Geotechnical Department Manager

Colliers Engineering & Design; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Pregnancy leave

Disability insurance

Life insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

License bonuses

Straight time policy

Job summary

Colliers Engineering & Design in Phoenix seeks a Geotechnical Department Manager to lead growth of the geotechnical practice across the Phoenix region. You will guide complex projects, build client partnerships, and establish the strategic direction for Arizona operations.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in geotechnical engineering, a PE (PG considered), and proven leadership in budget management, proposal development, and multidisciplinary project delivery.

Qualifications

• PE required; however, consideration will also be given to a highly qualified PG candidate.
• Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Geotechnical Engineering is required.
• 10+ years of geotechnical engineering experience, including leadership of projects or teams.

Responsibilities

• Oversees geotechnical operations and QA/QC processes to meet standards and project requirements.
• Establishes long-range objectives, staffing plans, and technical development goals.
• Provides technical and managerial leadership in foundation design, slope stability, ground improvement, and field investigations.
• Develops and supports marketing and business development strategies for geotechnical services.
• Advises multidisciplinary teams with expert geotechnical insight for structural, civil, environmental, and transportation projects.
• Manages project execution and financial performance to achieve profitability.
• Monitors productivity, utilization, and workload metrics; adjusts as needed.
• Assigns projects and coordinates staffing to balance workloads and meet deadlines.
• Evaluates employee performance in line with policies and growth objectives.

Skills

Geotechnical engineering

Project management

Client development

Leadership

QA/QC

Budgeting & financial management

English communication

Mentorship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Geotechnical Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Tools

AutoCAD Civil 3D

REVIT

CAD platforms

SEEP/W

SLOPE/W

SETTLE3D

L-Pile

Job description

Overview

Colliers Engineering & Design is expanding its geotechnical services in Arizona and is seeking a Geotechnical Department Manager to help lead that growth. Working from our Phoenix, West Valley, or Gilbert office, you'll play a key role in establishing our geotechnical presence in the market, building client partnerships, leading complex projects, and identifying new opportunities throughout the region. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of a growing service line while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and supporting the continued expansion of our Arizona operations. If you're excited by the opportunity to build something, grow a client base, and make a lasting impact on a developing practice, we'd love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Oversees geotechnical operations and QA/QC processes to ensure all subsurface investigations, analyses, and engineering deliverables meet technical standards and project requirements.
• Establishes long range objectives, staffing plans, and technical development goals that support the growth and performance of the geotechnical team.
• Provides technical and managerial leadership by guiding engineers on foundation design, slope stability, earth retention systems, ground improvement, and field investigation programs.
• Develops and supports marketing and business development strategies aligned with geotechnical service offerings and broader discipline goals.
• Advises multidisciplinary teams by offering expert geotechnical insight for structural, civil, environmental, and transportation projects.
• Manages project execution and financial performance to ensure geotechnical projects achieve targeted profitability and efficient resource use.
• Monitors monthly productivity, utilization, and workload metrics and implements adjustments to maintain operational efficiency.
• Assigns geotechnical projects and coordinates staff scheduling to balance workloads, meet deadlines, and support employee development.
• Evaluates employee performance in alignment with company policies, technical competency expectations, and professional growth objectives.

Qualifications

• PE required; however, consideration will also be given to a highly qualified PG candidate.
• Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Geotechnical Engineering.
• 10+ years of experience conducting and managing geotechnical engineering services and/or construction materials testing (CMT) services.
• Must be ambitious, motivated, able to work independently, have a strong work ethic, and have excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to develop clients/projects in near term a plus.
• Extensive knowledge of all aspects of the design, development, and implementation of ground improvement technologies and deep foundation systems.
• Soils laboratory experience is a plus.
• Proficient with Microsoft Word and Excel, and experience with AutoCAD Civil 3D, REVIT, and other CAD platforms is a plus.
• Experience or academic training with geotechnical software such as SEEP/W, SLOPE/W, SETTLE3D, L-Pile, is preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple projects at one time, providing strong team leadership and effective project delivery.
• Experience with developing budgets, preparing proposals, tracking budgets, and the associated financial management skills necessary to run a team and monitor the performance of the business.
• Demonstrated effective leadership across large groups of employees.
• Strategic thinking.
• Effective delegation skills.Collaboration.
• Ability to hold others accountable.
• Ability to read, write and understand English for purposes of comprehending written job-related communications and verbal instructions and interactions.

What We Offer

At Colliers Engineering & Design, our people are our most important resource. That’s why we are committed to providing all our employees with a safe, comfortable work environment, potential for career advancement, and the ability to impact society through their projects as well as Company sponsored activities.

This dedication begins with supporting a work life balance through a generous compensation package that includes:

• company paid medical, dental, and vision coverage
• paid pregnancy disability leave
• short- and long-term disability insurance
• life insurance
• a company-matched 401(k)/Roth
• paid time off that includes parental and military leave
• employee referral and professional license bonuses
• a straight time policy that compensates exempt employees for billable hours worked in excess of 40 billable hours within a work week

We have also created an internal culture that provides the resources and technology needed to encourage personal and professional growth opportunities through reimbursement for education; a free in-house resource for hundreds of educational and self-enrichment courses; mentorship program; wellness program; Women’s Organization and ongoing philanthropic opportunities.