Group Manager - Stormwater / Capital Improvement Projects (CIP)

ESP Associates, Inc.; Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

401(k) with employer match

PTO and paid holidays

Volunteer Time Off

Health, Vision & Dental Insurance

Teladoc Behavioral Medicine

Short-Term Disability Insurance

Job summary

ESP Associates, Inc. is seeking an established Water Resources leader to head the Wilmington, NC office and oversee staffing, supervision, and growth of the practice.

The role focuses on stormwater and Municipal CIP projects, with responsibilities in business development, client engagement, and proposal preparation. The candidate will manage multidisciplinary teams, collaborate with public sector clients, and guide project delivery from planning through design while ensuring quality and budgets.

Qualifications

• BSCE or related engineering degree.
• PE registration in North Carolina.
• 10+ years of professional engineering design and project management experience.
• Strong background in Stormwater and Capital Improvement Projects (CIP).
• Experience with local codes, ordinances and public agency standards.
• Strong business development skills and knowledge of the local market.
• Ability to manage multiple clients and mentor staff.
• Pass drug screen, background check and driving record per policy.

Responsibilities

• Establish, lead and grow the Water Resources team in the Wilmington, NC office.
• Partner with clients to perform planning studies and modeling for municipal water resources projects.
• Prepare and review statements of qualifications.
• Manage design development, contracts, cost estimates, and client relations; staff supervision and mentoring.
• Present to public officials, selection committees and public engagement.
• Drive business development and marketing, networking, and backlog reporting.

Skills

Leadership

Business development

Client management

Public presentations

Communication

Project management

Mentoring staff

Education

BSCE Civil Engineering

Job description

Established more than 35 years ago in Charlotte, NC, at ESP Associates, Inc., we help communities manage water effectively. We are seeking an established Water Resources professional with a passion for Stormwater and Capital Improvement Projects (CIP). This position can work from a variety of ESP office locations including Fort Mill, SC; Charleston, SC; Huntersville, NC; Morrisville, NC; and Wilmington, NC. This individual will be at the helm of overall staffing, supervision, management, and growth of the practice.

As a leader contributing to employee development and management of departmental activity, this individual will ultimately be responsible for:

• Managing clients and undertaking business development activities,
• Preparation of proposals/ contracts, and
• Representing ESP and client(s) in public settings.

Responsibilities:

• Establish, lead and grow the Water Resources team in the Wilmington, NC office.
• Partnering with Clients to perform planning studies and a variety of modeling approaches associated with municipal water resources projects.
• Prepare and review statements of qualifications.
• Management of design development, preparation and/or administration of the contract documents, cost estimates, agency correspondence, client relations, staff supervision and mentoring. Exciting projects include Municipal Stormwater Studies, Municipal Stormwater Capital Improvement Projects (CIP), LOMR/CLOMR (FEMA Map Revisions), Greenway Design, Municipal Embedded Staff Augmentation, Stormwater Drainage Master Plans, Stream Mitigation, Grant Support Services, Water / Sewer Planning and Design, and other similar projects.
• Building the team and overall growth of the group.
• Presentations to Public officials, selection committees, and public engagement.
• Business development and marketing of clients including networking, active participation in professional development forums, presenting work to professional organizations, writing proposals, and maintaining budgets and backlog reporting for projected work.
• Project contract preparation, invoicing, and financial reporting.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering(BSCE) or related engineering degree.
• Professional Engineer (PE) Registrationin North Carolina.
• 10+ years of professional engineering design and project management experience.
• A strong background in Stormwater and Capital Improvement Projects.
• Excellent financial management skills.
• Demonstrated experience working in a multidisciplinary environment with the ability to adjust to project priorities and requests of multiple clients.
• Experience working with local codes, ordinances and public agency standards related to Stormwater and Capital Improvement Projects.
• Strong business development skills along with knowledge of the local market.
• Strong collaborator and presenter in front of boards and Councils for multiple project types.
• Ability to liaise with public sector clients, maintain client relationships, manage projects and mentor staff.
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership and communication skills that will allow you to effectively and professionally interact with clients, government officials and the public.
• Experience with developing and following a formalized QA/QC program.
• Candidate must be able to pass a drug screen, background check, and have a satisfactory driving record in accordance with the company’s driving (MVR) policy.

Corporate Information:

ESP is a multi-discipline engineering design and consulting firm providing our clients with civil engineering, surveying, planning/landscape architecture, geosciences, environmental, subsurface utility engineering, and construction engineering inspection.

Through years of dedicated service to our clients, ESP has received a designation of 186 on the 2026 ENR Top 500 Design Firm rankings. For the firm’s primary territory, the ENR Texas & Southeast Top Design Firms, ESP received a 2026 ranking of 53.

ESP offers an excellent employee benefits package including:

• Competitive compensation with yearly performance reviews and discretionary annual bonuses
• 401(k) (Traditional & Roth plans) with a guaranteed employer match of 100% up to the first 3% and 50% on the next 2% (eligibility after 60 days)
• PTO (Paid Time Off) & 10 Paid Holidays
• VTO (Volunteer Time Off) of 4 hours each year (prorated during first year based on hire date)
• Tiered Health, Vision & Dental Insurance Options (eligibility after 30 days)
• Behavioral Medicine through Teladoc
• Short-Term Disability Insurance (Employer paid)