Project Manager - Water/Wastewater Services

CDM Smith • Sacramento, CA

6d

About The Position

CDM Smith is seeking an experienced Project Manager to join its West Pacific group and lead municipal drinking water, wastewater treatment, and pump station projects in Northern California. The position may be based in Concord or Sacramento, California. The Project Manager serves as the primary client contact, leads multidisciplinary teams, and brings technical credibility to decisions across planning, design, construction administration, and program management.

The role provides project leadership from initiation through closeout; builds and maintains client relationships; guides technical reviews and quality; develops project scopes, plans, schedules, and budgets; manages financial and commercial performance; oversees scope, schedule, risk, and change; coordinates resources and supports team development; collaborates on business development and sales; and represents CDM Smith in professional and industry activities. Domestic and/or international travel may be required, with travel expected to be 10% or less.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent additional directly related experience in lieu of a degree.
• At least 7 years of related experience.
• PMP (PMI), CCM, or DBIA certification is required within 12 months of hire or promotion onto the Approved Project Manager list.
• Domestic and/or international travel may be required; travel is 10% or less.

Nice To Haves

• Current Professional Engineer (PE) license in California.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary project teams and managing scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality, and client expectations.
• Bachelor's degree in Civil, Environmental, or Chemical Engineering.
• 15 years of related experience in engineering consulting.
• Experience managing Northern California municipal water or wastewater projects valued at more than $1 million.
• Established relationships and successful project experience with municipal clients in Northern California.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams through planning, design, and construction-phase services.
• Strong technical knowledge of municipal water and/or wastewater systems, with the judgment to lead technical decisions and quality reviews.
• Executive-level communication, facilitation, negotiation, networking, and team-building skills.
• A record of developing staff, building accountable teams, and earning client trust through reliable project delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects from initiation through closeout, setting priorities, roles, decision paths, and performance expectations; resolve conflicts, coach staff, and escalate issues to protect safety, quality, schedule, budget, and client commitments.
• Serve as the principal day-to-day client contact and trusted advisor; communicate with client executives, technical staff, regulators, partners, and internal stakeholders; lead meetings and presentations; manage expectations and follow through on commitments.
• Apply engineering judgment and technical knowledge in municipal water and wastewater projects to guide project decisions, lead technical reviews, engage subject-matter experts, and ensure accurate, coordinated, practical deliverables.
• Define project objectives, scope, approach, deliverables, schedules, budgets, governance, and success measures; prepare statements of work and work breakdown structures; identify risks and opportunities and establish mitigation and contingency plans.
• Manage project costs, revenue, profitability, cash flow, and forecasting; monitor performance and variances; prepare and review client billings; support collections; review subcontractor and vendor invoices; and secure authorization for out-of-scope work.
• Monitor project status, critical path, dependencies, risks, and commitments; implement recovery actions; escalate material concerns; apply change management protocols; document decisions; and address safety plans and audit corrective actions.
• Develop resource plans and secure internal and external expertise; coordinate subcontractors and vendors in accordance with procurement requirements; communicate assignments and expectations; and provide direction, coaching, recognition, and feedback.
• Partner with sales and technical leaders to identify and shape opportunities, assess delivery risks, develop scopes, staffing plans, schedules, and fees, and support interviews, proposals, and client presentations.
• Represent CDM Smith through relevant professional societies and industry activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager