Director of Landside Engineering

Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority • Raleigh, NC

7d • Onsite

About The Position

Before a passenger ever reaches the terminal, their journey depends on what’s happening on the ground — the roads they drive, the bridges they cross, the garages they park in, and the utilities that keep the airport alive. We’re looking for a leader who can captain that entire operation. In this role, you’ll serve as the airport’s air traffic controller for landside infrastructure — guiding projects from blueprint to touchdown while keeping operations safe, compliant, and future-ready.

You will:

Steer the planning, design, construction, and lifecycle care of our landside civil infrastructure
Pilot the five-year Capital Improvement and Asset Management programs
Oversee roadway, parking garage, bridge, tunnel, utility, and site development projects
Navigate budgets, schedules, and scopes to keep projects on course
Direct consultants and partners through every phase of the flight — from concept to closeout
Advance sustainability goals while maintaining regulatory compliance and operational readiness

Every curb, lane, and connection sets the tone for a traveler’s experience. Your leadership ensures the airport’s first impression — and its long-term performance — lands perfectly. 🛫 If you’re ready to build the ground operations behind a world-class airport, we’re ready for you to take the controls.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• Six (6) years or more of related work experience, such as the planning, design, and construction of roadways/streets, bridges, parking garages, tunnels, land development, utilities, and other matters related to this type of work.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in civil engineering. Alternate degrees may be considered, such as construction management, provided they are combined with relevant education and experience.
• Experience at a commercial service airport is a plus.
• Professionally licensed engineer in North Carolina, preferred, or obtainable within six months of hire.

Responsibilities

• Leads and manages landside civil engineering and construction projects, providing technical direction and oversight to internal staff and external consultants throughout planning, design, construction, and closeout phases.
• Develops project scopes, schedules, and budgets; monitors progress and financial performance to ensure delivery within approved parameters.
• Directs procurement of professional services, including preparation of Requests for Proposals, evaluation of submissions, interview and selection processes, contract negotiations, and consultant performance management.
• Manages roadway signage and lighting system programs and upgrades.
• Prepares and delivers presentations and recommendations to the Airport Authority Board and executive leadership.
• Keeps executive-level staff fully informed of all industry initiatives and activities that affect organizational policy.
• Performs additional related work as required.

Benefits

• Our benefits start on day one , including medical, dental, vision, tuition assistance, employee discounts, and perks like an on-site gym, a dedicated wellness team, and frequent company and team outings.
• For a full list of benefit offerings, check out the RDU.com Careers Page.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director