Freese and Nichols is seeking a highly experienced civil engineer to serve as a Senior Project Manager and Technical Leader in the field of water resources and heavy civil infrastructure, with a specialized focus on dams, levees, and hydraulic structures. This position is ideal for a professional with 15+ years of experience who is passionate about leading complex projects, mentoring staff, and advancing technical excellence across the Southeast United States, including North Carolina, Georgia, and surrounding states.

Primary Responsibilities:

Lead large, complex dam and levee projects from planning through construction.
Manage scope, schedule, budget, and quality across multi-office teams.
Serve as a technical expert in dam and levee engineering, including design, rehabilitation, and risk assessment.
Guide technical strategy, innovation, and quality assurance across projects.
Supervise and mentor engineers, designers, and technicians.
Cultivate strong client relationships and lead business development efforts.
Collaborate with regional and national leaders to grow the dam and levee practice in the Southeast.
Represent the firm in industry forums, technical committees, and conferences.

Qualifications

15+ years of experience in engineering of dams, levees, and hydraulic structures.
Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or related field.
Professional Engineer (PE) license.
Proven track record of leading complex projects and multi-disciplinary teams.
Strong technical writing, communication, and presentation skills.
Demonstrated success in mentoring staff and growing technical practices.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree in Engineering or Business Management.
Experience with regional clients and regulatory agencies in the Southeast U.S.
Active participation in professional organizations related to dam safety and water resources.

About Freese and Nichols

At the heart of our culture is our LEADS values (Learn continuously, Engage as family, Act with integrity, Deliver quality, and Serve always). Each year, our employee engagement survey confirms that our leaders and our employees live our values.

We strive to be the firm of choice for clients and employees through innovative approaches, practical results, and outstanding service. For more than 130 years, we have been planning and designing the infrastructure our communities need: developing water supplies, designing roadways and bridges, preparing for natural disasters, and much more.

Besides our comprehensive benefits package (see more at Benefits That Work for You), we offer paid overtime for salaried employees, an annual bonus, and access to company cabins in Red River, New Mexico and Banner Elk, North Carolina. We are proud of our flexible work environment which includes a hybrid schedule with up to 40% of remote work.

Join our team of 1,400+ employees as we grow from Virginia to Colorado.

Freese and Nichols is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and prohibits employment discrimination for employees and applicants based upon race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

#LI-Hybrid

About the company

Freese and Nichols is an engineering, planning and consulting firm that develops infrastructure projects for public and private clients across the United States. Its work covers water supply, water and wastewater systems, transportation, flood resilience and the built environment. The firm combines engineering with architecture, urban planning, environmental science and construction management to support projects from early studies through delivery. It also advises infrastructure owners on asset management, financial strategies and the use of data in operating their systems. Founded in 1894, Freese and Nichols is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, United States.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Fort Worth, TX

Founded

1894

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

Further study receives funding: its tuition programme reimburses college tuition, fees and required books up to $15,000.
Parental leave covers different caregivers: its policy specifies four paid weeks for primary caregivers and two for secondary caregivers.
Learning has an internal university: Freese and Nichols University teaches topics from presentation skills to 3D modelling.

What critics are saying

Licensure is required promptly: hydraulic modelers need a PE licence or a passed exam with licensure obtainable within a year.
Hybrid schedules retain in-person time: the transportation-inspector posting describes remote work for up to 40% of the schedule.
Field science is physically demanding: the Oklahoma role includes inclement weather, strenuous conditions and lifting more than 50 pounds.

What makes Freese and Nichols unique

Ownership stays with employees: the firm explicitly describes itself as employee-owned and privately held.
Construction oversight uses dedicated platforms: its Oklahoma City inspector vacancy requires proficiency in systems such as FNI Manager.
Environmental work includes contaminated land: its scientist vacancy covers subsurface investigations and risk-based environmental cleanups.

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Freese and Nichols

Senior Project Manager & Technical Leader - Dams and Levees

About the job