Municipal Project Manager/Senior Civil Engineer

Tetra Tech, Inc.; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits

Merit-based rewards

Work-life balance

Collaborative team

Professional development

Job summary

Tetra Tech, Inc. is seeking a Municipal Project Manager/Senior Civil Engineer in California to lead civil infrastructure projects while actively contributing to technical design.

This hybrid/remote role focuses on municipal water systems, treatment facilities, storage, and conveyance projects, with duties spanning client liaison, project leadership, and technical oversight. Ideal candidates will have a CA PE license and 10+ years of municipal infrastructure experience, strong communication

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering or closely related field.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in California with 10+ years of municipal infrastructure experience.
• Proven experience managing water, wastewater, and/or drainage projects for municipal/state/water district clients.
• Strong communication with clients and public audiences; capable of presenting project details.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary client liaison for municipal clients and maintain strong relationships.
• Lead and manage water, wastewater, drainage, and infrastructure projects; oversee design efforts.
• Guide design teams to ensure high-quality, timely deliverables and alignment across the project.
• Apply technical expertise to perform design calculations, prepare reports, and provide construction support.
• Scope projects, participate in BD activities, and represent the firm at industry events; oversee budgets and schedules.
• Mentor project engineers and junior staff to promote professional development.

Skills

Client liaison

Project leadership

Team mentorship

Technical design oversight

Multi-disciplinary coordination

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license, California

Job description

Municipal Project Manager/Senior Civil Engineer

Tetra Tech’s Water Team is seeking a municipal project manager/senior civil engineer to lead civil infrastructure projects while remaining closely engaged in technical design. This is a hybrid or remote opportunity in California. It is a client-facing position that supports a wide range of municipal work—including treatment facilities, storage, collection and conveyance systems, pump stations, drainage systems, and other water-related projects—helping strengthen a competitive municipal practice. This high-impact role is ideal for someone who excels at combining technical expertise, team leadership, and community-focused infrastructure solutions across California. This position augments a team that specializes in engineering public water systems to upgrade aging infrastructure, provide sustainable solutions, and develop innovative approaches to help preserve safe and reliable water delivery in California.

Your Impact

Join Tetra Tech to make a real difference. Our work leverages cutting-edge technologies, advanced analytics, and the expertise of world-class scientists and engineers to drive meaningful change worldwide. Discover your full potential – join us to advance your career while leaving a lasting legacy.

Essential Job Functions

The following duties are considered essential to the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Serve as the primary client liaison for municipal clients, maintaining strong relationships and ensuring satisfaction.
• Lead, perform, and manage projects that include water and wastewater treatment, distribution and transmission mains, wastewater collection, trunk and force main, pumping stations, wells, storage tanks, civil grading, drainage, as well as rehabilitation of existing infrastructure.
• Guide teams on design and reporting to ensure high-quality, timely deliverables.
• Ensure the team is aligned throughout the project delivery.
• Apply technical expertise by performing design calculations and analysis, preparing detailed engineering reports, preparing construction documentation, and providing construction support services.
• Scope projects, negotiate contracts, participate in business development activities, and represent Tetra Tech at industry events and oversee technical quality, budgets, and schedules.
• Perform QA/QC reviews and ensure compliance with engineering standards.
• Mentor project engineers and junior staff while promoting professional development.
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to deliver innovative municipal solutions.
• Drive excellence in project delivery by ensuring technical accuracy, adherence to standard engineering practices, and completeness of project documentation.
• Required Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related field.
• Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in California and 10+ years of progressive municipal infrastructure project experience.
• Proven experience managing water, wastewater, and/or drainage projects with municipal, state, and water district clients.
• Skilled communicator with experience presenting to clients and public audiences
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and balance technical and client-facing responsibilities.
• Ability to review, lead, and support major business development efforts, including writing and pricing scopes of work for competitive pursuits.
• Ability to actively participate in conferences and meetings to increase Tetra Tech’s visibility in the water market, pursuits, and clients.
• Excellent communication skills—capable of presenting to clients, public agencies, and stakeholders.
• Passion for mentorship, sustainability, and long-term infrastructure solutions.

Compensation: The offered range is $145,000-$170,000 and is dependent on the location, the individual's background, and experience.

Physical Requirements

Prolonged periods working at a computer and performing design-related tasks in an office environment. Occasional walking, standing, bending, or lifting up to 25 pounds may be required. Fieldwork may include exposure to outdoor environments and active construction sites.

Work Environment / Environmental Factors

Work will primarily take place in an office environment with periodic field and client site visits. Field conditions may involve variable weather, noise, and other environmental factors typical of treatment plant and construction settings.

The perks of working at Tetra Tech include

• Comprehensive and market-competitive benefits.
• Merit-based financial rewards.
• Flexibility and company-wide commitment to work/life balance.
• Collaborative team atmosphere that values the contributions of all employees.
• Learning and development opportunities for ongoing professional growth

About Tetra Tech

Tetra Tech is the leader in water, environment, and sustainable infrastructure, providing high-end consulting and engineering services for projects worldwide. With 25,000 employees working together, Tetra Tech provides clear solutions to complex problems by Leading with Science ® to address the entire water cycle, protect and restore the environment, design sustainable and resilient infrastructure, and support the clean energy transition.

Tetra Tech is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law. Tetra Tech is a VEVRAA federal contractor, and we request priority referral of veterans.