Utility Research Operations Specialist

CivilGrid is the trusted civil design platform powering affordable infrastructure renewal and growth. We give utilities, civil engineers, and municipalities a single, collaborative source of truth for what's underground so teams can plan, design, and build faster, smarter, and safer.

Our platform consolidates utility records, geotechnical and environmental data, paving moratoriums, and jurisdictional requirements directly from 3,000+ utilities, agencies, and municipalities with full chain-of-custody documentation. Teams at PG&E, Mark Thomas, and dozens of leading engineering firms use CivilGrid to cut research time by up to 88%, reduce project costs, prevent dig-ins, and accelerate delivery on the projects that keep communities running.

We're a venture-backed Series A startup tackling a $4.7T US infrastructure market that has been underserved by software for decades. Founded by industry insiders, each with 10+ years in utilities and civil engineering, we move fast, ship work that matters, and stay close to the customers and field teams we build for.

We’re hiring a Utility Research Operations Specialist to help build and scale a high-performing operation focused on utility data research, agency outreach, and infrastructure intelligence.

This role sits at the intersection of engineering, data, and operations. You’ll be responsible for transforming a fast-growing, high-volume workflow into a structured, scalable system—owning how work gets done, how it improves over time, and how a growing team executes consistently. You will report to the Data Research Manager.

• Hybrid in the Charlotte-Metro region

• 2 days per week in person in Fort Mill, SC

• Must live nearby or be willing to relocate

• Build, document, and continuously improve SOPs across core workflows:

• Utility research

• Agency outreach and follow-ups

• Data intake, validation, and tracking

• Identify inefficiencies and implement scalable solutions to improve speed, consistency, and quality

• Standardize workflows across team members and team leads

• Oversee daily execution of utility research and outreach workflows

• Partner with Team Leads to manage workload, priorities, and timelines

• Step in to troubleshoot and unblock complex or high-difficulty requests

• Ensure consistent, professional communication with external agencies

• Build operational frameworks to support team growth (10 → 15+ team members)

• Improve onboarding and training systems to accelerate new hire ramp time

• Partner on tooling and workflow improvements (internal tools, tracking systems, light automation)

• Help evolve how work is assigned, tracked, and completed at scale

• Identify trends and drive process improvements based on data

• 2-5 years of experience in utility engineering, civil engineering, GIS, or a related field

• Familiarity with utility systems (water, sewer, stormwater, electric, gas, telecom) strongly preferred

• Experience working with municipalities, utilities, or public agencies is a plus

• Strong operational mindset—you think in systems and processes

• Ability to create clear, scalable documentation (SOPs, workflows)

• Analytical and detail-oriented; comfortable using data to drive decisions

• Strong communication skills (internal and external)

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment

• Experience with GIS tools (ArcGIS, QGIS)

• Exposure to SQL, data workflows, or tools like Retool

• Experience in a startup or high-growth environment

• Prior experience improving or scaling operational processes

We're a small, but rapidly growing team that ships. Expect direct feedback, real ownership from day one, and proximity to customers — huge utilities, public agencies, and engineering firms whose work depends on what we build. We default to in-person collaboration where it matters and remote-friendly flexibility otherwise. We hire people who care deeply about their craft and the communities our customers serve.