Utility Management Services Business Class Leader

HDR • Sacramento, CA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

HDR is seeking an experienced and collaborative leader to serve as Business Class Lead (BCL) for Utility Management Services (UMS) within the Northern California Water Business Group. This role provides strategic, operational, and people leadership for a diverse, multidisciplinary technical team delivering advisory, planning, and operational services to water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities. The BCL is accountable for growing people, strengthening client partnerships, advancing technical excellence, and executing business strategy, while aligning closely with HDR’s values and employee-owned culture. The role requires frequent engagement with utility leadership, managers, and staff across client organizations, as well as collaboration with local and national HDR leaders.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a Professional, Architecture, Engineering or closely related field
• 10 years of experience
• Committed to quality, improvement and HDR values
• Maintains a professional or engineering registration and has related technical experience
• Experienced in development and management of diverse teams
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

Nice To Haves

• Actively engaged in professional or industry associations to enhance HDR technical expertise and brand
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and fostering collaboration across diverse skill sets and perspectives.
• Project management experience delivering utility management, operational, or advisory services for public-sector clients.
• Strong ability to engage utility organizations at multiple levels, from executive leadership to operations and technical staff.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts.
• Proven client relationship skills and interest in business and client development.
• Active involvement in professional or industry organizations.
• Commitment to quality, continuous improvement, HDR values, and participation in an employee-owned culture.
• Master’s degree or greater in civil, environmental, or related technical discipline.
• Direct experience working within or closely with water utilities on organizational development, asset management, or business process improvement.
• Preference for local candidates; exceptional non-local candidates will be considered, and relocation assistance may be available.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of the Northern California UMS Business Class strategy, aligned with Water Business Group and national UMS objectives.
• Partner with the Water Business Group Manager, Client Development, Market Sector, and Professional Services leaders to identify growth opportunities and set priorities.
• Drive intentional growth through service expansion, innovation, and alignment with evolving utility needs and regulatory environments.
• Contribute to and support national UMS initiatives, knowledge sharing, and best practice development.
• Support the development of and provide reviews of scopes of work, fee estimate, project risk identification and project schedules.
• Serve as the Client Manager for selected key clients.
• Function as a project manager on large or key projects.
• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a diverse team of technical professionals across disciplines, experience levels, and backgrounds.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative culture that values different perspectives, continuous learning, and professional growth.
• Set clear expectations for performance, utilization, quality, and career development; provide coaching and constructive feedback.
• Build and lead high-performing, multidisciplinary teams that can adapt to changing client and project needs.
• Serve as a visible, approachable leader who models HDR values and strengthens employee engagement within an employee-owned organization.
• Act as a trusted advisor to water, wastewater, and stormwater utility clients, engaging with executive leadership, management, operations, engineering, finance, and regulatory staff.
• Build long-term relationships by understanding client organizational dynamics, business drivers, risks, and priorities.
• Lead and support client planning, strategy, and decision-making processes, helping utilities align technical solutions with organizational goals.
• Participate directly in marketing planning, proposal development, interviews, and client presentations.
• Represent HDR in professional organizations and industry forums to strengthen market presence and thought leadership.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight across a wide range of UMS services, including: Utility and asset management, Business process and organizational assessments, Strategic and master planning, Operations optimization, Treatment process optimization, Regulatory support, Infrastructure condition assessment and rehabilitation, Capital planning including sequencing, prioritizing, and financing, Construction sequencing, outage support, and commissioning, Integration with streetscape and urban design, Technology evaluation, implementation, and data-driven decision support.
• Promote and uphold HDR quality standards through effective QA/QC processes and knowledge sharing.
• Encourage innovation, technology adoption, and best management practices to improve client outcomes.
• Oversee Business Class operations, including staffing, utilization, forecasting, delivery performance, and financial discipline.
• Support coordination across offices and with national resources to enable work-sharing and efficient delivery.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and risk management practices.
• Balance business, technical, and people priorities to support sustainable growth.
• Works cooperatively with other area business class leaders, operations managers, technical directors and marketing managers on business class efforts.

Benefits

• Employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day.
• Relocation assistance may be available.

What This Job Offers

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