Coastal Resilience Leader

Arup; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 191,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Arup seeks a Coastal Resilience Leader to grow and direct our West Coast coastal resilience service, spanning California, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Hawai'i and beyond. You will shape market strategy, win major programs, and guide a multidisciplinary team of planners, engineers and scientists.

The role blends business development, client leadership and technical credibility, with a focus on multi-hazard risk, shoreline adaptation and climate-informed infrastructure.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in coastal resilience, climate adaptation, waterfront planning or infrastructure risk.
• Bachelor’s degree in civil, environmental, coastal engineering, environmental science, planning, hydrology, geography, or related field; advanced degree preferred; PE license preferred.
• Established relationships in the San Francisco Bay Area and California; West Coast experience desirable.
• Technical depth in climate vulnerability, risk assessment, adaptation pathways, sea level rise, coastal flood analysis, and capital investment prioritization for public-sector clients.
• Experience as Project Director and/or Principal-in-Charge with strong commercial judgment across BD, proposals, negotiation, and financial oversight.
• Fluency in resilience funding (FEMA, BRIC, IIJA, IRA, and state/federal grants) and in benefit-cost analysis and phased capital planning.
• Exceptional communication and facilitation skills; ability to translate technical analyses into decision-ready guidance.
• Collaborative leadership style with commitment to mentoring and sponsoring emerging talent.

Responsibilities

• Set the vision for West Region coastal resilience growth, including priorities and markets.
• Lead portfolio as Project Director on major coastal adaptation and infrastructure programs with accountability for technical excellence and commercial performance.
• Build executive-level relationships with ports, cities, utilities, tribal governments, campuses, and regional agencies.
• Lead capture planning, strategic teaming, pursuit strategy, and client interviews.
• Provide senior technical leadership across multi-hazard risk and adaptation including sea level rise and coastal flood analysis.
• Connect resilience work to capital funding via benefit-cost analysis and phased implementation planning.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop a high-performing resilience team.
• Lead external recognition through conferences, coalitions, and publications.

Skills

Coastal resilience leadership

Business development

Client relationship management

Strategic market planning

Executive communication

Team leadership

Multi-disciplinary delivery

Education

Bachelor's in civil/environmental/coastal engineering or related

Advanced degree preferred

PE license or equivalent

Job description

Arup is seeking a Coastal Resilience Leader to grow and lead our coastal resilience service on the West Coast. This is one of the most visible resilience leadership roles in our Americas region: you will set market strategy, grow key accounts, and direct delivery across California, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Hawai'i, and the broader Western U.S., while helping shape how Arup grows coastal resilience across other US regions, Canada, and Latin America.

This is a market leadership role that combines business development, client leadership, technical credibility, and multidisciplinary delivery for ports, transportation agencies, municipalities, utilities, campuses, waterfront districts, tribal governments, military sites, airports, regional agencies, and other infrastructure owners. The ideal candidate is a recognized, trusted advisor with established relationships across California and the West Coast, deep expertise in shoreline resilience, and a proven record of winning and delivering complex climate adaptation, coastal and riverine flood risk, and resilient infrastructure projects.

The Opportunity:

• A strong and growing portfolio of work. You will step into an active portfolio of shoreline resilience and adaptation projects, with a healthy pipeline of future work.
• A multidisciplinary team ready to deliver. You will lead an established, multidisciplinary team of resilience planners, engineers, and scientists. You will also draw on our water, transportation, civil infrastructure, geotechnical, environmental, sustainability, planning, economics, digital, advisory, permitting, and community engagement capabilities, coordinated into a single offering for clients.
• Backed by global leadership. Coastal resilience is a named priority growth area under Arup's global strategy. You will have the sponsorship, the peer network, and the resources of Arup's global coastal and water practices to support growth of the service.
• Planning through implementation. Arup is uniquely positioned to carry clients from vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning into funded, designed, permitted, and delivered projects. A central ambition of this role is to build that bridge, and the design capability that goes with it.

What you will do:

• Set the vision. Define and drive our West Region coastal resilience growth strategy: the priority locations, client accounts, funding sources, and markets where Arup can make the greatest difference, and connect it to our wider Americas ambitions.
• Lead the portfolio. Serve as Project Director on major coastal adaptation, waterfront, and infrastructure resilience programs, with accountability for technical excellence, client satisfaction, and commercial performance.
• Be a trusted advisor. Build executive-level relationships with ports, waterfront cities, transportation agencies, utilities, tribal governments, campuses, and regional agencies. Engage clients early, helping shape programs, funding strategies, and procurement pathways before they reach the market.
• Win the work that matters. Lead capture planning, strategic teaming, pursuit strategy, and interviews, converting market intelligence and client relationships into landmark projects and sustained revenue growth.
• Provide senior technical leadership. Guide work across multi-hazard risk and resilience including sea level rise, coastal and riverine flooding, storm surge, atmospheric rivers, compound flooding, groundwater rise, tsunami exposure, wildfire-related watershed impacts, extreme heat, drought, and seismic risk, as well as shoreline adaptation, nature-based and hybrid solutions, adaptation pathways, and climate-informed infrastructure design.
• Connect resilience to capital. Link client needs to federal, state, regional, and local funding, using benefit-cost analysis, capital investment prioritization, and phased implementation planning to turn plans into financeable programs.
• Grow the next generation. Recruit, mentor and develop a high-performing team, invest in career pathways and technical capability, and make this Arup the place where the best emerging coastal resilience practitioners want to build their careers.
• Lead the conversation externally. Build external recognition through conferences, resilience coalitions, technical publications, partnerships, and regional adaptation initiatives.

Who we are looking for:

• We are looking for a leader with genuine passion for this work. Someone with vision, strategic instinct, and an expansive view of what coastal resilience can be, who measures success as much by the people they develop as by the projects they win.
• 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in coastal resilience, climate adaptation, waterfront planning, or infrastructure risk, with a track record of winning and leading complex multidisciplinary programs.
• Bachelor’s degree in civil, environmental, or coastal engineering, environmental science, planning, hydrology, geography, or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred. PE license or equivalent credential preferred.
• Established relationships and project experience in the San Francisco Bay Area and California, experience in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, or Hawaiʻi also desirable.
• Technical depth in climate vulnerability and risk assessment, adaptation pathways, sea level rise and coastal flood analysis, and capital investment prioritization for public-sector clients.
• Experience serving as Project Director and/or Principal-in-Charge, with strong commercial judgment across business development, proposals, negotiation, and financial oversight.
• Fluency in resilience funding (FEMA, BRIC, IIJA, IRA, and state and regional grant programs) and in benefit-cost analysis and phased capital planning.
• Exceptional communication and facilitation skills, and the ability to turn technical analysis into decisions clients can act on.
• A collaborative, generous leadership style, and a real commitment to mentoring and sponsoring emerging talent.

What we offer you

At Arup, we care about each member’s success, so we can grow together.

Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognizes the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive - through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do.

We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom, with personal responsibility, to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup's legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities. Profit Share is a key part of our reward, enabling members to share in the results of our collective efforts.

Benefits at Work - At Arup, we have a comprehensive and valuable benefits program that works for our employees and their families while keeping costs low. These benefits provide health and welfare security for you as well as paid time off for rest and renewal. As a member of Arup, everyone shares in our success through a global profit share scheme (payments are dependent on the firm’s financial performance). Our Global Profit Share Plan (paid bi-annually) provides an opportunity for you to share in the success of the Firm. As a valued employee of Arup, you can also choose to participate in our 401(k) plan with up to 10% company match to help you save for your future

Flexible Working - We believe that flexible arrangements create a more inclusive way of working that supports our diversity and the wellbeing of our people. Options for alternative schedules and the ability to work outside of the office for a portion of your workweek are available

Hiring Range - The good faith base salary hiring range for this job if performed in San Francisco is $191,000 to $260,000 per year. This range is commensurate with experience, educational background, and skill level. Benefits are not included in the base salary. Please note hiring ranges for candidates performing work outside of San Francisco will differ.

Different People, Shared Values

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age (within legal limits), gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, neurotype or mental health, race or ethnicity, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave. We are an open environment that embraces diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas - this drives our excellence.

Guided by our values and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we create and contribute to equitable spaces and systems, while cultivating a sense of belonging for all. Our internal employee networks support our inclusive culture: from race, ethnicity and cross-cultural working to gender equity and LGBTQ+ and disability inclusion - we aim to create a space for you to express yourself and make a positive difference. Discover more about life at Arup at www.arup.com/careers/your-life-at-arup.

Our Application Process

We will be reviewing our candidates for this position on a rolling basis. Once you have applied you will be evaluated and potentially moved on to the next round, at which point a member of the talent resourcing team will reach out to you directly.

Arup is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, spouse of a protected veteran, or disability.