Levees Practice Lead

WSP•Minneapolis, MN

1d•$119,600 - $213,200•Hybrid

About The Position

In this role, you will provide strategic and technical leadership for the planning, design, evaluation, and rehabilitation of levee systems and related flood risk management infrastructure, while also driving business development to grow the practice. This includes identifying and pursuing new opportunities, developing client relationships, and supporting proposal and capture efforts. You will lead multidisciplinary teams and coordinate closely with structural, geotechnical, hydrology and hydraulics, mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation and controls disciplines to deliver integrated, resilient, and high-quality solutions. As a project leader, you will be responsible for integrating cross-disciplinary inputs into cohesive design deliverables—including plans, specifications, and basis of design reports—that meet client objectives, regulatory requirements, and industry standards, while ensuring technical consistency, resolving interface challenges, and maintaining quality across all phases of project delivery. As Levees Practice Lead, you will lead business development efforts by identifying, pursuing, and securing new clients and projects while building and maintaining strong relationships with public agencies and private sector partners. You will develop and implement a strategic plan for the levees practice that aligns with overall company objectives, including identifying target markets, defining service offerings, and setting growth priorities such as levee evaluation, design, rehabilitation, risk assessment, and regulatory compliance. You will build and grow a high-performing levees practice by recruiting, hiring, and onboarding top talent while establishing a clear organizational structure and defined career pathways. You will oversee multi-site and multi-phase civil works programs involving levees, floodwalls, embankments, hydraulic control structures, pump stations, and associated infrastructure. You will guide due diligence, site investigations, risk assessments, and remediation strategies, with a strong focus on geotechnical and hydraulic performance, system reliability, and long-term resilience. You will also lead efforts related to impact evaluation, stakeholder coordination, and environmental permitting in complex regulatory environments. Your responsibilities include advancing the assessment, design, and rehabilitation of levee systems, including embankments, foundations, seepage control measures, closure structures, and erosion protection systems. You will apply geotechnical engineering principles—such as subsurface characterization, seepage and stability analyses, deformation and settlement evaluation, and seismic performance—to assess levee integrity, failure modes, and risk to protected areas. You will also integrate hydrologic and hydraulic analyses to inform loading conditions, freeboard requirements, system operations, and flood risk reduction performance. You will support the design and implementation of system improvements and modernization initiatives, including cutoff walls, stability berms, ground improvement, relief wells, armoring, and upgrades to aging or underperforming infrastructure. You will also contribute to watershed- and system-level planning studies, helping clients prioritize investments and improve overall flood resilience. A key aspect of the role includes preparing and overseeing technical documentation that evaluates site conditions, material performance, construction risks, and potential failure mechanisms affecting public safety, economic assets, and environmental resources. You will provide leadership in developing risk-informed solutions, including geotechnical risk mitigation strategies, construction considerations, and adaptive management approaches. You will ensure that all work is performed in accordance with applicable levee safety guidelines, USACE and FEMA requirements, geotechnical engineering standards, and emerging industry best practices. Through your leadership, you will promote technical excellence, innovation, and quality, delivering solutions that enhance infrastructure reliability, reduce flood risk, and support sustainable water resources management. Your Impact Develop capture strategies, guide proposal and negotiation processes, and expand existing client engagements through cross-selling opportunities, while representing the firm at industry events and technical forums to enhance visibility and market presence. Establish and strengthen the practice’s brand and capabilities in the marketplace while continuously monitoring performance through key metrics such as revenue, profitability, backlog, and staff utilization. Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and technical excellence through mentoring and staff development, and proactively identify skill gaps to implement targeted training and professional development programs. Provide technical leadership and oversight for field investigation programs supporting levee and flood risk management projects, including subsurface exploration and characterization of soil, rock, groundwater, seepage, sediment, and construction materials relevant to levees, floodwalls, foundations, and related civil works infrastructure. Direct and perform civil and geotechnical engineering analyses, investigations, and inspections for levees, floodwalls, embankments, canals, hydraulic structures, culverts, pump stations, and other flood control infrastructure to evaluate foundation conditions, system performance, seepage, stability, constructability, and regulatory compliance. Support the planning, operation, and management of flood risk reduction and water control systems, ensuring safe, reliable, and compliant performance of levee systems, conveyance networks, diversion facilities, and flood management infrastructure for public safety and community resilience. Lead and manage multidisciplinary teams delivering mid- to large-scale levee and flood protection projects, with responsibility for scope, schedule, budget, staffing, cost control, technical quality, regulatory coordination, and delivery of engineering and compliance documentation. Oversee the coordination, review, and approval of civil and geotechnical design deliverables, ensuring technical accuracy, consistency, and compliance with USACE, FEMA, and other applicable levee safety standards, as well as federal, state, and local regulations. Lead environmental and geotechnical assessments (including Phase I and Phase II investigations) with a focus on subsurface conditions, material suitability, and contamination considerations affecting levee design, rehabilitation, and construction. Prepare and direct the development of technical analyses, calculations, plans, cross-sections, and visualizations to effectively communicate levee system conditions, foundation behavior, seepage and stability analyses, and design solutions to clients, regulators, and stakeholders. Author and oversee comprehensive technical reports, memoranda, and presentations documenting investigations, risk assessments, and recommended actions related to levee safety, performance, rehabilitation, and flood risk reduction. Interpret geotechnical, hydraulic, environmental, and instrumentation data to assess levee system performance and risk, providing engineering judgment and recommendations for corrective actions and risk mitigation strategies for moderate- to high-consequence systems. Lead concept-level and preliminary design for levee and flood risk management systems, including embankment modifications, seepage cutoff systems, stability berms, relief wells, ground improvement, erosion protection, and drainage systems, integrating hydrologic and hydraulic analyses to define loading conditions and performance criteria. Oversee the design and evaluation of drainage, stormwater, and sediment control features associated with levee systems, emphasizing long-term performance, resilience, and protection of critical foundation and structural elements. Prepare and implement site Health and Safety Plans (HASPs). Interact with regulatory agencies, subcontractors, and clients in a confident and professional manner. Oversee and monitor cross-functional teams in executing mid-level projects including project budgets, tracking hours and expenses, and task completion. Collaborate with professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide future ready solutions for clients. Remain current in latest water resources engineering techniques. Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures. Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering, with a focus in Water Resources or Civil Engineering or closely related discipline.
10 to 16 years of relevant post education experience in water resources engineering.
Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
Proficient knowledge of civil and geotechnical engineering principles, practices, and delivery methods as applied to dams, levees, embankments, hydropower facilities, and other large-scale civil works, including integration with environmental permitting and regulatory requirements.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate effectively with federal, state, and local regulatory agencies, with a strong understanding of dam safety, environmental compliance, construction permitting, and inspection requirements.
Well-defined and working knowledge of applicable environmental laws, dam safety regulations, geotechnical standards, compliance practices, and documentation and record-keeping requirements associated with dams, levees, and other regulated infrastructure.
Well-developed ability to perform and review technical calculations and engineering analyses involving geotechnical and civil engineering principles, interpret plans and specifications, and evaluate compliance with applicable codes, design criteria, and regulatory standards.
Ability to plan, conduct, and document inspections and investigations of civil works and geotechnical features during design and construction, applying applicable policies, regulations, and engineering judgment to evaluate performance and identify risks.
Highly effective interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to clearly and professionally convey complex civil and geotechnical concepts, analyses, and recommendations to multidisciplinary engineering teams, project leadership, regulators, and non-technical stakeholders.
Demonstrated high-level of self-leadership with attention to detail, multi-tasking, and prioritization of responsibilities in a dynamic work environment.
Works independently with minimal oversight and provides guidance and leadership to junior team or project members, with strict adherence to QA/QC.
Highly proficient with technical writing, office automation, software, technology, math principles, predictive models, spreadsheets, and tools.
Adept at coordinating technical matters with public and private groups.
Demonstrated effectiveness at coordinating and assertively directing subcontractors and others to consistently complete tasks safely and efficiently.
Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
Ability to work schedules conducive to project-specific requirements that may extend beyond the typical workweek.
Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in related field of Engineering.
40-Hour OSHA Health & Safety Training (HAZWOPER) (29 CFR 1910.120) preferred.
Basic First Aid and Adult CPR training desired.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and technical leadership for the planning, design, evaluation, and rehabilitation of levee systems and related flood risk management infrastructure.
Drive business development to grow the practice, including identifying and pursuing new opportunities, developing client relationships, and supporting proposal and capture efforts.
Lead multidisciplinary teams and coordinate closely with structural, geotechnical, hydrology and hydraulics, mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation and controls disciplines.
Integrate cross-disciplinary inputs into cohesive design deliverables—including plans, specifications, and basis of design reports.
Lead business development efforts by identifying, pursuing, and securing new clients and projects while building and maintaining strong relationships with public agencies and private sector partners.
Develop and implement a strategic plan for the levees practice that aligns with overall company objectives.
Build and grow a high-performing levees practice by recruiting, hiring, and onboarding top talent while establishing a clear organizational structure and defined career pathways.
Oversee multi-site and multi-phase civil works programs involving levees, floodwalls, embankments, hydraulic control structures, pump stations, and associated infrastructure.
Guide due diligence, site investigations, risk assessments, and remediation strategies.
Lead efforts related to impact evaluation, stakeholder coordination, and environmental permitting in complex regulatory environments.
Advance the assessment, design, and rehabilitation of levee systems, including embankments, foundations, seepage control measures, closure structures, and erosion protection systems.
Apply geotechnical engineering principles to assess levee integrity, failure modes, and risk to protected areas.
Integrate hydrologic and hydraulic analyses to inform loading conditions, freeboard requirements, system operations, and flood risk reduction performance.
Support the design and implementation of system improvements and modernization initiatives.
Contribute to watershed- and system-level planning studies.
Prepare and oversee technical documentation that evaluates site conditions, material performance, construction risks, and potential failure mechanisms.
Provide leadership in developing risk-informed solutions, including geotechnical risk mitigation strategies, construction considerations, and adaptive management approaches.
Ensure all work is performed in accordance with applicable levee safety guidelines, USACE and FEMA requirements, geotechnical engineering standards, and emerging industry best practices.
Promote technical excellence, innovation, and quality.
Develop capture strategies, guide proposal and negotiation processes, and expand existing client engagements through cross-selling opportunities.
Represent the firm at industry events and technical forums to enhance visibility and market presence.
Establish and strengthen the practice’s brand and capabilities in the marketplace while continuously monitoring performance through key metrics such as revenue, profitability, backlog, and staff utilization.
Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and technical excellence through mentoring and staff development.
Proactively identify skill gaps to implement targeted training and professional development programs.
Provide technical leadership and oversight for field investigation programs supporting levee and flood risk management projects.
Direct and perform civil and geotechnical engineering analyses, investigations, and inspections for levees, floodwalls, embankments, canals, hydraulic structures, culverts, pump stations, and other flood control infrastructure.
Support the planning, operation, and management of flood risk reduction and water control systems.
Lead and manage multidisciplinary teams delivering mid- to large-scale levee and flood protection projects.
Oversee the coordination, review, and approval of civil and geotechnical design deliverables.
Lead environmental and geotechnical assessments (including Phase I and Phase II investigations).
Prepare and direct the development of technical analyses, calculations, plans, cross-sections, and visualizations.
Author and oversee comprehensive technical reports, memoranda, and presentations.
Interpret geotechnical, hydraulic, environmental, and instrumentation data to assess levee system performance and risk.
Lead concept-level and preliminary design for levee and flood risk management systems.
Oversee the design and evaluation of drainage, stormwater, and sediment control features associated with levee systems.
Prepare and implement site Health and Safety Plans (HASPs).
Interact with regulatory agencies, subcontractors, and clients in a confident and professional manner.
Oversee and monitor cross-functional teams in executing mid-level projects including project budgets, tracking hours and expenses, and task completion.
Collaborate with professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide future ready solutions for clients.
Remain current in latest water resources engineering techniques.
Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.