Job Title: Design Engineer
Location: Atlanta, GA
Job Type: Full-Time | On Site
About the Role
We are seeking a Design Engineer with a strong civil engineering foundation to serve as an in-house design lead for site planning and pre-development across an active national pipeline of cold storage projects.
This is a hands-on role at the front end of every deal. You will develop conceptual site plans, building layouts, and interior racking designs; analyze grading and earthwork; and produce quantity takeoffs and sitework cost estimates that support go/no-go decisions and early project budgets.
Your drawings will not be permit documents. They will serve as decision-making and communication tools, supporting customer presentations and RFP responses while giving outside civil engineers and architects a clear picture of the proposed development.
The ideal candidate understands how to position a building on a site to minimize sitework costs while balancing cut and fill, drainage, truck circulation, and utility routing. You should also be comfortable designing interiors around each customer's operational requirements.
What You'll Do
Site Planning & Cost Analysis
- Develop conceptual site plans and building layouts for cold storage, freezer, and convertible-storage facilities nationwide, including building position and orientation, truck courts and circulation, trailer and car parking, dock configurations, and future expansion planning.
- Review and interpret site grading plans, topographic surveys, and geotechnical reports to evaluate site suitability and identify cost drivers early.
- Perform earthwork and sitework quantity takeoffs, including cut/fill, paving, utilities, and stormwater, and develop reliable sitework cost estimates for underwriting, budgeting, and GC pricing validation.
- Optimize building placement and finished floor elevations to reduce sitework costs by balancing earthwork, drainage, retaining conditions, and utility routing.
- Support due diligence on prospective sites through test fits, yield studies, zoning and setback checks, and comparative site evaluations across candidate parcels.
Interior Design & Racking
- Design interior racking layouts and rack profiles, including selective, drive-in, push-back, and mobile racking systems, with rack elevations, aisle widths, and pallet position counts by temperature zone.
- Analyze customer operating profiles, including SKU mix, pallet volumes, inbound/outbound flows, throughput, and temperature requirements, to determine appropriate interior floor plans, dock counts, staging areas, cooler/freezer zoning, and racking density.
- Coordinate interior design decisions with refrigeration designers, GCs, and internal project management, including their impact on building systems, phasing, and construction costs.
Presentations & Process
- Assemble Phase 1 customer presentations integrating site concepts, floor plans, rack profiles, schedules, and cost information into polished, customer-ready presentations.
- Use AI tools as part of the design and production workflow to improve deliverable quality and turnaround times, while helping evolve their use within the team.
- Translate design intent into clear direction for outside civil engineers and architects and review their work against the concept, budget, and schedule.
- Maintain and improve prototype layouts, rack profile libraries, site planning standards, and takeoff/estimating templates.
What You'll Bring
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering, or a closely related field.
- 5+ years of experience in site/civil design, land development, or sitework estimating for industrial, distribution, or similar large-footprint projects.
- Strong proficiency in AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and Revit, with the ability to independently produce clear, presentation-quality site plans, floor plans, building models, and exhibits.
- Demonstrated experience with earthwork analysis and quantity takeoffs, including translating takeoffs into credible sitework cost estimates.
- Working knowledge of grading and drainage design, stormwater management, and utility infrastructure for large industrial sites.
- Strong PowerPoint skills and demonstrated comfort using AI tools in day-to-day production work, or a clear willingness to build that skill set quickly.
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent pursuits and projects across different markets and jurisdictions.
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to present concepts and cost rationale to executives, clients, and consultants.
Preferred
- Racking and material handling design experience, including selective, drive-in, push-back, mobile, or ASRS systems, and familiarity with lift equipment and aisle requirements.
- Experience with takeoff/earthwork software such as AGTEK, Trimble Business Center, or Bluebeam.
- 3D visualization and rendering skills using Enscape, Lumion, SketchUp, or similar tools.
- Exposure to cold storage, food distribution, or other refrigerated/industrial building types.
- Familiarity with sitework construction means and methods, unit pricing, and GC/sitework subcontractor bid review.
- EIT or PE licensure is a plus but not required. This role does not produce permit or sealed documents.
Why Join Us
- Front-end impact: Your site concepts, interior designs, and cost analysis directly influence which deals are pursued and how projects are developed.
- National pipeline: Work on ground-up developments and expansions across major logistics markets.
- Competitive compensation: Salary and bonus, health benefits, and 401(k).
- Location: Atlanta headquarters, with travel to prospective and active project sites.