Join Us! CDM Smith – where amazing career journeys unfold.
Imagine a place committed to offering an unmatched employee experience. Where you work on projects that are meaningful to you. Where you play an active part in shaping your career journey. Where your co-workers are invested in you and your success. Where you are encouraged and supported to do your very best and given the tools and resources to do so. Where it’s a priority that the company takes good care of you and your family.
Our employees are the heart of our company. As an employer of choice, our goal is to provide a challenging, progressive and inclusive work environment which fosters personal leadership, career growth and development for every employee. We value passionate individuals who challenge the norm, deliver world-class solutions and bring diverse perspectives. Join our team, and together we will make a difference and change the world.
Job Description
Project Overview
Millennium Challenge Account-Zambia II (MCA-Z II), with funding from the MCC, is procuring consulting services for selected sections of the T5 road and the R185a/D274 loop road in Zambia. The assignment covers feasibility study, outline design, environmental and social impact assessment and management planning, works procurement support, review of Design-Build contractor documents, and optional construction monitoring and post-construction services under the FIDIC Yellow Book. The Base Period comprises Phases I and II, with Phases III and IV included as options; Phases V and VI cover optional construction monitoring and the defects notification period.
Position Overview
The Pavement/Materials Engineer will lead pavement evaluation, materials investigations, pavement rehabilitation and reconstruction design, surfacing selection, and materials-related inputs to feasibility and outline design. The role will support the development of technically sound, climate-resilient, constructible, and cost-effective treatments for paved and unpaved road sections.
*Professional engagement is contingent on project award and client approval.
Responsibilities
- Plan and oversee pavement-condition, subgrade, Dynamic Cone Penetrometer, test-pit, laser-profiler, Falling Weight Deflectometer, and materials-source investigations.
- Analyze pavement structure, distress mechanisms, traffic loading, subgrade strength, and materials availability to define uniform road sections.
- Develop and compare pavement maintenance, rehabilitation, overlay, full-depth reclamation, and reconstruction options for the required design life.
- Lead gravel, hard-rock, sand, and water source prospecting, sampling, testing, and materials-availability assessments.
- Confirm laboratory quality, calibration, test methods, and consistency with SATCC, SANS, British Standard, AASHTO, and other approved requirements, as applicable.
- Develop pavement and surfacing recommendations that optimize locally available materials, life-cycle performance, maintenance capacity, and whole-life cost.
- Prepare technical inputs to designs, drawings, bills of quantities, cost estimates, specifications, bidding documents, and the Ground Investigations, Materials Availability and Pavement Condition Report.
- Support review of contractor pavement designs, materials investigations, laboratory results, borrow sources, quarries, and quality-management documentation during Phase IV.
Skills & Abilities
- Pavement evaluation, rehabilitation design, materials selection, and laboratory/field testing.
- Interpretation of FWD, DCP, test-pit, rutting, traffic-loading, and materials-test data.
- Knowledge of pavement-design and rehabilitation standards applicable to Southern Africa.
- Asphalt mix design, surfacing selection, stabilization, and full-depth reclamation.
- Clear technical writing, analytical judgment, and multidisciplinary coordination.
- Ability to supervise field and laboratory programs safely and efficiently.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, engineering geology, or another relevant discipline.
- Membership of the Engineering Institution of Zambia/Engineers Registration Board of Zambia or a similar internationally recognized professional institution.
- 15 years of post-qualification experience, including 10 years in pavement design, materials testing, and materials selection for rural and inter-urban roads in Africa.
- Experience as Pavement and/or Materials Engineer for the design or supervision of two inter-urban road construction or rehabilitation projects in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Experience in full-depth reclamation design for road-pavement rehabilitation.
- Experience in asphalt mix design using the Marshall Method or equivalent and Superpave or equivalent.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with pavement investigations and material-source assessments in Zambia or Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
- Experience integrating pavement alternatives with HDM-4/economic analysis, climate resilience, constructability, and embodied-carbon assessment.
- Experience preparing Employer’s Requirements for Design-Build road contracts.