Hawaii Water Market Principal

Jacobs; Honolulu (HI); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 266,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentoring programs

Training opportunities

Career development paths

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Jacobs is seeking a Hawaii Water Market Principal to shape the future of our water business across the Hawaii Pacific region. You will drive market strategy, mentor teams, strengthen client relationships, and lead delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater projects for municipal and private clients in Hawaii and the Pacific.

You’ll lead portfolio performance, grow the team, and guide business development and proposals, including pricing and contract negotiations, while ensuring

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering.
• Minimum 10 years of experience managing project teams in a consulting engineering environment.
• Professional Engineer (P.E.) license in Hawaii or ability to obtain within 6 months.
• Demonstrated experience planning and designing conveyance, water/wastewater, or water resources projects.
• Strong leadership and organizational skills.
• Proven commercial and business acumen, including contract and risk management.
• Experience with project execution across various contract types.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a water market growth strategy for Hawaii, grounded in local trends and needs.
• Manage a portfolio of water projects across Hawaii and the Pacific, ensuring quality and financial performance.
• Build and expand long-term relationships with municipalities, utilities, and private clients.
• Lead and grow the Hawaii water market team and support business development efforts.
• Drive portfolio performance, including margin delivery, cash flow, and risk management.
• Recruit, retain, and mentor project managers and technical staff across projects.
• Promote safety, quality, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as Project Manager and Technical Lead on water infrastructure projects.

Skills

Leadership

Client relationships

Project delivery

Contract & risk mgmt

Financial management

Mentoring

Business development

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor's in Civil/Environmental Eng

Master's degree (preferred)

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 a Hawaii Water Market Principal to help shape the future of our water business across the Hawaii Pacific region. In this role, you will drive project excellence, mentor project managers and technical staff, strengthen client relationships, and partner with our Hawaii Client Account Manager to lead market growth. You’ll collaborate closely with our leadership team to deliver world-class drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater solutions for municipal and private sector clients in Hawaii and the Pacific while building and developing high-performing teams.

As a key leader within the water market, you will drive both market strategy and project delivery across Hawaii and the Pacific. You will play a central role in shaping our water business - advancing technical excellence, elevating project performance, and creating opportunities for our people and clients.

What You’ll Do

• In partnership with our Hawaii Client Account Manager, develop and implement a water market growth strategy for Hawaii, grounded in local market trends, client needs and competitive positioning
• Manage a portfolio of water projects across Hawaii and the Pacific, ensuring high-quality delivery and financial performance
• Build, nurture, and expand strong long-term relationships with municipalities, utilities, and private clients across Hawaii and the Pacific to identify new opportunities for Jacobs to further serve our communities
• Lead and grow the Hawaii water market team, fostering a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and professional growth. Lead and support business development and strategic pursuits, including positioning, teaming strategies, go/nogo decisions, proposal development, pricing reviews, and contract negotiations
• Drive portfolio performance, including gross margin delivery, change management, cash management, forecasting, and adherence to quality, risk, and HSE requirements
• Recruit, retain, and mentor project managers and technical staff to deliver complex drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects
• Promote a culture of safety, quality, inclusion, and continuous improvement across all project teams
• Serve as a Project Manager and Technical Lead on challenging projects, including pipelines, pump stations, treatment facilities, and water resources infrastructure—from concept through planning, design, permitting, construction, and commissioning
• Conduct monthly project reviews; review and approve project execution plans, risk register/mitigation plans, quality plans, revenue recognition workflows, and contract delivery approvals
• Partner with financial and project controls teams to ensure accurate estimates to completion (ETCs), business plan forecasting, and consistent use of project delivery tools

Here’s what you’ll need

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering
• Minimum 10 years of experience managing project teams in a consulting engineering environment
• Professional Engineer (P.E.) license in Hawaii or ability to obtain within 6 months
• Demonstrated experience planning and designing conveyance, water/wastewater, or water resources projects
• Strong leadership and organizational skills
• Proven commercial and business acumen, including contract and risk management
• Experience with project execution across various contract types

Ideally, you’ll also have

• Master’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering
• Experience supervising project managers and multidisciplinary teams
• Strong network with Hawaii municipalities, utilities, and water sector clients
• Active involvement in professional organizations
• Experience driving portfolio-level performance, forecasting, and financial management

Our Commitment to You

• MentoringAccess to formal and informal mentoring programs, including dedicated budget for professional development
• TrainingOpportunities to grow your technical, project management, and leadership skills
• Career DevelopmentA personalized career path aligned with your interests and the breadth of opportunities across Jacobs’ global water business
• Hybrid WorkFlexibility to balance in-office collaboration with remote work to support your best performance

Join us and help shape the future of water infrastructure in Hawaii and the Pacific - while growing your career across a global network of experts committed to delivering a more sustainable, resilient world.

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 $170,400.00 to $266,300.00. 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 September 24, 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.