Forensic Highway/Bridge Engineer

Responsibilities:

• Forensic & Litigation Consulting
• Lead forensic investigations involving bridge and highway assets, including superstructure/substructure components, bearings/joints, decks, approach slabs, retaining walls, roadway geometry, drainage interfaces, and related civil works.
• Conduct site inspections and evidence collection following failures, load events, deterioration concerns, construction deficiencies, inspection disputes, or incident-related claims.
• Determine cause, origin, extent, and contributing factors, including evaluation of design intent, construction practices, inspection/maintenance history, load rating practices, and lifecycle performance.
• Prepare independent, litigation-ready expert reports (and supporting exhibits) for arbitration, mediation, and court proceedings, addressing causation, standard of care, and responsibility.
• Provide expert witness testimony in depositions, arbitration, and/or court, including testimony under cross-examination.
• Collaborate with attorneys, insurers, owners, contractors, and other technical experts to develop coordinated expert opinions and respond to opposing expert positions.
• Advise clients on remediation/repair options, risk mitigation, and dispute resolution strategy, including evaluation of constructability and safety considerations.
• Technical Bridge / Highway Engineering Expertise
• Review and analyze drawings, specifications, calculations, inspection reports, load ratings, as-builts, maintenance records, and construction documentation.
• Evaluate deterioration mechanisms and performance drivers (e.g., corrosion, fatigue, cracking, scour/hydraulic impacts, joint/bearing performance, concrete distress) and link findings to standard-of-care expectations.
• Assess compliance with applicable codes and standards and inspection guidance (e.g., AASHTO, FHWA/NBIS as applicable, state DOT criteria).
• Perform or direct technical analyses such as load rating review, condition/deterioration assessment, fracture/fatigue evaluation (as applicable), and construction quality review.
• Develop technically sound repair, rehabilitation, and mitigation recommendations, including prioritization of corrective actions and long-term performance considerations.
• Skills and Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Structural Engineering; advanced degree preferred.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in at least one U.S. state required; multi-state licensure preferred.
• Minimum 1+ year of experience serving as an Expert Witness, with formal testimony provided in depositions and/or court proceedings.
• 10+ years of highway and/or bridge engineering experience, including design, inspection, or rehabilitation.
• Experience with bridge inspection standards, load rating, and deterioration assessment.
• Demonstrated forensic engineering and litigation consulting experience.
• Strong client delivery, communication, and relationship management skills.
• Experience supporting business development efforts, proposal preparation, and client engagement.
• What we offer:
• At HKA we recognize that our people are critical to our ongoing success. Our priority is to provide an inclusive and collaborative culture aimed at providing the best opportunities for our people to thrive and develop in their chosen career path.
• Our Global Recruitment team is committed to providing an authentic candidate experience for all those who take the time to apply to HKA. We are committed to providing an efficient and insightful recruitment process giving candidates a true reflection of life at HKA.
• Fairness and Equality at HKA:
• HKA works hard to provide a welcoming environment for all of our employees. We are committed as a business on the continued improvement of our fairness and equality strategy. Please visit our careers page for further information or feel free to ask our recruitment team for further information.
• All HKA employment decisions shall be made in accordance with controlling laws and based on merit.
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