Project Manager - Transportation Design

Anticipate. Envision. Create. SCJ Alliance is looking for an experienced transportation Project Manager and Lacey Team Lead to help shape the future of our Lacey transportation practice. You’ll lead a team of nine, manage projects that improve how communities move, and build the client relationships that bring new opportunities to the team.

This role combines project delivery, people leadership, and business development, with a voice in the work we pursue and how our team grows. You’ll bring technical judgment, a commitment to developing others, and the initiative to turn ideas into action. As part of a 100% employee-owned firm, you’ll have a stake in the company you help build, along with leadership training, participation in strategic planning, and opportunities to grow into broader leadership responsibilities.

The work and the team Our transportation work includes corridor and roadway design, signalized intersections and roundabouts, downtown transportation revitalization, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, trails, transit facilities, and stormwater design. Projects may also include highway framework studies, interchange justification reports, and coordination with transportation planning and public outreach specialists.

We work with state and federal transportation agencies, cities, counties, and Tribal clients to address transportation needs and improve communities. As the Lacey Team Lead, you’ll report to our Transportation Business Group Director, and provide leadership for nine designers, design engineers, project engineers, and project managers.

You’ll manage your own projects while coordinating team workloads and staffing to support successful project delivery. Your people leadership responsibilities will include supporting your direct reports and partnering with other managers in the group to guide performance, career growth, and technical and leadership development across the team.

Working with the Office Principal and Transportation Business Group Director, you’ll help shape business development efforts, resource plans, annual budgets, and training priorities. You’ll help strengthen our local transportation practice while helping the people behind the work grow and succeed. A few projects we’re proud of 236th Street NE Corridor Improvements.

SCJ partnered with the Stillaguamish Tribe, Snohomish County, and Reece Construction Company on this corridor improvement project, which earned both state and national APWA Project of the Year awards in the Transportation, $5 Million to $25 Million category. The recognition highlights the collaboration and innovation behind work that makes a lasting difference in our communities.

SR 3 and Log Yard Road Roundabout. SCJ led permitting, design, and public engagement for Mason Transit Authority’s roundabout, the first in the Belfair and North Mason County community. Working closely with WSDOT, stakeholders, and local utilities, our team designed the intersection to accommodate oversized freight vehicles while supporting safer travel and access to a future park-and-ride.

Capitol Boulevard and Trosper Road Improvements. SCJ helped advance improvements to a key Tumwater corridor, securing timely WSDOT approvals that paved the way for $7 million in grant funding. The project included three new roundabouts, realigned interchange ramps, enhanced pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and stormwater and waterline upgrades to support mobility, business access, and a more welcoming corridor.

What you’ll do Lead transportation projects from start to finish. Develop and negotiate scopes, fees, and schedules with clients. Create and maintain project management plans, assign responsibilities, and guide work through changing needs and priorities. Provide technical direction. Help teams develop and evaluate design alternatives, resolve engineering challenges, and prepare plans, specifications, and estimates.

Coordinate contributions from other disciplines and subconsultants. Protect the quality of the work. Provide technical quality reviews and peer review, ensure quality assurance and quality control processes are followed, and review reports and deliverables before submission. Build trusted client relationships. Understand client priorities, set clear expectations, facilitate productive meetings, and communicate options when challenges arise.

Manage project performance. Track budgets, schedules, staffing, and progress regularly. Address scope changes and financial concerns early, and manage contracts with attention to both client relationships and SCJ’s interests. Lead and develop people. Set clear expectations, delegate thoughtfully, provide useful feedback, and help engineers and designers identify and set goals to help them strengthen their technical and leadership skills.

Support other project managers. Partner with your Business Group Director and group leads from other offices to mentor newer PMs in project controls, client communication, delegation, and team leadership. Coordinate workloads and resources. Identify staffing needs, forecast workloads, and coordinate with other offices to match project demands with staff skills and capacity.

Help grow the practice. Work with the Office Principal, Business Group Director and our Marketing team to identify opportunities, develop and strengthen client relationships, and lead or contribute to proposals, interviews, and presentations. Keep people informed and connected. Communicate clearly with clients, colleagues, leadership, agencies, and other stakeholders.

Lead group and project meetings, prepare reports and presentations, and make priorities and next steps clear. Strengthen the team. Share knowledge, encourage questions, and model accountability, kindness, and collaboration, and definitely make room for some fun along the way. What you bring A bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or equivalent.

A Professional Engineer license. 7+ years of progressively responsible transportation engineering experience, including project management. Experience managing transportation design projects and preparing or overseeing plans, specifications, and estimates. The ability to develop scopes, fees, schedules, and work plans, and manage project financial performance.

Experience working with public agency clients and coordinating with stakeholders. WSDOT experience preferred. Strong communication and leadership skills, including the ability to organize work, delegate effectively, mentor staff, and address challenges constructively. Leadership experience with responsibility for direct supervision and mentoring of technical staff.

Experience with AutoCAD Civil 3D, MicroStation, OpenRoads, or other platforms. Experience with Vantagepoint &/or Mosaic is helpful but not required. A commitment to client service, thoughtful problem-solving, and high-quality work. Why SCJ Interesting Challenges. Lasting Impact. From improving everyday travel to helping communities plan for what comes next, transportation work has a visible and tangible impact on people’s lives.

You’ll bring your expertise to projects while drawing on colleagues in transportation planning and design, as well as civil engineering, environmental and urban planning, landscape architecture, and public outreach. That variety creates opportunities to exchange ideas, explore different approaches, and see projects from more than one perspective.

People you can work with and laugh with. Ask employees what they appreciate most about SCJ, and the people come up time and time again: knowledgeable coworkers who welcome questions, pitch in, and look out for one another. There’s room for humor, camaraderie, and the understanding that life happens outside work. From Affogato Fridays and Taskmaster-style challenges to our Roots & Recipes potluck and silent auctions supporting the American Cancer Society, we make time to connect and have fun together.

Room to grow and contribute. Employees value the trust to take ownership, try new approaches, and learn from one another. As Lacey Team Lead, you’ll help guide our local transportation practice, build client relationships, and develop the people who deliver the work. Bring your ideas about the opportunities we pursue and how we can work better together.

Leadership training, participation in strategic planning, and hands-on project and team management will help you deepen your skills in people leadership, business development, and financial management. Your next step could extend beyond the local team. Potential career paths include Transportation Business Group Director, leading the practice and supporting teams across offices; Office Principal; or, over time, an executive leadership position.

Your path would reflect your strengths and interests, with advancement dependent on demonstrated readiness, available opportunities, and business needs. Employee ownership. SCJ is 100% employee-owned, giving you an opportunity to share in the company’s long-term success. We make annual contributions to our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) on behalf of eligible employees, with no cost to you.

Alongside our 401(k), the ESOP supports your retirement savings while giving you a stake in the company you help build. Participation and vesting are subject to plan requirements. Expertise and support. You’ll work alongside experienced transportation professionals who share their knowledge and welcome thoughtful discussion about design challenges, project delivery, and client service.

You’ll also have support from our HR team, including practical guidance and leadership tools to help you set expectations, develop employees, and navigate people management. Values that guide how we work. Curiosity, Compassion, Stewardship, Integrity, and Empowerment shape how we serve our clients, communities, and each other.

For a transportation leader, that means exploring solutions, listening to different perspectives, balancing project and team needs, and communicating clearly. It also means giving people the guidance and trust to make decisions, take responsibility, and grow. Connection to our communities. Our commitment to communities extends beyond the projects we deliver.

Guided by our mission and values of Compassion and Stewardship, we offer community involvement opportunities and a charitable matching program that support causes our people care about. It’s another way to contribute to the places where we live and work.

Benefits

that support your life Medical, dental, and vision coverage. Company-provided life, AD&D, travel, EAP, and short- and long-term disability insurance policies. HSA and FSA options. PTO, paid holidays, and floating holidays. A 401(k) plan and employee stock ownership plan. Reimbursement for eligible licensing and professional organization expenses.

Dog-friendly office Location and work expectations This position is based in our Lacey office, home to approximately 60 employees. You’ll lead a transportation team that includes colleagues based in Lacey and one fully remote member. Most Lacey staff work in the office three or more days per week. We expect leaders to be present most days to support their teams, with some flexibility for a hybrid schedule.

With transportation teams in three of our eight offices, there are opportunities to travel for collaboration and conferences. Site visits occur as needed and are typically local, though occasional overnight travel may be required. Let’s talk If you enjoy solving transportation challenges, building client relationships, and helping people grow, we’d like to meet you.

People review your application. We do not use artificial intelligence to review or filter resumes. Equal opportunity and our hiring process SCJ Alliance embraces diversity. Different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives strengthen our work and help us better understand, represent, and serve the communities we work with.

We are an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

If needed, please contact us and we will work with you to find a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process. SCJ Alliance complies with the employment eligibility verification requirements of the federal Form I-9. The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States.

SCJ does not provide immigration sponsorship; therefore, applicants must possess work authorization that does not require employer sponsorship.