Climbing the Ladder: Engineering Career Paths at Moore
Engineering is a broad field with a wide variety of disciplines and specialties. As you grow in your engineering career, it’s important to be part of a firm that respects your career aspirations while giving you the freedom to try something new!
At Moore Engineering, we’ve spent +60 years developing a system optimized for employee satisfaction and growth. That’s why we work with each of our employee-owners to get them in positions that align with their expertise, interests, and experience.
Our process for personnel development begins the first day you join Moore as a Graduate Engineer. From the beginning, we set each employee-owner on a path to climb the ranks and build a long-lasting and fulfilling career.
Today, we’d like to share with you the stories of two talented individuals navigating their careers at Moore – one at the beginning of her journey, the other a seasoned engineer and a long-time member of the Moore family. But first…
What’s the typical career path for an Engineer at Moore?
Engineering Intern
Each summer, roughly 20 college students join Moore Engineering to get their first taste of a career in Engineering. We believe the best training for a future design engineer comes from hands-on experience in the field. That’s why our engineering interns don’t just make copies and coffee runs – they’re out getting their boots dirty working on real projects.
Interns are often appointed to be Resident Project Representatives (RPRs). The primary responsibility of an RPR intern is to monitor construction progress, track material quantities, and keep detailed site records. When issues inevitably crop up, interns get invaluable experience assisting with real-time solutions.
Graduate Engineer
Our graduate engineers embark on a comprehensive training program focused on unlocking their full potential. It begins with additional hands-on construction site experience as RPRs. Later, they’ll transition into active project work under senior mentorship, gaining exposure to diverse engineering challenges. When ready, they begin managing small projects, growing in complexity as they learn.
By gradually advancing from hands-on fieldwork to managing projects, we transform promising engineers into technical leaders ready to take on our biggest challenges.
Professional Engineer
Drawing on well-rounded experience, Professional Engineers own the full lifecycle of complex projects from concept to completion. PEs navigate all phases – from initial studies, permitting, design, and construction, to final commissioning – while mentoring junior staff.
Obtaining a Professional Engineer license is not a path that every engineer chooses to take. Instead of pursuing this certification, engineers can remain a Project Engineer or focus on design or construction specialties that do not require a Professional Engineer license.
Senior Design Engineer
Our most seasoned experts take charge as Senior Design Engineers to lead our most complex, mission-critical projects. They serve as lead designers and manage a team of multiple engineers on our largest projects. They combine sharp problem-solving skills with steadfast leadership to deliver the most important outcomes for our clients.
Project Manager
Our project managers are responsible for securing work, acting as primary client contacts, and serving as City Engineers. Leveraging technical and business acumen, they drive growth by building relationships across public and private sectors. PMs lead complex initiatives end-to-end, from initial networking to assembling project teams to final delivery. Their entrepreneurial spirit and regional reputation open doors to new opportunities.
Group Leader
Group Leaders are responsible for leading teams to deliver work that Project Managers bring in. They combine their years of technical experience with people management to assign work and keep projects on track. They manage and mentor several junior engineers and technicians to deliver projects on time and within budget.
Sector Leader / Market Leader
At this stage in their career, Sector Leaders focus primarily on business development. As trusted advisors, Sector Leaders mentor the teams of Project Managers they oversee while driving the strategic growth of their respective sectors. Our business relies on these highly engaged professionals to keep our sectors productive, profitable and poised to take on what’s in store for the future. At Moore, our four sectors are Water Resources, Civil, Transportation, and Environmental.
As Moore Engineering Grows, Market Leaders play an important role in our service to clients. Similarly to Sector Leaders, Market Leaders focus on business development. They act as the primary spokesperson for Moore Engineering in their assigned market, building relationships with clients, and partners, and establishing new business relationships. Learn more about our Market Leaders here.
Tom Klabunde: Intern to Group Leader
Having homegrown talent rise through the ranks is central to Moore Engineering’s culture of excellence and a +90% employee retention rate. Tom Klabunde embodies this ideal, starting with us in 2008 as an intern and now leading as Municipal Group Leader.
Tom was drawn to Moore by the supportive environment and the “family feel” he experienced in the three summers he spent with Moore as an intern. “My supervisors and coworkers were always very supportive and helpful,” Tom recalls. After graduating from NDSU, he says Moore was the natural place to continue his career.
Over the next decade, Tom progressed through roles as Graduate Engineer, Project Engineer, Professional Engineer, and Senior PE before being promoted to Project Manager. When the Municipal Group Leader position opened up, Tom was ready to step in and lead. “Moore Engineering makes career progression a priority,” he says. “If an employee shows that they are ready for the next challenge, Moore is willing to give them an opportunity.”
Tom started as an intern, but through our intentional development, has grown into a true leader shaping the future of our municipal engineering services. His journey illustrates how Moore builds long careers by investing in our people.
Brinna Murray: A rising Graduate Engineer
At Moore Engineering, promising talent can rise swiftly through hands-on training and mentorship. Recent graduate Brinna Murray is off to an impressive start in her engineering career.
Brianna was initially drawn to Moore simply because of proximity. With an office location in her hometown of Fergus Falls, MN, Moore was the obvious choice for her first summer internship. Observing projects firsthand was a strong foundation for a successful career. The following year, she moved to Grand Forks, ND to finish her degree at UND. Just across the river, our East Grand Forks location was an easy commute for her second summer internship.
Now as a Graduate Engineer at our West Fargo, ND location, Brinna works on planning in the pre-construction phase while gaining in-field experience. “Moore gives me leadership opportunities within the company to continue to grow as an Engineer,” she says.
Brinna’s journey is just beginning, but she’s already on the fast track to be part of our next generation of experts.
Grow Your Career
We understand the importance of our work and that our employees are our most valuable asset. We believe in rewarding excellence through competitive wages, stellar benefits, flexible work arrangements, and employee ownership.
Moore Engineering is a 100% employee-owned company; each employee has a stake in our collective success. We strive to create an environment where employee-owners feel like family, with opportunities for career advancement, ownership, and competitive compensation.
We go beyond financial benefits to offer flexibility to our employee-owners in creating a working arrangement that suits their needs. Our comprehensive employee benefits package includes health savings accounts, paid time off, tuition assistance, and insurance, including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
At Moore Engineering, our commitment to the communities we serve is a core part of our identity. We encourage our team members to give back through our “Moore Giving” philanthropy program, helping us live out our mission of “Improving lives by building strong communities.”
If you’re looking for a company that values hard work, excellence, and community involvement, we invite you to apply to join our team today.