Utility Management Services Business Class Leader

HDR•Sacramento, CA

65d

About The Position

HDR is seeking an experienced, collaborative Business Class Leader for Utility Management Services (UMS) within the Northern California Water Business Group. The role provides strategic, operational, and people leadership for a multidisciplinary technical team delivering advisory, planning, and operational services to water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities. The leader is accountable for developing people, strengthening client partnerships, advancing technical excellence, and executing business strategy in alignment with HDR’s values and employee-owned culture. The position involves frequent engagement with utility leadership, managers, and staff, and collaboration with local and national HDR leaders. The Business Class Leader leads development and execution of the Northern California UMS strategy, identifies growth opportunities, contributes to national UMS initiatives, and supports business development and project delivery. The role also recruits, mentors, and retains a diverse team; serves as a trusted advisor to utility clients; provides technical and quality leadership across UMS services; and oversees staffing, utilization, forecasting, delivery performance, and financial discipline. UMS services may include utility and asset management; organizational and business process assessments; strategic and master planning; operations and treatment process optimization; regulatory support; infrastructure condition assessment and rehabilitation; capital planning; construction sequencing, outage support, and commissioning; integration with streetscape and urban design; and technology evaluation and implementation. Local candidates are preferred; exceptional non-local candidates may be considered, and relocation assistance may be available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a professional, architecture, engineering, or closely related field.
10 years of experience.
Maintains a professional or engineering registration and has related technical experience.
Experienced in development and management of diverse teams.
Committed to quality, continuous improvement, and HDR values.
Works cooperatively with other area Business Class Leaders, Operations Managers, Technical Directors, and Marketing Managers on Business Class efforts.
Commitment to active participation in HDR’s employee-owned culture.

Nice To Haves

Directly relevant industry tenure in excess of 10 years.
Active engagement 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.
Ability to engage utility organizations at multiple levels, from executive leadership to operations and technical staff.
Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts.
Proven client relationship skills and interest in business and client development.
Direct experience working within or closely with water utilities on organizational development, asset management, or business process improvement.
Local candidates are preferred; exceptional non-local candidates will be considered.

Responsibilities

Lead development and execution of the Northern California UMS Business Class strategy in alignment with Water Business Group and national UMS objectives.
Partner with Water Business Group, Client Development, Market Sector, and Professional Services leaders to identify growth opportunities and set priorities.
Drive growth through service expansion, innovation, and alignment with utility needs and regulatory environments.
Contribute to national UMS initiatives, knowledge sharing, and best-practice development.
Support development and review of scopes of work, fee estimates, project risk identification, and project schedules.
Serve as Client Manager for selected clients.
Function as a project manager and/or lead or support project delivery.
Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a diverse, multidisciplinary team.
Foster an inclusive and collaborative culture that values different perspectives, continuous learning, and professional growth.
Set expectations for performance, utilization, quality, and career development; coach employees and provide constructive feedback.
Build and lead multidisciplinary teams that adapt to changing client and project needs.
Model HDR values and strengthen employee engagement within an employee-owned organization.
Engage utility clients as a trusted advisor across executive leadership, management, operations, engineering, finance, and regulatory functions.
Build long-term client relationships by understanding organizational dynamics, business drivers, risks, and priorities.
Lead and support client planning, strategy, and decision-making, aligning technical solutions with organizational goals.
Participate 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 for utility management, asset management, organizational assessments, planning, operations optimization, regulatory support, infrastructure assessment, capital planning, construction support, urban design integration, and technology services.
Promote HDR quality standards through quality assurance and quality control processes and knowledge sharing.
Encourage innovation, technology adoption, and best management practices to improve client outcomes.
Oversee Business Class staffing, utilization, forecasting, delivery performance, and financial discipline.
Coordinate across offices and with national resources to support 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.
Work cooperatively with other area Business Class Leaders, Operations Managers, Technical Directors, and Marketing Managers on Business Class efforts.