Geotechnical Engineer

Are you a geotechnical engineer who enjoys contributing to challenging projects in the Netherlands? Are large-scale infrastructure projects and complex dike reinforcement projects right up your alley? Then read on!

Geotechnical Engineer

The Position

Van Oord carries out major infrastructure projects, such as the new A15 ring road connection in Arnhem and dike reinforcement projects like the Afsluitdijk, the IJsselmeer Dike, and the Tiel-Waardenburg Dike. For all these projects, Van Oord’s geotechnical engineers provide input during the tendering and execution phases. As a geotechnical engineer for our Dredging & Infra business unit, you will be involved in the design and engineering of projects in the Infra Land product line, primarily in the Netherlands and neighboring countries.

Your Impact

You will be part of an integrated design team and responsible for the geotechnical aspects of the project, such as settlement analyses, stability analyses, dike designs, or the implementation of innovative solutions. You will design permanent and temporary structures, identify and mitigate risks, and propose ingenious solutions to the many challenges posed by the subsurface. In addition, at Van Oord, we are working hard on the digitization and automation of geotechnical design. We are eager to see how you will contribute to this ambition!

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Creating dike designs with a specific focus on foundations, retaining structures, settlements, stability, soil improvement, and the impact on existing surrounding structures;
• Setting up, supervising, and interpreting soil investigations;
• Transferring the geotechnical design to the construction phase and analyzing monitoring data (e.g., settlement measurements);
• Actively contributing to the development of new geotechnical design tools;
• Advising the internal organization on geotechnical matters;

Your Workplace

You will be joining the Tendering and Engineering department: the technical and strategic heart of our company. T&E brings together knowledge and experience from many disciplines. You will be part of the Product Line Infra Land, a professional and collaborative department focused on the Dutch market, where innovation, quality, and creativity are the keys to success. You will work in an integrated tender or design team, sometimes alongside partner companies in the sector, and report to the Technical Manager. You will regularly visit projects under construction and provide geotechnical support as needed. You will share your knowledge and experience with a group of over 30 geotechnical engineers across the entire Van Oord organization.

About You

With your analytical skills and attention to detail, you deliver robust technical solutions. You make the most of the knowledge and practical experience of your fellow engineers and are fully immersed in the multifaceted world of geotechnical engineering.

What you bring

• You hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in civil or geotechnical engineering (or a comparable field);
• You preferably have at least 5 years of work experience in a similar role;
• You have experience with software including Plaxis and Deltares D-series; experience with SE systems and Python is a plus;
• You have excellent command of the Dutch and English languages, both spoken and written;
• You are available full-time (minimum 32 hours) and willing to travel regularly to our office in Rotterdam and our project sites in the Netherlands. Working together as a team at one location for at least three days a week is the norm.

We Offer

• Attractive travel allowance (€0.31 per km) and work-from-home allowance (€2.45 per day);
• 32 vacation days (including up to 7 collective days);
• A variable bonus, depending in part on the company’s results;
• An attractive pension plan;
• The option for group health insurance (Van Oord covers your supplemental plan);
• A flexible work-from-home policy; on a full-time basis, you can work from home 2 days a week;
• Extensive development opportunities, including a comprehensive online academy via Goodhabitz;
• Communities to join, such as: Young Van Oord, Van Oord Women, and the Van Oord staff association;
• Various events and sports activities, including winter sports, sailing weekends, cycling, and motorcycling.

“You come up with something at your desk and then see it actually working on a ship. That’s incredibly rewarding.”

Thomasz, Engineer Production Automation