinating with project managers, supporting pursuits, strengthening NDDOT and local agency relationships, and building client trust. It also means coaching people, creating clarity, helping employees understand expectations, and making sure team members have opportunities to develop.

This is a good fit for someone who enjoys both sides of technical leadership: the project side and the people side. You may be the person others already come to when a project needs to get unstuck, when a young engineer needs direction, when a client needs confidence, or when a team needs someone to bring order to the chaos.

The intended model for this role includes meaningful billable project work and market engagement. At the same time, the role is not simply about filling project hours. It is about using that project involvement to raise the team's technical capability, improve delivery, strengthen client relationships, and help people grow.

If you are a transportation professional who enjoys mentoring others, building client trust, supporting NDDOT and local agency pursuits, and helping teams deliver quality work without losing sight of the people doing the work, this is a leadership opportunity where you can make a lasting impact.

Additional Opportunity Details:
Target Base Compensation Range for this role is $141,800 - $184,400
* Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary include your job-specific skills, education, training, job location, number of years of experience related to this role and comparison to other employees already in this role.

This position will be posted for a minimum of 3 days and will continue to be posted for an average of 60 days until a qualified applicant is selected or the position has been cancelled.

Notice to Recruiters and Staffing Agencies: To protect the interests of all parties, Ulteig Engineers, Inc., will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate or an approved vendor that has a written and signed agreement in place with Ulteig. Please do not contact or forward resumes to our company employees or locations. Any unsolicited resumes will be considered Ulteig property. Ulteig is not responsible for any charges or fees related to unsolicited resumes.