Northwest Area Drinking Water Practice Manager

Brown and Caldwell•,

2d•$117,000 - $191,000•Remote

About The Position

Brown and Caldwell (BC) is seeking a senior-level Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for the Drinking Water Practice across the Northwest (NW) Area. This role oversees a team of individual contributors and people managers, guiding day-to-day execution while ensuring high standards of technical quality, timely delivery, and effective collaboration. The Practice Manager operates within the objectives defined by the NW Area strategy, exercising sound judgment in operational decisions and working closely with their supervisor, a NW Area Municipal Operations Lead. The role fosters a culture of balance, belonging, and engagement, setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and aligning individual development goals with Area growth objectives. A key focus is developing and coaching a high-performing team, supporting both technical excellence and career growth. The Practice Manager is accountable for overall team performance, operational excellence, and workload management, including resource planning, performance management, and team operations to ensure staffing aligns with business needs and complies with company policies and regulations. This role serves as a single point of contact for the practice, coordinating workload sharing, supporting growth strategy and business development efforts, and maintaining an understanding of the practice’s core competencies. In this role, you will work closely with the Drinking Water Area Practice Lead to engage in water planning and design projects for major water suppliers in the NW. Projects may include PFAS planning and design, groundwater treatment, surface water treatment design, water system planning, and climate change resiliency planning. Roles can include project management, technical advisor, and client service manager. BC’s drinking water team focuses on delivering solutions that enhance the adaptability, reliability, and resilience of clients’ water systems. BC is an employee-owned company that allows for easy connection to leadership and work on interesting projects in the water industry.

Requirements

Broad knowledge of environmental engineering principles and practices.
Demonstrated leadership and people management skills.
Ability to guide technical work while balancing delivery and team needs.
Effective communication skills for technical teams and project stakeholders.
Typically, a minimum of 8 years of related work experience in environmental engineering or related field.
Typically will become certified in BC's Subject Matter Specialist (SMS) Framework and progress through the SMS competencies.
A bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering or related field is required.

Nice To Haves

15+ years of experience with progressively increasing responsibility in drinking water planning, design, and implementation.
Strong understanding and demonstrated successful execution of project management leadership.
Leadership in delivery of drinking water projects in the Northwest.
Proven leadership skills with the ability to mentor and develop a cohesive team of individual contributors.
Experience successfully leading and winning drinking water projects with municipal clients.
History engaging in PNWS-AWWA and selectively presenting at conferences and professional meetings.
MS degree in environmental engineering or related field.
Professionally licensed engineer (PE) or the ability to obtain a PE in Washington and/or Oregon.

Responsibilities

Manage the work efforts of a team in environmental engineering.
Assign, prioritize, and review technical work to ensure quality, accuracy, and regulatory compliance.
Provide technical guidance and oversight for analysis, modeling, planning, and design activities.
Support development of facility, watershed, or resource management plans and engineering deliverables.
Conduct performance appraisals and support hiring, development, and performance management activities.
Make decisions based on unit objectives, company policies, and established procedures.
Ensure project commitments are met through effective coordination of resources and schedules.
Lead, develop, and coach a high-performing team with established, clear expectations, regular feedback, and a culture of engagement, growth, and accountability.
Oversee workload planning, performance management, and team operations to align resources with business objectives in compliance with company policies and regulations.
Flexibility to adapt and execute various additional assignments based on evolving needs.