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Early Career Geotechnical Engineer

Geosyntec Consultants

Costa Mesa, CAFull-time$86–107K/yrPosted 6 days agoStill listed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$86–107K/yr
Location
Costa Mesa, CA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Health And Safety Training, requiredValid U.S. Driver's License, required

Job overview

Geosyntec Consultants is hiring an Early Career Geotechnical Engineer for its Costa Mesa office. The role applies academic knowledge to geotechnical projects such as site characterization, landfill design, foundations, dams, forensic investigations, instrumentation, and geohazard mitigation. The engineer will support fieldwork, analyses, design and construction services, and consulting project tasks while developing business skills. The posting requires a bachelor's degree and at least two years of related experience.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Geotechnical Engineering, nice to haveAutoCAD, nice to haveSlope/W, nice to haveSeep/W, nice to haveSigma/W, nice to haveSlide 2D/3D, nice to havePLAXIS 2D/3D, nice to haveLPILE, nice to havegINT, nice to haveWriting, requiredCommunication, requiredFieldwork, requiredOvernight Travel, required

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Civil or Environmental Engineering or Geology, requiredAdvanced Geotechnical Degree, nice to have2+ Years Related Experience or Equivalent, requiredEngineering Consulting Experience, nice to haveHealth and Safety Training, requiredMedical Monitoring, requiredValid U.S. Driver's License, requiredSatisfactory Driving Record, required

Benefits

Paid Time Off
Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match

Full job description

Overview

Do you want to build an impactful career to change the world for the better?

Geosyntec has an exciting opportunity for an Early Career Geotechnical Engineer in our Costa Mesa, California office. The position will have the opportunity to apply academic knowledge to real-world projects involving site characterization; landfill design and construction; earth retaining structures; deep and shallow foundations; dams and water containment structures; forensic investigations and litigation support; geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring; numerical analysis of stability and deformation; and geohazard / earthquake characterization / mitigation, all while gaining the business skills needed for a successful consulting career.

Geosyntec is an innovative, international engineering and consulting firm serving private and public-sector clients to address new ventures and complex problems involving our environment, natural resources, and civil infrastructure. Our engineers, scientists, and technical professionals serve our clients worldwide. Ranked by ENR as one of the top environmental engineering design firms, Geosyntec is internationally known for its technical leadership, broad experience, and exceptional client service.

We invest in our people. Each employee’s journey at Geosyntec is unique. We offer competitive pay and benefits, and well-being programs to support you and your family.

To Learn More Visit: http://www.geosyntec.com/careers/.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • Conducting geotechnical and environmental site characterization including field explorations, sampling and testing, and in-situ infiltration testing;

  • Performing and reviewing geotechnical engineering analyses such as slope stability, shallow and deep foundation design including bearing capacity, settlement, axial, and lateral capacity, excavation support and lateral earth pressures, soil liquefaction and lateral spreading, and seepage;

  • Applying earthquake engineering principles;

  • Developing, installing, and managing instrumentation monitoring systems;

  • Project/task management and proposal preparation support;

  • Preparation of engineering reports, work plans, design calculations, drawings, technical specifications, cost estimates, and permit applications;

  • Analyzing data and preparing maps, tables, and figures;

  • Developing construction documents, including drawings and technical specifications.

  • Civil design, landfill design, and site layout;

  • Supporting fieldwork associated with design and construction services;

  • Monitoring and construction quality assurance of civil construction projects; and

  • Driving personal, company, and rental vehicles to client or company project or office sites, and other business locations, as needed.

Education and Licensure

  • Bachelor's degree in civil and/or environmental engineering or geology. (required)

  • Advanced degree in a geotechnical related discipline. (preferred)

Skills, Experience and Qualifications

  • At least 2 years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. (required)

  • Prior internship or work experience in engineering consulting. (preferred)

  • Strong fundamentals in geotechnical engineering theory and practice. (preferred)

  • Experience with geotechnical and engineering software such as AutoCAD, Slope/W, Seep/W, Sigma/W, Slide 2D/3D, PLAXIS 2D/3D, LPILE, and gINT. (preferred)

  • Excellent writing and communication skills. (required)

  • Willingness to perform regular field work and overnight travel. (required)

  • Health & Safety training, medical monitoring, and client-driven drug and background testing. (required)

  • Valid U.S. driver’s license and a satisfactory driving record for business travel. (required)

This opportunity will be posted for at least five days. Below are the potential compensation ranges that we in good faith believe are applicable for this role at the time of this posting and are only applicable for jobs to be performed in the specified location(s) below. The typical base salary range for this position is just one component of Geosyntec’s total compensation package for employees. Actual compensation will be determined based on education, experience, skill set and location.

  • Minimum: $ 85,555 /year / Maximum: $106,945/year (Costa Mesa, CA)

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including, paid holidays, vacation, sick, and personal paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, 401(k), and other benefits to eligible employees.

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How this job compares

Set against the 1,396 open Civil Engineering jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$86–107K/yr
  • California median$150–201K/yr46 salary ranges
  • US median$100–140K/yr446 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $96K, is 45% below the California median midpoint ($175K) — in the lowest quarter of Civil Engineering salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 77 open Civil Engineering jobs in California and 1,396 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 2 years of experience — less than three in four Civil Engineering postings that state a minimum ask for (median 7 years, across 711 postings).
Education
682 of the 1,396 open Civil Engineering jobs (49%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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