Civil Senior Team Lead

Harrison French and Associates; Bentonville (AR); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESOP

Competitive benefits

Professional development stipends

Job summary

Harrison French and Associates seeks a dynamic civil engineering leader to guide our growing team, mentor talent, and serve as a trusted client partner. This role blends technical oversight with people and operational leadership to shape project delivery and the future of our team.

We’re an employee-owned, multidisciplinary firm that values a people-first culture, competitive compensation, ESOP, and learning stipends for professional growth.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience managing civil engineering teams.
• Ability to mentor talent and develop high-performing teams.
• Strong client relationship management and project governance.

Responsibilities

• Oversee projects and region/sector responsibilities.
• Lead and develop Team Leads and Discipline Leads.
• Set production standards and monitor design/contract document quality.
• Manage financials and invoicing for area of business.
• Collaborate with Executives on business and marketing initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Budgeting

Strategic Planning

People Management

Education

Undergraduate degree

Job description

Contact information

• Name: Frances Ruppert
• Phone: [phone]
• Email: [e-mail]

Description

We’re looking for a dynamic civil engineering leader to guide our growing team —someone who can mentor talent, lead complex projects, and serve as a trusted client partner. This role blends technical oversight with people and operational leadership, shaping both high-quality project delivery and the future of our team.

About HFA – Employee Owned. People Powered.

HFA is a 100% employee-owned multidisciplinary architectural, engineering, and interior architecture firm who thrives in a people-first environment. Employee ownership isn’t just a structure – it’s a mindset that fuels everything we do. This mindset empowers us to think beyond our roles, pushing us to find innovative solutions that strengthen our client relationships and deepen our connections with our people internally. We believe that our people are our greatest asset which aligns with our culture code: We aspire to be a people-first culture of empowerment where talent thrives.

The ownership mindset also means that every team member is personally invested in the success of our projects and clients. This approach ensures that every decision aligns with our purpose: Leading our clients to fulfill their vision while building lasting partnerships.

With our focus on our people, we offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, a 401(k) with company match, an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), and a flexible work schedule. We provide our team members with professional development opportunities and learning stipends to pursue professional growth, and we take any chance we can get to recognize and reward our people for their amazing work.

Job Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Ultimately responsible for projects based either upon a region, project type, client type, or specific client.
• Responsible for empowering your direct reports, typically Team Leads and Discipline Leads, and encouraging your professional growth.
• Leads critical/emerging sectors within HFA.
• Responsible for developing uniformly high production standards and monitoring projects to ensure quality and production standards are met for all design and contract documents.
• Must be thoroughly familiar with entire project process and should possess managerial capability to lead and direct activities of all project-team personnel while monitoring technical production on all projects to ensure adherence to quality standards at high productivity.
• Will work in unison with other Sr Team Leads and Executives to ensure the company is working as a single enterprise, upholding HFA Culture Code, Purpose, and Shared Values.
• Must possess strong financial and business understanding and possess the ability to accurately state the financials of your area of business.
• Provides guidance and input to Team Lead to determine team structure and talent needs.
• Participates in Marketing and Business Development in conjunction with Executives, the Brand & Marketing team, and the Client Partnerships team.

Job Duties:

• Works with Executive team to implement and guide company in direction as set forth by CEO.
• Engages in company-wide activities that influence and support operational goals as set by CEO.
• Reports to Executive on a continual basis, including providing reports and analyses to provide insight into financials for your area of business.
• Strong managerial presence for your team. Day-to-day management of area of business, including leading the determination of team structure, talent needs, hiring and firing.
• Possesses excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with your team and other leaders and teams throughout the company.
• Set budgets for clients and/or projects and is responsible for running a successful area of business, as defined by the Executives.
• Project revenue and income; adjust processes and staff as required to meet those projections.
• Execute contracts and/or review contracts within your area of business, as defined in the Contracts Signing Protocol in the Knowledge Base.
• Exemplify and implement HFA Shared Values for your team members.
• Ultimately responsible for all invoicing and accounts receivable for your team/clients.
• Responsible for creating annual business plan for your area of business.

Administrative responsibilities:

• Supporting and using standard procedures and processes
• Engagement, Training, and Management
  • Use 15five to engage with team: weekly check-ins, BSRs, 1 on 1s
  • Conduct team meetings on a regular basis
  • Work with P & C to create onboarding schedule
  • Responsible for training or delegation of training & overseeing progress of both new and current team members
  • Assign and track LinkedIn Learning paths
  • Provide guidance for WFA (Access abroad, relocation, etc.)
  • Assess staffing/hiring needs for team based on projects and workload expectations
  • Actively participate in leadership groups/meetings
    • Communicate information from those meetings to team members
  • Supporting engagement efforts, training, and learning opportunities
  • Continually striving to model HFA Shared Values and encouraging team members to do the same
  • Supporting BIMbassador activities and team members
• Provide input and approval for:
  • Monthly projections and progress reporting
  • Setting and tracking progress on goals for team members
  • Submit/review/approve invoicing for clients and assist with follow-up for uncollected payments
  • Provide guidance and approval for team (travel requests, equipment upgrades, additional software, professional development/conference attendance, timesheet entries or corrections)
• Communicate needs/change requests with appropriate administrative support teams via the Studio Changes Request form in the Knowledge Base (team structure changes, name changes, title changes, etc)
• Create and revise business plans each year
• Create, communicate, and implement Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) when needed

People Skills:

• Communication – Intentional approach to communicating (not just about projects) with each member of your team on a regular basis, as well as effectively communicating with other leaders/teams across the company.
• Commitment to help your people, defined as a belief, demonstrated in action, that they matter.
  • Learn to listen, active listening
  • Share information, transparency
  • Frequent recognition of successes and treating mistakes as learning opportunities
  • Understand, accept, and work with others’ uniqueness
  • Set Clear Expectations and provide guidance on those when needed
• Investment in developing your people – Providing support, guidance, and empowerment.
• Participation in Engaging Leadership course and coaching sessions.

Requirements

Management Requirements: 10+ staff or lead a Critical Business Function as defined by CEO/COO
Education Requirements: Undergraduate Degree Preferred
Licensure Requirements: Licensure Preferred