Drainage & Water Resources Section Manager

Stanley Consultants; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Away

Health Insurance

Tuition assistance

401K match

Profit-sharing

Job summary

Stanley Consultants in Chicago is looking for a Drainage & Water Resources Section Manager to lead engineering teams in transportation projects. The role involves managing design processes, mentoring staff, and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders.

A successful candidate will possess a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, at least 10 years of relevant experience, and proficiency in drainage design and project management. The position offers hybrid work options and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of drainage and water resources experience.
• Illinois Professional Engineer (PE) license or ability to obtain within 6 months.
• Experience with IDOT and local drainage standards.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the drainage and water resources technical lead on projects.
• Build and lead a high-performing team of project managers.
• Manage project delivery including scope development and scheduling.

Skills

Drainage design

Project management

Effective communication

Team leadership

Hydraulic modeling software

Education

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Tools

Open Roads Designer

StormCAD

HEC-RAS

Job description

Job Title

Drainage & Water Resources Section Manager

Location

Chicago, IL

Job Type

Hybrid

Requisition ID

11261

Are you motivated, energetic and connected with clients, contractors and subconsultants in the A/E/C industry? Is your passion for leading transportation projects contagious? Do you enjoy executing winning strategies for pursuits? Is work/life balance important to you? If this describes you, we are looking for a talented and ambitious Transportation Drainage and Water Resources Section Manager in our Chicago, IL office to lead our technical staff and project managers. This position offers an exciting opportunity to lead and grow a transportation design team for an ENR Top 100 Design Firm. The successful candidate will be well versed in transportation design and project management with entities throughout the state of Illinois. The Section Manager role will require mentoring young engineers and engineering interns, leading senior level engineers and designers, and growing and developing a passionate engineering team. Project planning, workload distribution, and effective communication skills are essential.

This entrepreneurial individual will provide engineering and project management expertise on highway and drainage projects including roadway studies and design, drainage and utility systems, preparation of construction documents, cost estimates, project scheduling, and overall project management. The successful candidate must be able to work effectively and communicate regularly with internal leadership; municipal clients; and federal, state, and local agencies. This position offers exciting challenges and opportunities for managing all activities related to project scope, schedule, cost, quality, communications, and resource management, leading a team of engineers with varying levels of experience, assisting in transportation and water market business development, and participating in professional organizations and technical committees.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Serve as the drainage and water resources technical lead on projects, providing oversight of design, analyses, and deliverables.
• Serve, as needed, as Project Manager, Project Lead, or Task Lead on transportation and site civil projects.
• Build, lead, and develop a high‑performing team of project managers, engineers, and interns to support growth in the Illinois transportation drainage market.
• Manage the preparation of drainage designs and construction documents, including storm sewer systems, detention facilities, flood control, open channels, and erosion control.
• Lead the development of drainage studies and reports, including drainage studies, hydraulic reports, and conceptual drainage evaluations.
• Develop and evaluate drainage alternatives and recommend preferred solutions based on technical, regulatory, and cost considerations.
• Lead regulatory coordination and permitting efforts, including stormwater, floodplain, and agency approvals.
• Manage project delivery, including scope development, fee estimating, budgeting, scheduling, staffing, and subconsultant coordination.
• Support business development through client relationship management, marketing strategy, proposal preparation, and interviews.
• Establish and maintain project quality through QA/QC oversight and adherence to company and agency standards.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for clients and represent the firm in meetings, presentations, and industry engagement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from an accredited program.
• Minimum 10 years of drainage and water resources experience.
• Illinois Professional Engineer (PE) license or ability to obtain within 6 months.
• Experience with Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Illinois Tollway, and county/local drainage and transportation standards and procedures.
• Demonstrated experience producing roadway drainage design, including plans, profiles, calculations, drainage reports, and estimates.
• Experience preparing drainage studies and reports, including hydraulic analyses and Phase I deliverables.
• Proven experience using drainage design and hydraulics/hydrology modeling software, including Open Roads Designer & StormCAD, PondPack, HY-8, HEC-RAS, XPSWMM, and other industry-standard tools.
• Ability to coordinate with multidisciplinary teams, mentor staff, and support project scoping, proposals, and delivery.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with alternative delivery projects.

Salary Information

Salary range for IL location: The starting salary for the successful candidate in this position is competitive and will be determined by the selected candidate's qualifications and experience, geographic location, internal equity, company policy and practices. In compliance with pay transparency laws, pay ranges are disclosed for positions and locations where required.

Work‑Life Balance

We realize there's more to life than just work. We help you meet the demands of work, family and personal life through several flexible options.

Benefits

• Member‑owned: Member‑ownership is at the heart of our culture, aligning client satisfaction, company performance, and personal reward.
• Paid Time Away: Stanley Consultants offers numerous paid holidays, generous paid time off (PTO), parental leave, and professional development leave.
• Health Insurance: We provide a comprehensive insurance package including medical, dental, vision, FSA, HSA, Doctor On Demand, wellness reimbursement, and mental health resources.
• Financial Health: We offer life insurance, short‑and‑long‑term disability insurance, identity theft protection, and many other benefits.
• Professional Growth: When your skills grow, so do we, which is why we offer tuition assistance, professional society membership, and more.
• Financial Rewards: We share our prosperity with members through company stock ownership, a generous 401K match, incentive compensation, and profit‑sharing contributions to retirement 401K plans.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Protected Veterans / Individuals with Disabilities

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

Confidentiality Statement

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60‑1.35 (c)