Senior Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) Project Manager

ESP is seeking a Senior Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) Project Manager (PM) to lead SUE project delivery, client coordination, staff development, budgeting, and business development support for transportation, roadway, municipal, and infrastructure projects across Texas. This role serves as a senior representative of ESP responsible for managing SUE scope, schedule, budget, quality, and client expectations while supporting marketing efforts, proposal development, team training, and coordination with utility owners, public agencies, consultants, contractors, and right-of-way stakeholders from planning through construction.

About ESP: ESP provides utility coordination, SUE, surveying, geospatial, engineering support, and infrastructure consulting services for public and private clients. The Senior SUE PM will support ESP’s commitment to responsive client service, technical quality, proactive communication, staff growth, responsible budget management, and practical solutions that advance projects and strengthen client relationships.

Responsibilities:

• Lead ESP SUE project delivery for roadway, drainage, bridge, transit, municipal, and civil infrastructure projects throughout Texas.
• Manage project scope, schedules, budgets, staffing plans, deliverables, and client expectations for assigned SUE projects.
• Support marketing and business development efforts, including client relationship development, pursuit strategy, proposal input, scope development, level-of-effort estimates, and presentations.
• Develop and manage project budgets, monitor financial performance, track progress against approved scope, and coordinate corrective action when budget, schedule, or staffing risks arise.
• Train, mentor, and develop SUE staff in field procedures, documentation standards, project delivery expectations, safety awareness, client communication, and quality control practices.
• Review plans, utility records, as-builts, survey data, SUE deliverables, and project schedules to identify potential utility conflicts and guide investigation strategies.
• Coordinate with utility owners, TxDOT, local governments, engineers, right-of-way staff, environmental teams, contractors, and other project stakeholders.
• Facilitate SUE and utility coordination meetings on behalf of ESP, document action items, maintain utility status reports, and track commitments through resolution.
• Oversee utility conflict analysis, investigation planning, test hole coordination, utility mapping, relocation support, cost estimates, reimbursement documentation, utility agreements, and permitting processes.
• Prepare, submit, track, and review RULIS applications and related documentation to support utility permitting, relocation, and project clearance requirements.
• Monitor SUE production, utility investigation progress, and utility adjustment or relocation coordination during design and construction phases, escalating schedule or coordination issues as needed.
• Interpret and apply applicable Texas utility accommodation requirements, TxDOT utility coordination procedures, right-of-way processes, and federal, state, and local requirements.
• Demonstrate the ability and willingness to learn, interpret, and apply SUE, utility coordination, permitting, right-of-way, and agency criteria for other states as project needs and ESP’s market growth require.
• Prepare professional ESP correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, exhibits, conflict matrices, proposals, project documentation, and materials needed for project delivery and utility clearance.
• Support quality control of SUE deliverables and promote consistent standards across project teams.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or GED
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in SUE, utility coordination, utility engineering, right-of-way, roadway design, construction coordination, or related infrastructure project delivery.
• Demonstrated experience managing SUE projects, including scope, schedule, budget, staffing, client coordination, deliverable review, and quality control.
• Working knowledge of SUE Quality Levels A through D, utility designation, test hole coordination, utility mapping, conflict identification, utility permitting, right-of-way coordination, and construction-phase coordination.
• Experience supporting marketing or business development activities, including proposal preparation, scope narratives, fee development, client meetings, and pursuit support.
• Experience developing, managing, and tracking project budgets, including level-of-effort estimates, labor planning, and financial performance monitoring.
• Experience training, mentoring, and developing technical staff in SUE procedures, documentation, safety awareness, project delivery, and client service expectations.
• Required experience preparing, submitting, tracking, and reviewing RULIS applications, including verifying completeness, consistency with project plans, and alignment with applicable utility coordination requirements.
• Ability to research, learn, and apply utility accommodation rules, SUE standards, permitting requirements, and agency-specific criteria in other states when supporting projects outside Texas.
• Experience coordinating with public agencies, utility companies, engineering teams, contractors, and external stakeholders.
• Ability to read, interpret, and redline civil construction plans, utility plans, roadway schematics, survey information, and project schedules, including reviewing plan files in Bentley View, to identify utility conflicts and coordination needs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to lead meetings, prepare clear documentation, and represent ESP professionally with clients and project partners.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and technical coordination tools, including Bentley View, Bluebeam, Adobe Acrobat Pro, KMZ/KML development for utility exhibits, and document control or utility tracking platforms.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel to project sites, client meetings, staff training sessions, and stakeholder meetings as needed.
• Candidates must be able to pass a drug screen, background check, and have a satisfactory driving record in accordance with the company’s driving (MVR) policy.

Preferred:

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in engineering, construction management, planning, geography, geomatics, business, or a related technical field.
• Experience supporting TxDOT transportation projects and familiarity with TxDOT utility coordination milestones, utility adjustment processes, SUE deliverable expectations, and utility accommodation requirements.
• Knowledge of Texas Administrative Code requirements related to utility accommodation and right-of-way use.
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary SUE teams, coordinating field crews, reviewing deliverables, and balancing workload across multiple active projects.
• Experience developing KMZ/KML files and map-based utility exhibits to support SUE planning, utility coordination meetings, conflict tracking, field reviews, and stakeholder communication.
• CADD experience is a plus, particularly for reviewing utility, roadway, and civil infrastructure plan files.
• Experience preparing or reviewing utility status reports, conflict matrices, utility adjustment assemblies, reimbursement documentation, SUE reports, quality review comments, and utility clearance documentation.
• Experience building client relationships, identifying follow-on work, and supporting pursuit strategies for transportation, municipal, and infrastructure clients.
• Ability to manage multiple active projects, prioritize competing deadlines, proactively resolve coordination issues, and communicate budget or staffing risks early.

Core Competencies:

• SUE project management, utility conflict resolution, RULIS application review, and stakeholder coordination
• Budget development, financial tracking, schedule management, and staffing coordination
• Marketing support, proposal development, client service, and business development awareness
• Technical plan review, SUE Quality Level understanding, and schedule awareness
• Adaptability in learning and applying SUE, utility coordination, permitting, and agency criteria across multiple states
• Applied proficiency with Bentley View, Bluebeam, Adobe Acrobat Pro, KMZ/KML-based coordination exhibits, and familiarity with CADD workflows
• Professional communication, meeting facilitation, and client-facing leadership
• Staff training, mentoring, quality control, and team collaboration
• Accountability, proactive problem solving, documentation accuracy, and representation of ESP’s professional standards

Work Environment and Travel:

• This position may require a combination of ESP office work, field visits, client meetings, marketing and proposal meetings, staff training sessions, and project coordination meetings.
• Travel within Texas may be required depending on project assignments.
• Occasional work outside normal business hours may be necessary to meet project deadlines, support field operations, respond to client needs, manage budget or staffing priorities, support construction activities, or attend stakeholder meetings.

Corporate Information:

ESP is a multi-discipline engineering design and consulting firm providing our clients with civil engineering, surveying, planning/landscape architecture, geosciences, environmental, subsurface utility engineering, and construction engineering inspection.

Through years of dedicated service to our clients, ESP has received a designation of 189 on the 2026 ENR Top 500 Design Firm rankings. For the firm's primary territory, the ENR Texas & Southeast Top Design Firms, ESP received a 2026 ranking of 53.

ESP offers an excellent employee benefits package including:

• Competitive compensation with yearly performance reviews and discretionary annual bonuses
• 401(k) (Traditional & Roth plans) with a guaranteed employer match of 100% up to the first 3% and 50% on the next 2% (eligibility after 60 days)
• PTO (Paid Time Off) & 10 Paid Holidays
• VTO (Volunteer Time Off) of 4 hours each year (prorated during first year based on hire date)
• Tiered Health, Vision & Dental Insurance Options (eligibility after 30 days)
• Behavioral Medicine through Teladoc
• Short-Term Disability Insurance (Employer paid)
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Education Reimbursement Opportunities
• Flexible and Dependent Benefits Plan
• Referral Bonuses