Bridge Engineering Business Class Leader

HDR; Folsom (CA); On-site; USD 156,000 - 254,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee ownership

Tuition reimbursement

Retirement plan with employer match

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Job summary

HDR is seeking an Area Bridges & Structures Business Class Leader in Northern California. This role leads the Bridges and Structures group, coordinating staffing, technical delivery, QA/QC, and client engagement across multiple offices.

Required: a Bachelor's in engineering/architecture and 10 years' leadership in transportation projects, with professional registration. HDR values ownership, collaboration, and continuous growth within a robust benefits program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or architecture required.
• 10+ years of experience leading transportation projects.
• Professional registration and HDR culture alignment required.
• Experience in managing diverse teams and budgets.

Responsibilities

• Provide Area leadership of technical capabilities within the Bridges and Structures Business Class.
• Manage staffing/resourcing, workload and BC utilization with PMs and Area Manager.
• Delivery-focused on technical skills; supervise BC staff and QA/QC procedures.
• Support business development and coordinate training and recruitment.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Team management

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's in engineering/architecture

Tools

MS Office Suite

SharePoint

Job description

At HDR, our 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. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story'

Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.

We believe transportation is more than movement, it’s the foundation of connected, thriving communities. As part of HDR’s Transportation Business Group, you’ll help shape the systems that move people and goods safely, efficiently, and sustainably. From designing resilient highways and iconic bridges to advancing transit, passenger and freight rail, aviation, federal transportation ports and marine infrastructure, your work will directly support economic vitality, public safety, sustainable and resilient communities and quality of life. We bring together planners, engineers, architects, construction management staff, environmental, strategic communications, economists, management consultants and specialists across disciplines to solve complex mobility challenges with innovation, technical excellence, and a deep understanding of community needs. Whether you're modernizing aging infrastructure or pioneering next-generation transportation solutions, your contributions will help define the future of mobility. This isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to lead progress, drive meaningful impact, and leave a legacy of smarter, more connected transportation networks. We are all employee-owners at HDR, which is the foundation of our collaborative culture that connects employees around the world.

The Northern California Transportation Business Group is looking to hire an energetic and experienced Bridges & Structures Business Class Leader (BCL) to manage our transportation bridges and structures team and to help grow our technical expertise. This position will report to the NorCal Transportation Professional Services Leader. This is an exciting leadership opportunity to join a growing transportation practice and to lead and mentor a group of motivated and highly talented engineers.

The primary duties of the NorCal Bridges and Structures BCL include:

responsibility for area coordination, monitoring and improvement of technical competencies of BC staff and products to meet client needs and market drivers all within the direction and goals of BC plans; participation in delivery of project services to meet client expectations; collaboration on BC efforts with area operations, marketing and project management; participation in BC practice and professional discipline groups, project teams and activities to continually improve standards and best practices; implementation of effective quality assurance and quality control reviews; participation in regional and area BC strategic planning, budgeting and plan implementation; tracking staff workloads and utilizations; establishing internal and external training programs and training schedules; assist with business development efforts and provide support on proposal preparation; plan for project needs and recruit/hire staff accordingly, and drive the BC to meet project goals for growth, client satisfaction, and service diversification.

In the role of Area Bridges & Structures Business Class Leader, we'll count on you to:

• Provide Area leadership of technical capabilities within the Bridges and Structures Business Class


• Responsible for managing project staffing/resourcing, workload and resource balancing and BC utilization in coordination with Project Managers (PMs) and the Area Transportation Manager


• Delivery focus of technical skills, be consulted and provide input on project discipline requirements and manage/supervise BC Staff


• Maintain appropriate QA/QC procedures and best practices.


• Monitor area performance within BC to achieve defined goals and support operational managers in monitoring project performance and implementation of corrective actions.


• Responsible for the technical sector growth in the Area


• Support top line growth across all market sectors in their technical area of focus.


• Prioritize BC activities across Northern California to best implement Market Sector and Business Group objectives and promote technical services of their section in the Area.


• Facilitate BC teamwork, communication and work sharing between Area offices, business classes, management, marketing, and staff.


• Planning and management of multiple projects or tasks ranging from small- to large-size environmental planning and compliance projects


• Perform complex assignments with ability to make independent decisions on problems and methods


• Direct work of others in a team setting to complete required studies, documents and reports in accordance with local, state and federal regulations


• Demonstrate ability to facilitate, coordinate and present project elements and issues with multiple agencies, stakeholders and the public in efforts to educate and assist with consensus building


• Serve as client manager, project principal and/or PM.


• Actively participate in projects or manage projects to meet assigned utilization rate.


• Serve as a senior technical resource on projects and programs.


• Build and retain strong relationships with Staff, Project Managers, Client Development Managers throughout the Area and within HDR in the SW Region


• Provide strategic and tactical input on business trends to BC and local office planning.


• Manage staff workloads and make recommendations for adjustments and recruiting as needed.


• Manage training and licensing requirements and identify opportunities for continuing education.


• Develop a technical mentoring and employee advancement process to advance staff.


• Champion marketing opportunities to grow the practice.


• Support Area pursuits and actively participate in and support proposal development.


• Identify project needs and recruit professionals to join our HDR team.


• Demonstrate “can-do” problem solver approach to colleagues and clients.


• Ability to build positive client relationships, strong communication, negotiation and presentation skills, and the ability to manage and motivate direct reports.


• Perform other duties as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• PE registration in CA.


• Proven ability to manage Bridges and Structures projects and teams effectively.


• Minimum of 10 years’ experience leading transportation projects and teams within this market.


• Strong structural technical design experience to provide quality control of staff.


• Strong project management skills, including experience managing budgets, preparing scopes and developing cost estimates.


• Prior experience preparing reports on project financials


• Demonstrated ability to manage the Bridges and Structures program and staff working statewide in multiple offices.


• Ability to build, effectively implement and manage training programs; workload and staffing plans; marketing plans and proposal preparation and business group budgets.


• Must have experience effectively managing and motivating direct reports.


• Excellent written and strong communication and listening skills.


• Strong attention to detail.


• Strong leadership and organizational, planning, and prioritization skills.


• Ability to work efficiently and effectively under tight deadlines, as well as balance multiple projects by prioritizing effectively.


• Ability to understand applicable laws, policies, and procedures that each project is governed by.


• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills


• Proven ability of contract development and implementation of capital improvements.


• Go getter attitude and self-starter who takes initiative.


• Proficient with MS Office Suite, specifically Outlook, Word and Excel, and SharePoint or equivalent database.


• Experience in client development, proposal writing, and general marketing is strongly preferred.


• Actively engaged in professional or industry associations to enhance HDR technical expertise and brand

Required Qualifications

• 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


• Works cooperatively with other area business class leaders, operations managers, technical directors and marketing managers on business class efforts


• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

We provide a comprehensive benefits package that promotes employee ownership, employee health, performance, and success, which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, an employee assistance program, paid time away, parental leave, paid holidays, a retirement savings plan with employer match, employee referral bonus and tuition reimbursement. Stated benefits are for full-time regular positions. The expected compensation range for this position is $156,464.00- $254,000.00 annually depending upon skills, experience, education and geographical location.

Primary Location:United States-California-Folsom Other Locations:United States-California-Oakland, United States-California-Walnut Creek, United States-California-Sacramento Industry:Bridges Schedule:Full-time Employee Status:Regular BusinessClass:Bridges and Structures Job Posting:Jun 11, 2026

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. We are an Affidavit and Equal Opportunity Employer (https://www.hdrinc.com/equal-employment-opportunity-employer). We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.