Ferries Terminal Design Manager - West Coast

Jacobs; Spokane (WA); Hybrid; USD 142,200 - 290,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) plan

Stock purchase

PPTO (unlimited for full-time)

Paid holidays

Caregiver leave

Bonus eligibility

Job summary

Jacobs is seeking an experienced Design Manager to lead Ports & Maritime design teams in the Northwest Region of the Americas, covering Washington State projects and broader Pacific Northwest initiatives. You’ll coordinate with clients, discipline leads, and external partners to ensure on-time, high-quality design deliverables through all phases, including detailed design and construction if needed.

The role requires extensive ports/maritime design experience, strong leadership, and ability to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or related field.
• 10-15 years of ports and maritime facility design, design management or design delivery experience, construction, and implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects involving multi-disciplinary teams and valued $50M USD or more.
• Experience in Ferry Terminal Projects in WA, AK, PNW region or nationally is a plus.
• Experience in the design and/or construction of ports and marine terminals, ferry/cruise terminals, shore power projects, related infrastructure, and challenging seismic/geotechnical conditions (quayside and landside structures).
• Knowledge of US ports and marine engineering design and construction codes and standards, including Washington State/WSDOT/ADOT design and construction standards and practices is a plus.
• Proven design delivery experience for transportation-related infrastructure.
• Strong working knowledge in design and construction, project delivery methods, and team building.
• Excellent working knowledge and understanding of design risk management.
• Ability to work with multi-disciplinary teams based in multiple locations and managing remote project delivery teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior design leadership for a multi-disciplinary team of design professionals for delivery of multi-year infrastructure projects.
• Provide direction for all facets of design to the design team, and provide mentorship to a multi-disciplinary, and at times, multi-office team.
• Coordinates with subject matter experts and team members to inform deliverables with the experience of knowledgeable team members.
• Provides senior leadership and guidance for project design scoping, project development and design reviews.
• Establishes work plan and multi-disciplinary staffing for each phase of project and arranges for assignment of project personnel.
• Assures that project team complies with the contract agreement as well as exercises cost controls to implement the approved design within established budget restraints.
• Work with internal and external Discipline Leads to ensure the timely and quality delivery of the project design documents.
• Manage the project design schedule and program in accordance with program objectives.
• Review and monitor project design progress and work with the program manager to proactively resolve delivery issues.
• Resolve internal design conflicts and issues by working collaboratively with the Discipline Leads, client, and subject matter experts as needed for effective conflict resolution
• Ensure completion of the design scope of work to the satisfaction of the client, while simultaneously ensuring that Jacobs’ safety, environmental, and project performance expectations are upheld.
• Establish and implement procedures to provide conflict resolution, design integration, constructability, and value engineering reviews.
• Provide a high level of responsiveness and coordination among the design teams to minimize design delays, rework, and conflicts.
• Present and communicate to the program manager and client the progress on design and any design issues that need resolution.
• Work with our digital delivery and production teams (CAD, BIM, etc.) and quality manager to ensure that proper procedures and guidelines are in place to facilitate the design process

Skills

Design leadership

Stakeholder comms

Mentorship

Conflict resolution

Multi-office coordination

Team building

Maritime design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering

Tools

CAD

BIM

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

We’re seeking an experienced Design Manager to join the Ports & Maritime team in the Northwest Region of the Americas to lead project design teams for delivering different design projects in WA State and support other projects in the Pacific Northwest Region.

The Design Manager is a key member of the Project Delivery Team and will be responsible for the technical coordination between the client, multi-disciplinary design teams within Jacobs and between Jacobs and nominated external design partners. The Design Manager will work closely with the Discipline Leads, Project Manager, and leadership team to ensure that deliverables (both internal and external) are delivered on time, to the expected quality, and in the most efficient manner possible. The Design Manager must be capable of leading communications with our client, stakeholders, and team members through all stages of the design process, including the detailed design and construction phases should our team be successful.

Some Key Responsibilities Include The Following

• Provide senior design leadership for a multi-disciplinary team of design professionals for delivery of multi-year infrastructure projects.
• Provide direction for all facets of design to the design team, and provides mentorship to a multi-disciplinary, and at times, multi-office team.
• Coordinates with subject matter experts and team members to inform deliverables with the experience of knowledgeable team members.
• Provides senior leadership and guidance for project design scoping, project development and design reviews.
• Establishes work plan and multi-disciplinary staffing for each phase of project and arranges for assignment of project personnel.
• Assures that project team complies with the contract agreement as well as exercises cost controls to implement the approved design within established budget restraints.
• Work with internal and external Discipline Leads to ensure the timely and quality delivery of the project design documents.
• Manage the project design schedule and program in accordance with program objectives.
• Review and monitor project design progress and work with the program manager to proactively resolve delivery issues.
• Resolve internal design conflicts and issues by working collaboratively with the Discipline Leads, client, and subject matter experts as needed for effective conflict resolution
• Ensure completion of the design scope of work to the satisfaction of the client, while simultaneously ensuring that Jacobs’ safety, environmental, and project performance expectations are upheld.
• Establish and implement procedures to provide conflict resolution, design integration, constructability, and value engineering reviews.
• Provide a high level of responsiveness and coordination among the design teams to minimize design delays, rework, and conflicts.
• Present and communicate to the program manager and client the progress on design and any design issues that need resolution.
• Work with our digital delivery and production teams (CAD, BIM, etc.) and quality manager to ensure that proper procedures and guidelines are in place to facilitate the design process

Here's what you'll need

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or related field.
• At least 10-15 years of ports and maritime facility design, design management or design delivery experience, construction, and implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects involving multi-disciplinary teams and valued $50M USD or more.
• Experience in Ferry Terminal Projects in WA, AK, PNW region or nationally is a plus.
• Experience in the design and/or construction of ports and marine terminals, ferry/cruise terminals, shore power projects, related infrastructure, and challenging seismic/geotechnical conditions (quayside and landside structures).
• Knowledge of US ports and marine engineering design and construction codes and standards, including Washington State/WSDOT/ADOT design and construction standards and practices is a plus.
• Proven design delivery experience for transportation-related infrastructure.
• Strong working knowledge in design and construction, project delivery methods, and team building.
• Excellent working knowledge and understanding of design risk management.
• Ability to work with multi-disciplinary teams based in multiple locations and managing remote project delivery teams.

Ideally, you’ll have

• Professional Engineer registration in Washington State. Other states is a plus.
• Experience in the design and/or construction of bridges, administration buildings, or general site developments in seismic regions.
• Willingness to travel.

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to invest in you, and in the things you care about. Your health. Your well-being. Your security. Your future. Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, and caregiver leave. And certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.

The base salary range for this position is $142,200.00 to $290,000.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Job posted on July 30, 2026. This position will be open for at least 3 days.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.