Senior Project Manager Water/Wastewater

At GHD, we don’t just believe in the power of commitment, we live and breathe it every day. 

That’s why we pledge to empower all of our people to make a positive impact. Combining our deep technical expertise with the capabilities of our clients and partners, we respond to some of the most complex challenges facing our planet today.

See where your commitment could take you. 

Our pledge to you
Join GHD

That’s the #PowerOfCommittment

The importance of water to the health of our world can’t be overstated. 

As the frequency and intensity of floods, droughts and storms increases, the water industry must continue to build resiliency and lead from the front. 

Together with our clients, we are thinking and doing things differently to help pre-empt and prepare for what's next. Be a part of this dynamic and committed team of diverse water specialists and drive change for your community. 

You’ll be able to apply our powerful global network of skills and decades of experience to create positive water outcomes that respect nature and nurture communities.

Who are we looking for?   GHD is seeking a Senior Project Manager / Owner’s Engineer to lead large-scale water and wastewater infrastructure programs on behalf of municipal and utility clients. This is a high-impact role for a technical and delivery-focused professional who excels at guiding capital projects from planning through final construction, while managing diverse stakeholders and ensuring alignment with client goals. This position will be located in San Diego, CA or any of our Southern CA offices. 

Our Hybrid Work Model: Be part of the dynamic culture!  Our workplace thrives on a hybrid model, combining in-office collaboration and flexibility.  Join us in the office three days a week to contribute, connect and excel in our vibrant environment.

Working with an energetic and high performing team, this position offers a variety of work and will see you involved in:

• Project Governance: Clarify roles and responsibilities within the project team and ensure project compliance with the organization's wider program and/or portfolio management decision-making structures and processes.
• Portfolio Management: Plan and manage the delivery of projects within an area of professional expertise, using an appropriate project management methodology to give assurance that intended outcomes are achieved.
• Project Team Management: Lead large project teams (or multiple small- to medium-sized teams); define the project vision, communicate the necessary outcomes, and provide guidance to achieve these outcomes; coordinate team actions across project activities; coordinate the flow of additional team members on and off the team, as needed; and build the capability of the team through training, coaching, and mentoring.
• Project Risk and Issue Management: Manage identification of risks, issues, dependencies, and constraints associated with the project, escalating these matters where appropriate. Where necessary, develop, agree on, and implement solutions to overcome these concerns.
• Project Benefit Realization: Deliver baseline assessments and post-implementation analyses to evaluate and track the realization of business benefits.
• Project Resource Management: Negotiate and manage deployment of project resource budgets, providing forecasts and presenting variances with narrative at appropriate review points to ensure effective utilization.
• Culture of Innovation: Drive a culture of innovation by creating multistakeholder solutions that boost creativity, innovation, and collaboration across business units, such as idea generation platforms, jam sessions, and hackathons.
• Leadership and Direction: Communicate the actions needed to implement the function's strategy and business plan within the team; explain the relationship to the broader organization's mission, vision, and values; motivate people to commit to these and to do extraordinary things to achieve local business goals.
• Personal Capability Building: Develop own capabilities by participating in assessment and development planning activities as well as formal and informal training and coaching; gain or maintain external professional accreditation, where relevant, to improve performance and fulfill personal potential. Maintain an in-depth understanding of technology, external regulation, and industry best practices through ongoing education, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.
• Transformational Change Management: Manage projects or substantial workstreams within a transformational change program, ensuring integration with related projects; use structured change management methodologies to build acceptance of change and to embed desired culture and behaviors.
• Stakeholder Management: Develop and implement stakeholder engagement plans for projects to identify relevant stakeholders, to develop positive stakeholder relationships, and to ensure that each stakeholder has an appropriate share of voice.
• Project Scope Definition: Plan and lead the delivery of a range of information gathering, analysis, and stakeholder consultation activities and specify, negotiate, and agree on project deliverables.
• Project Assurance: Manage the delivery of assurance reviews within a project, enable the delivery of assurance reviews by independent third parties, and take appropriate action to resolve any issues identified, to give senior stakeholders confidence that the project can deliver according to time, budget, and quality.
• Enterprise Business Analysis: Interpret the business need and identify solution recommendations to business problems at a business unit level.

What you will bring to the Team:

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil, Environmental, or Mechanical Engineering

Experience

• 10+ years of relevant consulting experience
• PE license in at least one US Western state
• Proven experience delivering large capital projects for municipal or regional utility clients
• Strong technical knowledge of water/wastewater infrastructure including pipelines, pump stations, treatment facilities, and/or reuse systems
• Experience supporting or leading alternative delivery projects (e.g., CMAR, DB) and working closely with contractors
• Ability to act as a strategic advisor to clients, balancing technical, financial, and regulatory drivers

EEO Statement: As a multicultural organization, we encourage individual achievement and recognize the strength of a diverse workforce. GHD is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, genetic information, national origin, sex (including same sex), sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, age, disability or handicap, citizenship status, service member status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

Salary Range: $126,000-$211,000 based on experience. 

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