Coastal Waterfronts Practice Director: Equity Eligible

Aspire Talent Solutions; Baton Rouge (LA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Group Health Insurance

401K

Profit Sharing Bonus

8 Paid Holidays

Paid Personal Leave

Job summary

Aspire Talent Solutions is seeking a Director of Coastal Engineering and Waterfronts to lead the Waterfronts Practice with strategic vision, technical excellence, and market growth. The role oversees multidisciplinary teams across coastal, marina, and coastal infrastructure projects.

The position emphasizes leadership in strategy, client relations, and project delivery, with a focus on resilience, sustainability, and innovation in waterfront environments. Office-based with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Master’s or Bachelor's degree in Coastal, Civil, Structural, or Marine Engineering.
• 15+ years of waterfront, coastal, or marine engineering with increasing leadership responsibilities.
• PE license required; additional credentials (e.g., D.PE, PMP, CFM) are desired.
• Proven success leading practice groups, business units, or major market sectors.
• Strong portfolio of waterfront, marina, or coastal infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated ability to win work, build client relationships, and drive revenue growth.
• Deep technical expertise and strong understanding of regulatory and permitting landscapes.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the strategic plan for the Waterfronts Practice, aligning with firmwide goals.
• Identify emerging market trends in coastal resilience, sustainable waterfront redevelopment, port/marina planning, and marine infrastructure.
• Set direction for service offerings, technical capabilities, and geographic expansion.
• Champion innovation, digital transformation, and best practices within the practice.
• Lead annual budgeting, staffing plans, revenue forecasting, and financial performance oversight.
• Establish practice-wide quality standards, design procedures, and technical workflows.
• Monitor KPIs and operational efficiency to ensure best-in-class delivery.
• Coordinate resource allocation across regions and project teams to optimize utilization and expertise.
• Serve as senior technical authority for waterfront, marina, and coastal engineering projects.
• Provide high-level review and approval of design approaches, engineering calculations, and deliverables.
• Guide technical strategy surrounding coastal processes, structural systems, geomorphology, resilience, and nature-based shoreline solutions.
• Oversee complex permitting and regulatory pathways at federal, state, and local levels.
• Develop strategic relationships with clients, agencies, and consultants.
• Lead business development initiatives, major pursuits, and proposal strategies.
• Position the firm as a leader in waterfront and coastal engineering through conferences, publications, and industry involvement.
• Drive diversification of services and entry into new coastal and marine markets.
• Build, guide, and mentor a high-performing team of engineers, planners, designers, and project managers.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Develop career paths, succession planning, and talent retention strategies for the Waterfronts Practice.
• Promote cross-discipline collaboration across the firm to support integrated project delivery.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Business acumen

Communication

Team development

Decision making

Resilience & sustainability

Education

Master’s/Bachelor’s in Coastal Civil Marine Engineering

Job description

Aspire Talent Solutions is seeking a Director of Coastal Engineering and Waterfronts to lead the Waterfronts Practice with strategic vision, technical excellence, and market growth. The role oversees multidisciplinary teams across coastal, marina, and coastal infrastructure projects.

The position emphasizes leadership in strategy, client relations, and project delivery, with a focus on resilience, sustainability, and innovation in waterfront environments. Office-based with travel as needed.