What are the responsibilities and job description for the Geotechnical Subject Matter Expert position at Thompson Engineering?
Position Overview
Thompson Engineering is seeking an experienced Geotechnical Subject Matter Expert (SME) to provide advanced technical leadership, oversight, and strategic guidance across geotechnical engineering projects and within our NQA-1 Program. This role serves as the company's internal authority on complex geotechnical issues, supporting project teams, mentoring engineers, and ensuring technical excellence and innovation in geotechnical design, investigation, and analysis.
The ideal candidate is a highly experienced professional with deep expertise in soil mechanics, foundation engineering, ground improvement, slope stability, and subsurface investigations. This individual will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and help drive best practices, quality standards, and technical advancement across the organization.
Key Responsibilities
Preferred Experience
Thompson Engineering is seeking an experienced Geotechnical Subject Matter Expert (SME) to provide advanced technical leadership, oversight, and strategic guidance across geotechnical engineering projects and within our NQA-1 Program. This role serves as the company's internal authority on complex geotechnical issues, supporting project teams, mentoring engineers, and ensuring technical excellence and innovation in geotechnical design, investigation, and analysis.
The ideal candidate is a highly experienced professional with deep expertise in soil mechanics, foundation engineering, ground improvement, slope stability, and subsurface investigations. This individual will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and help drive best practices, quality standards, and technical advancement across the organization.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the technical authority on geotechnical engineering issues across company projects.
- Serve as a Chief Technical Lead within the NQA-1 program.
- Provide expert review of geotechnical reports, foundation designs, earth retention systems, ground improvement methods, and slope stability analyses.
- Support business development by assisting with proposals, technical presentations, and client consultations.
- Lead or advise on complex or high-risk geotechnical projects, including infrastructure, transportation, marine, energy, and commercial developments.
- Develop and maintain technical standards, guidelines, and best practices for geotechnical investigations and design.
- Mentor and train junior and mid-level geotechnical engineers.
- Assist project managers with technical risk assessment and problem-solving.
- Participate in forensic investigations and troubleshooting of geotechnical failures or construction challenges.
- Stay current with emerging technologies, codes, and industry innovations.
- Represent Thompson Engineering in professional organizations, conferences, and industry events.
- Perform Business Development with Key Clients, particularly in the Nuclear Energy sector
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Geotechnical Engineering
- Professional Engineer (PE) license required; multi-state licensure preferred.
- Minimum 18–25 years of geotechnical engineering experience.
- Demonstrated expertise in:
- NQA-1 Site Investigation, Reporting, and Licensing
- Foundation design (shallow and deep foundations)
- Slope stability and earth retention systems
- Ground improvement techniques
- Geotechnical site investigations
- Settlement analysis and soil-structure interaction
Preferred Experience
- Experience supporting large infrastructure or coastal/marine projects.
- Background in forensic geotechnical engineering or litigation support.
- Active participation in professional organizations such as ASCE, Geo-Institute, or similar groups.
- Advanced technical expertise
- Strategic problem solving
- Cross-disciplinary collaboration
- Mentorship and leadership
- Quality assurance and technical governance