Practice Lead - Drinking Water / Wastewater - MI/OH/GA

Spicer Group•Manistee, MI

About The Position

Spicer Group is seeking a Practice Lead to serve as the technical expert for Drinking Water Distribution and Drinking Water Treatment within its Drinking Water / Wastewater Service Line. The role provides technical direction for planning, evaluating, designing, and delivering drinking water infrastructure, including distribution networks, water mains, pumping and storage facilities, and treatment systems. The Practice Lead guides complex engineering decisions, establishes technical standards, and oversees quality management to deliver reliable, practical, and cost-effective solutions that address client needs and applicable regulatory requirements. In partnership with group and regional leadership, the Practice Lead advances practice strategy, manages utilization and financial performance, supports business development, and builds relationships with municipal and utility clients. The role may serve as Project Manager or senior technical advisor on complex multidisciplinary projects and supports proposal development, contract negotiations, invoicing, and risk management. The Practice Lead also develops technical staff through mentoring, training, and knowledge sharing. Spicer Group is a multidisciplinary engineering, surveying, planning, and professional services company with offices in Michigan, Ohio, and Georgia. The company describes its ownership as tightly held private ownership and notes meaningful ownership opportunities for eligible high performers. It emphasizes growth, strong client relationships, excellent services and solutions, teamwork, and integrity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, environmental engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline.
Active Professional Engineer (PE) license in at least one state, with the ability to obtain Michigan licensure if not already held.
Demonstrated technical expertise in drinking water distribution and treatment, including hydraulic analysis, pumping and storage, treatment process design, water quality, and applicable engineering standards and regulatory requirements.
Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to explain technical issues, document recommendations, and build consensus.
Ability to travel as needed for client and agency meetings, project site visits, and company leadership meetings.
Ability to manage project scopes, schedules, budgets, utilization, and financial performance, including invoicing and accounts receivable follow-through.
Ability to lead and mentor technical staff, establish expectations, and support professional growth, accountability, and retention.
Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams across offices and regions, exercise sound engineering judgment, and deliver consistent technical quality on concurrent projects.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or specialized technical training in civil or environmental engineering, drinking water treatment, or water distribution systems.
10 or more years of progressive drinking water engineering experience, including significant technical leadership in both distribution systems and treatment facilities.
Experience delivering complex drinking water projects involving multiple design packages, phased construction, continued utility operations, and coordination among owners, operators, agencies, and contractors.
Demonstrated success managing municipal and utility client relationships, developing proposals, and leading projects of comparable scope and complexity.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or relevant drinking water professional certification; participation in drinking water technical associations.
Experience with Michigan drinking water permitting and agency coordination, funding assistance programs, asset management, and capital improvement planning.
Proficiency with drinking water hydraulic modeling tools such as WaterGEMS, WaterCAD, or EPANET, and familiarity with GIS, AutoCAD, and treatment process analysis tools.
Experience with Microsoft Office, Bluebeam Revu, SharePoint, MS Project or other project management information systems, and technical support for treatment startup and commissioning.

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical authority for drinking water distribution and treatment projects, directing engineering approaches and reviewing deliverables for technical accuracy, constructability, operability, and alignment with scope, schedule, and budget.
Manage practice utilization and realization, aligning technical resources and workloads with project commitments and business goals.
Monitor practice financial performance, project budgets, and forecasting, and coordinate corrective actions with project managers and group leadership.
Lead technical quality reviews, maintain design standards and review procedures, and identify and mitigate technical, regulatory, operational, and project delivery risks.
Support group budgeting, staffing plans, and technical resource allocation across offices and regions.
Prepare or support timely invoicing, monitor accounts receivable, and assist with collections and billing issue resolution.
Provide technical and business input for Go/No-Go decisions and develop proposal approaches, scopes of service, schedules, and fees.
Participate in client selection interviews and contract negotiations, establishing technical commitments, deliverables, and project expectations.
Guide system evaluations, hydraulic modeling, treatment alternatives analyses, and capital improvement planning.
Assemble multidisciplinary project teams and coordinate delivery of opportunities developed through regional client relationships.
Serve as Project Manager or senior technical advisor on drinking water distribution and treatment assignments, including large, complex, multidisciplinary projects.
Coordinate with other Practice Leads and civil, structural, electrical, instrumentation and controls, and construction professionals.
Prepare professional service agreements and amendments, defining scope, assumptions, responsibilities, and compensation.
Oversee distribution system planning and design, including water main improvements, pumping and storage facilities, pressure management, system capacity, water quality, and reliability.
Direct treatment process evaluation, selection, and design, including filtration, disinfection, chemical feed, and process improvements; review calculations, drawings, specifications, and cost estimates.
Guide permitting and agency coordination and provide technical support during bidding, construction, startup, and commissioning.
Partner with group and regional leadership to align practice priorities, investments, and growth initiatives with company goals.
Contribute to strategic planning and identify opportunities to expand drinking water services, strengthen technical capabilities, and address client needs.
Communicate technical priorities, project risks, and resource needs across the group; share lessons learned and promote consistent engineering practices.
Support targeted marketing and business development by developing service offerings, project examples, and client-focused messaging.
Build and maintain relationships with municipal and utility clients, regulatory agencies, and project partners.
Participate in drinking water industry associations and technical initiatives aligned with practice and regional priorities.
Represent the practice through technical presentations, articles, conferences, and professional engagement.
Partner with regional staff on client relationship plans, anticipate infrastructure needs, and identify opportunities for continued service and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Partner with group leadership on staff supervision, hiring, performance management, and annual reviews; provide technical mentoring, training, and professional development.

Benefits

Competitive pay and executive compensation.
Annual bonus eligibility.
Potential ownership and leadership opportunities, subject to company policies and eligibility requirements.
Health, dental, and vision insurance options.
401(k) matching contributions.
Annual profit sharing.
Paid holidays, vacation, and sick time.
Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account options.
Short-term and long-term disability coverage and life insurance.
Professional development, training, and education reimbursement.
Health and fitness reimbursement.
Employee assistance resources and other employee programs.
Excellent working conditions.
Access to the latest industry technology.
Work-life balance.