Municipal Client Relationship Manager- Transportation- Central Valley

GHD; Santa Rosa (CA); On-site; USD 230,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading professional services firm is seeking a Client Service Manager for Transportation in Santa Rosa, California. This role involves developing municipal client relationships, leading a Client Engagement Team, and identifying new business opportunities in transportation. The ideal candidate has at least 10 years of experience in client service management and holds a relevant degree. This position operates in a hybrid model, encouraging team collaboration and individual growth.

Qualifications

• Professional Engineer license preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in client service management.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence at senior levels.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with municipal clients.
• Lead and mentor a Client Engagement Team for municipal accounts.
• Identify and pursue new opportunities within municipal markets.

Skills

Excellent communication

Negotiation

Interpersonal skills

Strategic thinking

Client-centric mindset

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s Degree in Engineering, Environmental Science, or similar

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Overview

Help us build the future and we’ll help you build a rewarding and purposeful career. Our global network is made up of architects, designers, planners, engineers, and environmental scientists all working towards the same goal.

Join a team that brings inspirational architecture, landscapes, townscapes and places to our world, and we’ll provide you unlimited space to grow. You’ll be able to apply our powerful global network of skills and decades of experience to build positive Client outcomes.

Who are we looking for?

GHD’s municipal business in Water and Transportation is in a period of accelerated growth. Over the past few years, we have doubled our municipal portfolio, driven by strong client relationships, technical excellence, and a deep commitment to the communities we serve.

Building on this momentum, we have launched a bold growth initiative to double our municipal practice over the next four years. This next phase of growth is intentional, market-focused, and rooted in long-term partnerships with cities, counties, and local agencies.

To help lead this next chapter, we are seeking Client Service Managers (CSM)-Transportation who are energized by growth, trusted by clients, and motivated to shape the future of public infrastructure.

Client Service Managers are viewed as a critical role within GHD. They sit at the intersection of our clients, our communities, and our technical teams – bringing external voices, priorities, and opportunities into the organization.

AT GHD, our workplace thrives on a hybrid model, combining in-office collaboration and flexibility. Join us in office, three days a week to contribute, connect and excel in our vibrant environment.

Role and Location

As a Client Service Manager for Transportation Clients in the Central Valley (Sacramento, Roseville, Santa Rosa) and working with an energetic and high performing team, this position offers a variety of duties and will see you involved in:

Responsibilities

• Client Relationship Development: Build and maintain strong relationships with municipal clients, including city governments, utilities, and public agencies. Act as the voice of the client within the organization, ensuring their priorities and challenges are understood and addressed. Develop and implement client interaction plans to engage decision-makers and influencers.
• Strategic Account Management: Lead and mentor a Client Engagement Team to deliver innovative solutions tailored to municipal needs. Create and execute annual growth plans for municipal accounts, focusing on long-term objectives (3–5 years). Monitor trends in public spending, regulatory changes, and infrastructure investments to identify opportunities.
• Business Development: Identify and pursue new opportunities within municipal markets, including water, transportation, and urban development sectors. Collaborate with technical teams to align proposals with client preferences during bidding and delivery phases. Maintain an active pipeline of projects and pursuits.
• Advocacy and Representation: Represent the organization at municipal meetings, conferences, and industry events. Promote the organization’s brand and capabilities to municipal stakeholders. Facilitate multi-party communications when needed to resolve issues and advance strategic initiatives.
• Key Performance Indicators: For the client portfolio; opportunity pipeline; bookings targets.
• Additional Responsibilities: CRM data management, subject matter expertise development, key account management, customer relationship development and prospecting, customer needs clarification, sales opportunities creation, promoting customer focus, and ongoing customer relationship management.

Education

• Bachelor's or Master’s Degree in Engineering, Environmental Science, or similar

Qualifications

• Professional Engineer license preferred
• Minimum 10 years of experience in client service management, or client relationship management preferably with municipal or public sector clients
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence at senior levels
• Proficiency in CRM tools (Salesforce in particular) and Microsoft Office Suite
• Strategic thinker with a client-centric mindset
• Strong understanding of municipal operations, governance, and procurement
• Ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and build consensus
• Experience in client engagement and business development, with a track record of building relationships across government, industry, and community stakeholders
• Proven ability to develop and execute market strategies

As a multicultural organization, we encourage individual achievement and recognize the strength of a diverse workforce. GHD is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race; color; religion; genetic information; national origin; sex; sexual orientation; gender identity; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; age; disability; or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

Salary Range: $230,000-$280,000 based on experience and location

About Us

Take on some of the world’s toughest challenges - with GHD supporting you every step of the way. We'll give you control over your career, empower you to find innovative solutions and help you create a lasting impact. See where your commitment could take you with GHD.

Our Pledge to You: At GHD, we don’t just believe in the power of commitment, we live and breathe it every day. That’s why we pledge to empower our people to make a positive impact. Combining our deep technical expertise with the capabilities of our clients and partners, we respond to some of the most complex challenges facing our planet today. See where your commitment could take you. That’s the #PowerOfCommitment.

Who We Are: GHD is a global professional services company that leads through engineering, architecture, and construction expertise. We are an employee-owned company with over 11,000 diverse and skilled individuals, across more than 200 offices spanning five continents. The Power of Commitment is our brand promise. It’s what makes us different. We are bound to our stated vision and determination to address humanity’s most urgent needs: to make water, energy and urbanisation sustainable for generations to come.