Principal Design Manager - Water Infrastructure

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role description:

Arcadis is currently searching for a Principal Design Manager to join our Resilience Water Business in Southern California.

The Design Manager will utilize their expertise and technical knowledge of Water / Wastewater evaluations, design & construction to serve as a Project Manager and Client Manager on local projects. This is a ‘hands-on’ role with an expectation of leading projects, managing staff, and participating in business development activities

Role accountabilities:

As a Principal Design Manager, you will leverage your technical expertise and leadership skills to successfully deliver municipal water and wastewater projects while supporting client growth and team development. This role is responsible for managing projects from planning through construction, overseeing multidisciplinary teams, and fostering strong client relationships across the region.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and construction of municipal water/wastewater treatment facilities, pump stations, stormwater systems, and water distribution/collection systems.
• Manage project overall project delivery and ensure successful execution on time and within budget.
• Support business development efforts, cultivate client relationships, and represent Arcadis through participation in industry associations, conferences, presentations, and leadership activities.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary project teams, supervise technical staff, mentor junior engineers and designers, and contribute to the growth of team capabilities.
• Prepare and oversee complete engineering and construction deliverables, perform complex engineering analyses, and maintain Arcadis standards and specifications for municipal water/wastewater projects.

Qualifications & Experience:

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• 15 or more years’ experience.
• Bachelor's Degree in Civil, Environmental, Mechanical, or a related field of study.
• Licensed Professional Engineer in California.

Skills and Abilities:

The ideal candidate will have strong staff development and supervision skills, including the ability to mentor and support junior-level engineers and technical staff. They will possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly and effectively convey complex technical information to clients, colleagues, and stakeholders. The successful candidate will also have proven client relationship and business development experience, including preparing proposals, managing client engagements, and delivering engineering projects that consistently meet or exceed client expectations.

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred candidates will have 20 or more years of progressively responsible experience in the water and wastewater industry, along with a Master’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering. Candidates should have a proven ability to prepare, review, and approve engineering drawings, specifications, schedules, and cost estimates. Active involvement in local, state, or national professional organizations and industry associations is also preferred.

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We are an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Arcadis offers benefits for full time and part time positions. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision, EAP, 401K, STD, LTD, AD&D, life insurance, paid parental leave, reward & recognition program and optional benefits including wellbeing benefits, adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement.  We offer nine paid holidays and 20 days PTO that accrue per year. The salary range for this position is $170,000 - $230,000/year. Actual salaries will vary and are based on several factors, such as experience, education, budget, internal equity, project and location.

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