Director of Engineering

Harris & Associates, Inc.; Concord (CA); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance

ESOP

401K Match

PTO and paid holidays

Health & Well-Being Allowance

Tuition reimbursement

Flexible hybrid/remote work plans

Job summary

Harris & Associates, Inc. is seeking a Director of Engineering Services to lead civil engineering efforts for various public sector clients in Northern California. This role involves developing strategic growth plans, managing a team, and ensuring successful project delivery across local roadways, drainage, and more.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in civil engineering, particularly with public sector projects, and will be responsible for ensuring operational excellence as well as fostering positive client relationships.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in civil engineering.
• Minimum of 5 years in leadership roles focused on public sector projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage engineering services in Northern California.
• Develop strategic growth plans with public sector clients.
• Ensure operational excellence and project delivery.

Skills

Civil engineering design principles

Client management

Business development

Financial metrics understanding

Project management

Talent engagement

Education

B.S. degree in Civil Engineering

California Professional Engineer (PE) license

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

Director of Engineering

We are seeking a Director of Engineering Services to lead our civil engineering efforts in the Northern California region for our Transportation and Development Department with a focus on municipal engineering inclusive of projects involving local roadways and transportation improvements, sewers, storm drain and flood control protection, and other various City/County/Special District projects to be delivered for our public sector clients. Key elements for success in this position are driving our business growth in the Northern California region supporting our active teams located in Salinas, Concord, and Sacramento, and managing those teams to support effective and operational excellence, and successful project delivery for our public sector clients in the area. This role will support efforts of other Engineering leaders and ensuring alignment with our strategic initiatives. This is a new position with an opportunity to grow and expand our Northern California teams and will lead a current team of 10 colleagues with varying experience, motivating, and driving higher performance and monitoring attainment of strategic goals for the Transportation and Development Department and the Engineering Business Unit as a whole.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Division President, Business Unit Leader, and other Directors to develop and implement a strategic growth plan, including client outreach goals with our existing and new public sector clients leading to expansion of business in the Northern California region.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with our existing and with new public sector clients throughout project lifecycles and beyond.
• Work closely with Engineering Leadership to align operations and allocate resources effectively, particularly within our Northern California offices.
• Negotiate favorable contract terms, manage cost of sales, and achieve financial goals related to backlog and project delivery.
• Focus on talent development, retention, and recruitment, fostering a positive work environment for staff.
• Engage in local professional activities that enhance the firm’s reputation with existing and new public sector clients.
• Manage effectively all engineering projects and services delivered by the various Harris offices within the Northern California region and interact with senior leadership and external clients on significant regional matters.
• Set client outreach strategies and resource allocation decisions tailored to our existing and with new public sector clients pursuing engineering services.
• Lead employee engagement initiatives and oversee regional leadership responsibilities.
• Establish regional budgets while meeting revenue and profit targets, with accountability for revenue between $2M and $4M.
• Set sales goals and implement the Harris Client Management Process specific to our existing and new public sector clients.
• Collaborate with Engineering Directors to establish utilization goals for the region.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong understanding of civil engineering design principles, particularly in transportation, drainage and utilities for municipal projects.
• Familiarity with public sector (City/County/Special District) client dynamics.
• Expertise in client management and business development processes, ranging from establishing new connections with targeted clients, managing and maintaining relationships with existing clients, and taking initiative to monitor and maintain those client relationships in ways that maintain and drive new business for engineering services with public sector clients.
• Experience in leading the development of technical proposals for varying types of civil engineering projects traditionally delivered for public sector clients, and guiding the completion of proposals by the technical team with support from marketing.
• In-depth knowledge of financial metrics associated with engineering operations, and the ability to drive results against these metrics in meeting and exceeding established budgets.
• Operational experience within a private engineering consulting firm.
• Ability to adapt to a fast‑paced and complex work environment, demonstrating agility in response to organizational changes.
• Experience in talent engagement and personnel administration, including hiring and managing a diverse technical engineering focused team.

Qualifications

• B.S. degree in Civil Engineering.
• 15+ years of experience in civil engineering, with a minimum of 5 years in leadership roles focused on public sector projects, and related business development and client engagement experience in support of business growth.
• California Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite.

This position is vital for reinforcing our commitment to delivering exceptional services to our public sector clients, ensuring that we meet their unique challenges with innovative solutions.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to traverse and inspect all areas of jobsite in all types of weather; this may include walking, climbing, reaching, bending, crawling, or stretching.
• Must be able to lift up to 40 pounds at a time.

Why Join us?

Harris’ growing Engineering Business Unit within the Program Management/Construction Management (PMCM) and Engineering Division does industry‑leading work in supporting the delivery of a wide variety of engineering services for our public sector clients. Our integrated service model with the Consulting Division brings opportunities for market share and cross‑selling of these integrated services that range from CEQA/NEPA environmental services to municipal financing services, and within our PMCM/Engineering Division with program management and construction management services. Harris continues to expand the scope of these services while also building new capabilities in other areas as we continue to grow and meet the needs of our public sector clients.

For more than 50 years, Harris & Associates has helped to improve communities and create better places to live through smart, safe, more sustainable planning, design and construction solutions. Harris is a 100% employee‑owned company focused on solving today's complex challenges in planning, design, and construction. Our offices and project sites span the West Coast in California, Nevada, Hawaii, and Washington with a staff of over 300 employee‑owners focused on serving clients in the municipal, water, transportation, and education markets.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this position is $175K to $255K, determined based on the candidate's level of experience.

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• ESOP
• 401K Match
• PTO, 8 Paid Holidays + 1 WorkAversary paid holiday to celebrate you!
• Health & Well‑Being Allowance
• Tuition reimbursement
• Flexible hybrid/remote work plans

Equal Opportunity Employer

Harris & Associates is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability) and provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics.