Senior Geotechnical Engineer

Roles and responsibilities

As a Senior Geotechnical Engineer, you are a highly skilled professional responsible for evaluating and analyzing the properties of soil and rock materials to determine their suitability for construction projects. Your role plays a crucial part in ensuring that the foundations, slopes, tunnels, dams, and other structures are built on safe, stable ground. You will typically work on large-scale infrastructure projects and collaborate closely with civil engineers, architects, and other construction specialists.

Key Skills and Competencies for a Senior Geotechnical Engineer:

1. Geotechnical Design and Analysis

• Foundation Design: Designing safe and cost-effective foundation systems based on soil conditions, including shallow foundations (slabs, footings) and deep foundations (piles, caissons).
• Slope Stability: Analyzing and designing stable slopes for earthworks, embankments, and other structures to prevent landslides or other failures.
• Settlement Analysis: Evaluating the potential for soil settlement under different loading conditions and recommending appropriate ground improvement techniques.
• Bearing Capacity: Assessing the bearing capacity of the soil and recommending the correct type and depth of foundation based on geotechnical testing.
• Retaining Structures: Designing and evaluating retaining walls, anchors, and other systems to hold back soil and prevent erosion, typically for roads, bridges, or excavations.

2. Site Investigation and Testing

• Subsurface Exploration: Planning and conducting subsurface investigations using boreholes, test pits, and geophysical methods to obtain soil and rock samples for analysis.
• Geotechnical Laboratory Testing: Managing and interpreting results from laboratory tests on soil samples (e.g., grain size analysis, Atterberg limits, compaction, consolidation, shear strength).
• Field Testing: Coordinating or conducting field tests such as Standard Penetration Tests (SPT), Cone Penetration Tests (CPT), vane shear tests, and pressuremeter tests to assess the in-situ properties of soils and rocks.
• Geophysical Methods: Using techniques like seismic refraction, resistivity, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to assess subsurface conditions.

3. Geotechnical Software and Modeling

• Finite Element Analysis (FEA): Using advanced software (e.g., PLAXIS, Geostudio, FLAC), you model soil-structure interactions, settlement predictions, slope stability, and other geotechnical behaviors.
• Geotechnical Design Software: Proficient in using design software to assess and calculate bearing capacity, settlement, and earth pressure (e.g., Settle3D, GeoStudio, gINT).
• Risk Analysis Software: Conducting probabilistic risk analysis using software tools to evaluate factors such as soil variability and the reliability of geotechnical designs.

Desired candidate profile

• Under general supervision, performs routine duties.
• Displays knowledge and abilities to evaluate, select and apply standard engineering techniques, procedures and criteria to meet basic engineering and construction specifications.
• Displays applications of sound professional judgment on details of work.
• Independently performs walk-downs and inspections of installed commodities to assure conformance with specifications and design.
• Well experienced in Earth works, Enabling Works, Geotechnical Surveys, Topographic Surveyes, Geophysical Surveys, Marine Surveys etc Aware of Abu Dhabi Regulations
• Can work independently on Site and manage a small team of Inspectors/Land Surveyors

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor of Science or Engineering from an accredited University in one or more of the following subjects and a Master of Science / Engineering or PhD would be preferred.