Senior Coastal Engineer

Mott MacDonald•Seattle, WA

1d•$148,000 - $181,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Mott MacDonald is seeking a technically strong, client-focused Senior Coastal Engineer with at least 8 years of coastal engineering and design experience. The role contributes to planning, analysis, and design for coastal, waterfront, maritime, and shoreline infrastructure projects, while supporting project delivery, client relationships, and junior staff development. The engineer will apply knowledge of coastal processes and numerical modeling alongside practical design experience to develop resilient infrastructure solutions. The position is based in the Seattle office and follows a hybrid schedule requiring in-office work at least three times per week. The engineer will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and clients across the Pacific Northwest and North America, contributing to resilient coastal, waterfront, maritime, and climate adaptation infrastructure. Responsibilities include technical analysis and design, project delivery and construction support, quality reviews, mentoring, proposal development, client engagement, and technical leadership. The expected salary is $148,000–$181,000. Individual compensation depends on factors including work location, education, experience, and skills. Mott MacDonald offers performance-based bonuses and a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Coastal Engineering, Ocean Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum 8 years of relevant professional experience in coastal engineering and design.
Professional Engineer (PE) license.
Demonstrated experience delivering coastal engineering projects from concept development through final design and construction support.
Strong understanding of coastal processes, shoreline dynamics, and coastal resilience strategies.
Experience preparing technical reports, engineering calculations, specifications, and construction documents.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary project teams.
Experience mentoring junior engineers and technical staff.
Ability to work from the Seattle office at least three times per week.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Coastal Engineering, Ocean Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
Experience working with ports, waterfront developers, municipalities, federal agencies, or resource agencies.
Experience supporting projects for USACE, NAVFAC, NOAA, FEMA, state departments of transportation, or local port authorities.
Project management experience on coastal infrastructure projects.
Established professional relationships within the Pacific Northwest coastal and maritime market.
Experience in coastal engineering and shoreline design, dredging and navigation projects, coastal resilience and climate adaptation planning, wave/hydrodynamic/sediment transport modeling, sea level rise and coastal flood risk assessments, waterfront and maritime infrastructure, port and terminal development, shoreline stabilization and erosion mitigation, nature-based and living shoreline solutions, coastal permitting and environmental compliance, numerical modeling software such as ADCIRC, SWAN, Delft3D, CMS, or MIKE21, federal/state/local agency projects, and construction support.

Responsibilities

Lead and support coastal engineering analyses and design for waterfront, port, maritime, and shoreline projects.
Define technical approaches, design criteria, and engineering solutions.
Evaluate waves, storm surge, sediment transport, shoreline change, and coastal flooding.
Develop shoreline stabilization, living shoreline, coastal resilience, and climate adaptation solutions.
Perform numerical modeling of waves, hydrodynamics, sediment transport, sea level rise, and coastal hazards.
Support design, rehabilitation, and assessment of ports, terminals, marine structures, and waterfront infrastructure.
Prepare technical studies, engineering reports, and calculations.
Present technical findings and recommendations to clients, stakeholders, and regulatory agencies.
Support project management activities, including scope development, budgeting, scheduling, and multidisciplinary coordination.
Coordinate with structural, geotechnical, environmental, civil, and maritime engineering teams.
Conduct field investigations, site inspections, monitoring, and condition assessments.
Provide construction-phase engineering support and field review.
Develop construction drawings, specifications, and design documentation.
Perform QA/QC reviews of deliverables, engineering analyses, and design calculations.
Mentor junior engineers and support technical development.
Contribute to proposal development, client engagement, and technical leadership within the Ports, Coastal & Offshore practice.
Provide technical leadership to project teams and support successful delivery of complex coastal and waterfront projects.