Municipal Client Relationship Manager- Transportation- Orange/San Diego County

GHD; Long Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

GHD in Long Beach, California is looking for a Client Relationship Manager for Transportation. This role involves building strong relationships with municipal clients, leading a Client Engagement Team, and pursuing new market opportunities.

The ideal candidate will possess at least 10 years of experience in relationship management, a degree in Engineering or Environmental Science, and excellent communication skills. A professional engineer license is preferred.

The position offers a hybrid work model, providing an inspiring workplace where you can thrive.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in client service or relationship management.
• Professional Engineer license preferred.
• Strong understanding of municipal operations and procurement.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with municipal clients.
• Lead and mentor a Client Engagement Team.
• Identify and pursue new opportunities within municipal markets.

Skills

Excellent communication

Negotiation skills

Interpersonal skills

Client engagement

Business development

Leadership

Strategic thinking

CRM tools proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering or Environmental Science

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Job Description

Help us build the future and we’ll help you build a rewarding and purposeful career. Our global network is made up of architects, designers, planners, engineers, and environmental scientists all working towards the same goal. Join a team that brings inspirational architecture, landscapes, townscapes, and places to our world, and we’ll provide you unlimited space to grow. You’ll be able to apply our powerful global network of skills and decades of experience to build positive client outcomes.

Who are we looking for?

GHD’s municipal business in Water and Transportation is in a period of accelerated growth. Over the past few years, we have doubled our municipal portfolio, driven by strong client relationships, technical excellence, and a deep commitment to the communities we serve. Building on this momentum, we have launched a bold growth initiative to double our municipal practice over the next four years. This next phase of growth is intentional, market‑focused, and rooted in long‑term partnerships with cities, counties and local agencies.

Client Relationship Manager for Transportation (CRM)

We are seeking Client Relationship Managers (CRM)-Transportation who are energized by growth, trusted by clients, and motivated to shape the future of public infrastructure. The role sits at the intersection of our clients, our communities, and our technical teams—bringing external voices, priorities, and opportunities into the organization. At GHD, our workplace thrives on a hybrid model, combining in‑office collaboration and flexibility. Join us in office three days a week to contribute, connect and excel in our vibrant environment.

Client Relationship Development

• Build and maintain strong relationships with municipal clients, including city governments, utilities and public agencies.
• Act as the voice of the client within the organization, ensuring their priorities and challenges are understood and addressed.
• Develop and implement client interaction plans to engage decision makers and influencers.

Strategic Account Management

• Lead and mentor a Client Engagement Team to deliver innovative solutions tailored to municipal needs.
• Create and execute annual growth plans for municipal accounts, focusing on long‑term objectives (3–5 years).
• Monitor trends in public spending, regulatory changes and infrastructure investments to identify opportunities.

Business Development

• Identify and pursue new opportunities within municipal markets, including water, transportation and urban development sectors.
• Collaborate with technical teams to align proposals with client preferences during bidding and delivery phases.
• Maintain an active pipeline of projects and pursuits.

Advocacy and Representation

• Represent the organization at municipal meetings, conferences and industry events.
• Promote the organization’s brand and capabilities to municipal stakeholders.
• Facilitate multi‑party communications when needed to resolve issues and advance strategic initiatives.

Key Performance Indicators

• Opportunity pipeline
• Bookings targets

Additional Responsibilities

• Oversee the implementation and maintenance of the CRM system within your area of responsibility, identifying and communicating opportunities for system improvement.
• Act as subject matter expert in an area of technology, policy, regulation or operational management; maintain external accreditations and stay current on emerging regulation and industry best practices through professional development.
• Manage a portfolio of complex customer relationships and/or a small team of account managers to ensure quality service and profitable growth.
• Develop and implement a relationship management plan for strategic, complex potential accounts to build key relationships at local and national levels.
• Consult with a range of customer representatives at different levels to identify outcomes required, introduce relevant internal specialists and gather and analyze complex customer data, clarifying medium‑to‑long‑term customer needs.
• Develop a personal network of senior managers within the business sector and represent the organization at sector events, obtaining market intelligence and enhancing reputation.
• Develop internal marketing plans and collaborate with other departments to improve internal relationships and build strong external customer relationships.
• Develop and implement relationship management plans for complex existing customer accounts to build relationships with decision makers and enable effective two‑way flow of information and resolution of issues; manage ongoing relationships with identified customer segments to ensure their needs are met, providing themes, summary analyses and recommendations for changes based on customer input.

Education

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering, Environmental Science or a similar field.

Qualifications

• Professional Engineer license preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in client service or relationship management, preferably with municipal or public sector clients.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to lead cross‑functional teams and influence at senior levels.
• Proficiency in CRM tools (Salesforce in particular) and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strategic thinker with a client‑centric mindset.
• Strong understanding of municipal operations, governance and procurement.
• Ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and build consensus.
• Experience in client engagement and business development, with a track record of building relationships across government, industry and community stakeholders.
• Proven ability to develop and execute market strategies.

Equal Employment Opportunity

As a multicultural organization, we encourage individual achievement and recognize the strength of a diverse workforce. GHD is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, genetic information, national origin, sex (including same sex), sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, age, disability, citizenship status or service member status, or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.

Salary Range

$230,000–$280,000 based on experience and location.