Client Service Director - Water/Wastewater

Kennedy Jenks; Walnut Creek (CA); Hybrid; USD 185,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Health savings account

401(k)

Bonus programs

Tuition reimbursement

Employee ownership

Professional registration support

Travel assistance

Paid time off

Job summary

Kennedy Jenks is seeking a Client Service Director in California to lead water and wastewater growth across the national footprint, advancing client relationships and strategic delivery for public and private sector projects.

The senior role emphasizes team building, opportunity development, and delivery oversight while serving communities, utilities, and industry clients. The position offers a hybrid work model with two days in the office and a salary range of $185,000–$300,000 plus benefits.

Qualifications

• Education: BS or MS in Civil, Chemical, Environmental, or a similar engineering field.
• Experience: Minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in consulting, engineering, or infrastructure services.
• Market knowledge: Thorough understanding of the local consulting market, including municipal and industry client needs.
• Licensure: Professional Engineer (PE) license or ability to obtain licensure in California.
• Preferred: Design-Build experience and DBIA certification.
• Travel: Ability to travel to client sites, project locations, and Kennedy Jenks offices as needed.

Responsibilities

• Develop opportunities: Engage the marketplace to identify new clients, projects, partnerships, and service opportunities aligned with KJ’s water and wastewater growth strategy.
• Advance client relationships: Use established municipal, industry, and teaming relationships to expand service offerings and strengthen long-term client partnerships.
• Lead strategic pursuits: Guide positioning, teaming, proposal strategy, interview preparation, and pursuit planning for priority opportunities across your territory.
• Build high-performing teams: Collaborate with internal leaders on strategic hiring, staff development, team structure, and inclusive leadership that supports project and client success.
• Oversee project development: Support scope, schedule, fee development, negotiation, staffing, and coordination from planning through design and construction.
• Contribute to delivery: Serve as a project manager, project engineer, or project team member where your leadership and technical judgment add value.

Skills

Client-centered leadership

Business development mindset

Collaborative influence

Team development

Clear communication

Education

BS or MS in Civil, Chemical, Environmental, or related engineering field

Job description

Kennedy Jenks is seeking a dynamic Client Service Director in California to grow and strengthen our public and private sector water and wastewater practice across our national footprint.

This senior leadership role is central to Kennedy Jenks’ growth strategy, combining client relationship leadership, market development, team building, strategic planning, and delivery oversight for meaningful water, wastewater, stormwater, environmental, pipeline, and industrial consulting work.

You’ll step into a well-established, high-performing practice with strong client relationships, an active project portfolio, and a national platform. Working alongside established leaders and project teams, you'll help build on that momentum by identifying opportunities, deepening client partnerships, developing high-performing teams, and delivering practical infrastructure solutions that support communities, utilities, and industrial clients.

What You’ll Do

As a Client Service Director, you'll operate at the intersection of client leadership, business development, strategic growth, and project delivery.

• Develop opportunities: Engage the marketplace to identify new clients, projects, partnerships, and service opportunities aligned with KJ’s water and wastewater growth strategy.

• Advance client relationships: Use established municipal, industry, and teaming relationships to expand service offerings and strengthen long-term client partnerships.
• Lead strategic pursuits: Guide positioning, teaming, proposal strategy, interview preparation, and pursuit planning for priority opportunities across your territory.
• Build high-performing teams: Collaborate with internal leaders on strategic hiring, staff development, team structure, and inclusive leadership that supports project and client success.
• Oversee project development: Support scope, schedule, fee development, negotiation, staffing, and coordination from planning through design and construction.
• Contribute to delivery: Serve as a project manager, project engineer, or project team member where your leadership and technical judgment add value.

What Makes This Role Different

• Direct growth impact: Your relationships, judgment, and market insight will help shape where KJ grows and how we bring value to clients.
• National platform, local relevance: You can connect local client needs with KJ’s broader technical depth, project resume, and collaborative resources across the firm.
• Visible leadership role: You’ll influence strategy, pursuits, team development, and client outcomes while contributing to work that supports resilient infrastructure and trusted public and private sector partnerships.

What You Bring

• Client-centered leadership: A reputation for building trust, listening well, and aligning solutions with client priorities.
• Business development mindset: Confidence identifying opportunities, shaping strategy, and converting relationships into meaningful work.
• Collaborative influence: The ability to bring internal teams, external partners, and client stakeholders together around shared goals.
• Team development approach: A commitment to mentoring, motivating, and supporting inclusive teams that deliver strong results.
• Clear communication: Strong writing, editing, research, presentation, and verbal communication skills.

Qualifications

• Education: BS or MS in Civil, Chemical, Environmental, or a similar engineering field.
• Experience: Minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in consulting, engineering, or infrastructure services.
• Market knowledge: Thorough understanding of the local consulting market, including municipal and industry client needs.
• Licensure: Professional Engineer (PE) license or ability to obtain licensure in California.
• Preferred: Design-Build experience and DBIA certification.
• Travel: Ability to travel to client sites, project locations, and Kennedy Jenks offices as needed.

Kennedy Jenks supports a healthy work-life balance and utilizes ahybrid model of home and office work, with a minimum of two days per week in the office. This approach empowers our people to thrive, collaborate, and do their best work.

Salary range for this position is anticipated to be $185,000 to $300,000, and may vary based upon education, experience, qualifications, licensure/certifications, and geographic location.

Benefits summary: Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance; a health savings account; a 401(k); bonus programs; tuition reimbursement; employee ownership opportunity; professional registration support; business travel assistance; competitive paid time off and holidays; an employee assistance program; and additional programs that support your wellbeing and professional growth.

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