Senior Land Development Engineer & Business Development Leader
A nationally recognised, 100% employee-owned engineering, planning, and design consultancy is expanding its Land Development presence in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1967 by three engineers with a single office, the firm has grown organically into one of the country's leading design consultancies, with more than 10,000 people across 170+ offices nationwide and annual revenue north of $2.8 billion. Growth has come from within rather than through acquisition, and ownership is spread widely across the employee base rather than held by any one individual.
The culture is a genuine differentiator. The firm has been named to Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For" for 18 consecutive years and sits among the very top of ENR's Top 500 Design Firms. More than 90% of its work comes from repeat clients, which speaks to how the business is run: relationship-led, quality-first, and built around giving talented people the autonomy and backing to grow something of their own.
The Opportunity
This is not a pure project management seat. It is a market-building role for a senior civil engineer who wants ownership over client strategy, team development, technical direction, and the growth of the local Land Development practice. You will keep one foot firmly in the technical side of the work while leading business development across private-sector site and land development in the Detroit metro and wider Michigan market.
The successful person will shape the local growth plan, deepen and win client relationships, and hire and mentor engineers as the team scales, all with the resources of a large national platform behind them and a clear path toward ownership.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the growth strategy for a Detroit-based Land Development practice, combining technical leadership with business development
- Win and develop client relationships across private development, owners, developers, architects, land use attorneys, and approval agencies
- Provide senior technical oversight across site layout, grading, drainage, utilities, stormwater, paving, and permitting
- Oversee civil and site projects from due diligence and concept planning through design, approvals, permitting, and construction support
- Manage project financials, resourcing, quality, schedules, and client communication with a focus on profitability
- Recruit, mentor, and develop engineers and designers as the practice grows
Requirements
- 12+ years of civil engineering, design, and management experience within private land development or civil/site engineering
- An active PE license with a strong technical foundation, ideally including Civil 3D
- A genuine seller-doer profile: able to win work, retain clients, oversee delivery, and grow a team
- An established book of business or client base within private development that would follow you into a new role
- Commercial awareness around scope, fee, budgets, project profitability, and staff utilisation
- A leadership style suited to building a durable local practice rather than simply managing projects
Compensation and Benefits
Total compensation up to $250,000 depending on experience, technical background, network, and ability to generate work, plus a performance-based bonus program with strong long-term financial upside and a path to ownership. Standout benefits include:
- Annual profit-sharing on top of a market-leading 2-to-1 401(k) match, reflecting the firm's employee-ownership model
- Medical coverage available from as little as $0 per paycheck, with free virtual and text-based care options
- Schedule flexibility, including a standard half-day Friday
- A student loan provision that lets eligible employees direct contributions toward student loans while still receiving the full 401(k) match
- Family-building and fertility benefits, company-paid life and disability cover, and a lifestyle spending account
- Personal leave that accrues year over year, plus floating holidays
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