Practice Director

AtkinsRéalis•Chicago, IL

About The Position

AtkinsRéalis is seeking a Practice Director to lead its Water and Resource Recovery practice from Chicago, Illinois. Under the general direction of Water Infrastructure leadership, the director will guide strategy, growth, technical excellence, and operational performance for a growing practice serving Federal, State, Local, Industrial, and Private-sector clients across the United States. The role leads engineering managers, technical leaders, and project delivery teams, with accountability for business growth, client satisfaction, staff development, technical collaboration, project quality, and profitability. The director will develop and implement a national strategy for water treatment, wastewater treatment, reuse, biosolids, and resource recovery. Working with business unit leadership, key account managers, technical specialists, and regional offices, the director will identify opportunities and lead pursuits, including strategy, technical approach, teaming, scope, schedule, fees, and proposal content. The role will develop client and stakeholder relationships, turn emerging needs into project opportunities, and support acquisitions, partnerships, and market expansion. As a senior technical leader, the director will connect specialists, project experience, offices, and delivery resources across North America and globally. The role will support technical standards, best practices, innovation, knowledge sharing, applied research, pilot programs, and technology demonstrations, and provide executive-level technical oversight on strategic projects. The director will plan staffing, recruit and develop professionals, mentor direct reports, conduct performance and career discussions, and establish technical development and succession pathways. The role will foster a collaborative, inclusive, high-performing culture and strengthen regional capabilities through recruitment, mobility, mentoring, and deployment of specialists. The position oversees project resourcing and performance across quality, schedule, budget, profitability, and client satisfaction. It supports quality management systems, reviews quality control plans, participates in quality reviews and audits, helps resolve project challenges, and maintains executive oversight of major projects while empowering project managers to manage day-to-day delivery. The director will lead and support business development and marketing, represent AtkinsRéalis with clients and industry stakeholders, and contribute to conferences, publications, associations, and technical committees. In collaboration with marketing and communications teams, the director will develop technical content, project profiles, case studies, thought leadership materials, and market campaigns. The role supports business planning, forecasting, and financial performance management; partners on pursuit planning, contract negotiations, and commercial risk management; monitors revenue growth, utilization, profitability, and backlog; supports strategic investments; and approves expenditures and capital requests in accordance with authorization requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, Chemical, Mechanical, or a related Engineering discipline.
Licensed Professional Engineer (PE).
Minimum 15 years of progressively responsible experience in water, wastewater, reuse, biosolids, resource recovery, or related infrastructure consulting and engineering.
Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams, business operations, growth initiatives, and complex engineering projects.
Strong understanding of planning, process engineering, design, permitting, construction, commissioning, and operational optimization of water and wastewater facilities.
Proven business development and client relationship management experience.
Excellent leadership, communication, technical writing, collaboration, and presentation skills.
Demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategic growth plans and lead major project pursuits.
Ability to represent AtkinsRéalis effectively before clients, regulatory agencies, industry organizations, and senior stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.
Experience with water reuse, biosolids management, nutrient removal, anaerobic digestion, renewable energy recovery, industrial water and wastewater treatment, or emerging treatment technologies.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement a national strategy for water treatment, wastewater treatment, reuse, biosolids, and resource recovery.
Establish and execute regional growth initiatives and market strategies with business unit leadership, key account managers, technical specialists, and regional offices.
Identify and advance consulting, engineering, and infrastructure opportunities across markets, geographies, and technical disciplines.
Lead strategic pursuits by defining pursuit strategies, technical approaches, teaming structures, scopes, schedules, fee strategies, and proposal content.
Build relationships with utilities, industrial clients, infrastructure owners, regulators, and industry stakeholders, translating their needs into project opportunities.
Support acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and market expansion initiatives.
Serve as a senior technical leader and advisor; participate in technical communities, global technical networks, and thought leadership initiatives.
Establish and maintain a Water Infrastructure Capability Network connecting technical specialists, experience, offices, and delivery resources across North America and globally.
Support technical standards, best practices, innovation programs, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
Provide executive-level technical oversight on strategic projects and help resolve complex technical, operational, and client challenges.
Identify and advance applied research, pilot programs, technology demonstrations, and innovation initiatives.
Assess staffing needs using workload forecasts, growth plans, and project demands.
Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain technical and management professionals; conduct performance reviews and career development discussions with direct reports.
Establish technical development pathways and succession planning programs, and promote training, certifications, professional involvement, and leadership opportunities.
Foster a collaborative, inclusive, high-performing culture centered on client service, innovation, and technical excellence.
Strengthen regional capabilities through recruitment, staff mobility, mentoring, and strategic deployment of technical specialists.
Ensure projects are appropriately staffed and resourced, and oversee quality, schedule, budget, profitability, and client satisfaction.
Support quality management and project delivery standards; review quality control plans and participate in quality assurance reviews and audits as appropriate.
Partner with project managers and delivery teams to resolve project challenges and coordinate multidisciplinary resources.
Maintain executive oversight of major projects while empowering project managers and operational leaders to manage daily delivery.
Lead and support business development, pursuits, and marketing with existing and prospective clients.
Enhance the company’s industry visibility through presentations, publications, associations, technical committees, and other professional engagement.
Work with marketing and communications teams on technical content, project profiles, case studies, thought leadership materials, and market campaigns.
Represent AtkinsRéalis with clients, industry organizations, public officials, regulators, and professional associations.
Support business planning, forecasting, and financial performance management; partner on pursuit planning, contract negotiations, and commercial risk management.
Monitor revenue growth, utilization, profitability, and backlog against strategic and operational objectives.
Support investment decisions for strategic initiatives, research, recruitment, and capability development; approve expenditures and capital requests in accordance with authorization requirements.