Job Title: Infrastructure Designer

Department: Infrastructure

Reports to: Director of Infrastructure

Location: Bentonville, AR

Type: Full-time, salaried

Salary Range: $60,000 to $80,000 annually, depending on experience

Who We Are

Trailblazers is a nonprofit organization based in Northwest Arkansas dedicated to building world-class trails, advancing active transportation, and fostering healthier, more connected communities. We design, build, and maintain soft-surface trails, paved paths, and bike infrastructure that help make this region one of the best places in the country to ride and live.

Our team is collaborative, mission-driven, and passionate about the impact trails have on quality of life. We work in a fast-moving environment and value people who bring initiative, organization, and ownership to their roles.

Job Description

The Infrastructure Designer turns Trailblazers' approved trail and greenway concepts into permit-ready and bid-ready plan sets, along with the exhibits and maps that help funders, cities, and property owners understand them. You'll work directly with the Director of Infrastructure, without layers of project managers between you and the work, and you'll see what you design get built on trails in your own community.

Most of your time will go to paved projects such as shared-use paths, sidepaths, trailheads, and park improvements, with some GIS and exhibit support for our soft-surface trail team. The work moves between Civil 3D, Adobe, and ArcGIS, so no two weeks look the same, and there are no billable hour targets.

This is a hands-on design role. It's a good fit for someone who is confident in the software, open to learning our standards, and wants to spend their time designing rather than managing projects. The position includes regular site visits to verify conditions and check construction against the plans.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop approved concepts into 30%, 60%, 90%, and bid-ready plan sets for shared-use paths, sidepaths, trailheads, parking areas, and park improvements.

• Build and manage Civil 3D surfaces, alignments, profiles, corridors, grading, and cross sections from survey data.

• Prepare plan and profile, grading and erosion control, signing and striping, layout, planting and restoration, and detail sheets using Trailblazers' CAD workflows and templates.

• Take off quantities to support cost estimates at each milestone.

• Respond to review comments from the Director of Infrastructure, engineering partners, and city reviewers.

• Produce concept exhibits, rendered plans, presentation boards, and easement exhibits in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop for funders, cities, and property owners.

• Use ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online to build base maps, overlay parcel, floodplain, and utility data, and prepare map exhibits and StoryMap content.

• Quantify affected parcels and property owner data from proposed alignments to support land acquisition and easement work.

• Support soft-surface trail projects with StoryMaps, conceptual exhibits, and project data such as trail length and property owner information.

• Coordinate with engineering partners and assemble city and county submittal packages.

• Visit project sites to verify conditions, take photos and measurements, and check construction against the plans.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required

• One to three years of hands-on experience producing construction documents for site, civil, or landscape projects.

• Working proficiency in AutoCAD Civil 3D, including surfaces, alignments, profiles, and grading. Candidates should already be comfortable in the software; we will teach our workflows and templates.

• Working skill in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop for exhibits and presentation graphics.

• Working knowledge of ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Online.

• Ability to read survey data, plan sets, and specifications, and to spot conflicts between disciplines.

• Clear written and spoken communication with designers, engineers, contractors, city staff, and property owners.

• Strong attention to detail and pride in producing work that is both buildable and presentable.

• A valid driver's license and a clean driving record.

• A portfolio of work samples, including at least one construction document set, with your role on it described.

Preferred

• Degree in landscape architecture, civil engineering technology, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• Experience with Civil 3D corridors.

• Experience on trails, greenways, parks, or streetscapes.

• Knowledge of the Northwest Arkansas trail network and an appreciation for giving people access to the outdoors, whether from work, volunteering, or using the trails yourself.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit for extended periods while working on a computer.

• Ability to walk unpaved and uneven terrain, including wooded areas and slopes, during site visits.

• Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Reasonable accommodations are available.

Benefits & Perks

• 33 days of paid time off annually

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance

• Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability coverage

• 401(k) retirement plan with a 6% employer match

• Access to outdoor industry discounts

How to Apply

Apply through this posting with your resume, a short note on why this work matters to you, and a portfolio of work samples. Include at least one construction document set and describe your role on it.