Principal, Management Consulting

®; Fairfax (VA); On-site; USD 144,000 - 217,000; Full time

Job summary

Stantec's Management and Technology Consulting (MTC) is seeking a senior leader to drive municipal and utility finance engagements across water, wastewater, stormwater, and other public infrastructure. You will lead teams, manage client relationships, and expand services across the region.

The role demands deep experience, strong quantitative skills, and the ability to translate complex analyses into clear recommendations for executives and public officials. Travel within the region is expected.

Qualifications

• Experience leading municipal or utility finance engagements and client relationships.
• Strong financial modeling and policy-analysis capabilities.
• Proven ability to translate analyses into actionable recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Lead municipal finance assignments, including rate studies, financial plans, and cost-of-service analyses.
• Develop funding strategies and manage advisory services delivery on-time and within budget.
• Grow client relationships and lead business development in the South and other regions.
• Mentor and deploy junior professionals across multidisciplinary teams.
• Ensure technical accuracy and transparent analyses in reports and models.

Skills

Financial analysis

Financial modeling

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Education

B.A./B.S. in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Public Administration, Business, or Engineering

MBA or MPA preferred

Tools

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Teams

Adobe Acrobat Pro

Job description

Management and Technology Consulting (MTC) is Stantec’s industry-leading management consulting team. We are recognized for providing financial, economic, funding, asset management, organizational performance, and planning services to communities and utilities across North America. This position is centered on municipal and utility finance, with a particular focus on water, wastewater, stormwater, and other public infrastructure services. We partner with public-sector clients to address complex financial and policy challenges and develop practical, defensible solutions tailored to local needs. Our team brings analytical rigor, sound judgment, and deep industry experience to work that supports the long-term financial sustainability and affordability of essential public services. We are seeking a candidate in the South to lead strategic municipal finance engagements, strengthen client relationships, and expand Stantec’s financial consulting services across the region.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Engage with current and prospective municipal and utility clients to understand their financial, policy, and infrastructure challenges and apply Stantec’s municipal finance experience to develop practical solutions and support growth.

• Lead the delivery of municipal finance assignments, including utility rate studies, financial plans, cost-of-service analyses, affordability assessments, funding strategies, and related advisory services, ensuring high-quality work is completed on time and within budget.

• Work closely with regional leadership in the South regions to identify and develop municipal finance opportunities across water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste, and other public infrastructure services.

• Lead business development strategies and activities for municipal finance services in the South, while supporting pursuits and client development in other geographies.

• Recruit, mentor, train, develop, and deploy municipal finance and utility consulting professionals.

• Work with multidisciplinary project teams to integrate financial, rate, policy, regulatory, operational, and capital planning considerations into clear and implementable recommendations.

• Contribute to strategic planning for the MTC team, with an emphasis on growing municipal finance services and responding to industry drivers such as infrastructure investment needs, affordability pressures, regulatory requirements, inflation, and access to funding.

• Maintain and grow client relationships, and lead or engage in responses to client requests, RFQs, and RFPs.

• Maintain current knowledge of municipal and utility finance, rate-setting practices, affordability, funding and financing programs, asset management, regulatory requirements, and public-sector financial trends.

• Serve as an independent reviewer of financial models, rate and fee analyses, forecasts, and reports prepared by peers or junior staff to confirm technical accuracy, methodological soundness, and the reasonableness of assumptions and recommendations.

• Meet assigned performance goals and objectives, including client-specific demands, delivery milestones, quality standards, the project management framework, mentoring of junior staff, and all required training.

• Demonstrated technical proficiency in municipal and utility finance, including financial planning and forecasting, utility rate and fee studies, cost-of-service analysis, revenue requirements, capital funding and financing, affordability, and public-sector policy analysis.

• A network of active municipal, utility, and public-sector client contacts and relationships, along with demonstrated business development experience.

• Ability to lead and deliver complex municipal finance assignments that require broad knowledge, sound judgment, and a high degree of initiative and independence.

• Strong quantitative, financial modeling, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex analyses into clear recommendations for staff, governing bodies, and the public.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel for financial modeling and analysis, along with proficiency in Word, PowerPoint, Teams, Adobe Acrobat Pro, and other standard business systems.

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.

• Comfortable presenting financial analyses and policy options in interactive settings, including workshops and meetings with utility staff, executive leadership, boards, councils, commissions, and community stakeholders.

• A self-starter who works efficiently and proactively, both independently and with a geographically dispersed team, across multiple projects at once.

• A strong sense of team—always willing to step in and take on additional responsibility for the good of the whole team.

• Ability to recommend financial policies, rate and fee structures, funding approaches, and implementation procedures. Provides input to the annual performance process and career development goals of team members.

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to transparent, well-documented, and defensible analyses, recognizing that municipal finance deliverables may be subject to public review and scrutiny.

• Experience and ability to work across disciplines.

• 15+ years of progressive consulting or utility experience, including leadership, project management, staff development, and client relationship responsibilities.

Substantial experience with municipal services and public utilities, including financial planning, rate-setting, capital planning, affordability, funding, and asset management.

• Knowledge of public-sector budgeting, accounting, debt financing, grants, and state or federal infrastructure funding programs is beneficial.

• Project management experience is required; PMP certification or other relevant professional credentials are beneficial.

Traits and Attributes of Top Performers

• Advisory business development: Successful candidates proactively build relationships with municipal and utility clients, understand their financial and policy priorities, and develop responsive scopes and strategies that create long-term client value.

• Collaboration and co-creation: Successful candidates work effectively with people of diverse cultures, disciplines, and abilities in a cooperative and generative way to achieve a common goal.

Municipal finance mindset: Top performers understand the client’s financial, operational, regulatory, and governance environment; assess revenue requirements and funding constraints; evaluate options; and develop recommendations that are practical, transparent, and defensible.

• Strategic and systematic thinking: Top performers evaluate how rates, fees, operating costs, capital needs, debt, reserves, affordability, and policy objectives interact, and build frameworks that support sound long-term financial decisions.

Consulting and advising: Top performers communicate complex financial analyses clearly, exercise sound professional judgment, and help clients navigate trade-offs among financial sustainability, affordability, service levels, and implementation considerations.

• Adaptability: Top performers tailor established municipal finance methods to each client’s legal, policy, operational, and community context while maintaining analytical rigor and consistency.

Entrepreneurial mindset: Strong candidates identify emerging municipal finance needs, develop practical service offerings, and pursue opportunities that create value for clients and support sustainable growth.

• Genuine commitment to our clients: Top performers are motivated to help public-sector clients make fair, transparent, and financially sustainable decisions. They recognize that rigorous, error-free, and unbiased advisory services are essential because rates, fees, and funding decisions directly affect communities and essential public services.

Education and Experience

• B.A. or B.S. in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Public Administration, Business, or an Engineering discipline. MBA, MPA, or a related graduate degree is preferred.

• 20+ years of progressive experience in municipal or utility finance within the water infrastructure industry or another public utility sector, gained with a utility, local government, financial advisory practice, and/or consulting firm. Experience leading utility rate studies, financial plans, and related client engagements is strongly preferred.

Office Location & Working Conditions

Typical office environment working with computers. Field work may include exposure to the elements, including inclement weather.

Willing to travel as needed, mostly within the region. Travel may be 10% to 20%. A valid driver’s license and a satisfactory driving record are required.

This description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that may be required of the employee, and other duties, responsibilities, and activities may be assigned or changed at any time with or without notice.

Stantec is a place where the best and brightest come to build on each other’s talents, do exciting work, and make an impact on the world around us. Join us and redefine your personal best.

Pay Range:

Locations in WA, DC & Various CA, MA, VA Areas-$144,400.00 - $216,600.00 Annually

Pay Transparency: In compliance with pay transparency laws, pay ranges are provided for positions in locations where required. Please note, the final agreed upon compensation is based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. At Stantec certain roles are bonus eligible. Actual compensation for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on the agreed number of working hours per week.

Benefits Summary: Regular full-time and part-time employees (working at least 20 hours per week) have access to medical, dental, and vision plans, a wellness program, health saving accounts, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase program, life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, short-term/long-term disability plans, emergency travel benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional membership fee coverage and paid family leave. Regular full-time and part-time employees will receive ten paid holidays in each calendar year. In addition, employees will be eligible to accrue vacation between 10 and 20 days per year and eligible for paid sick leave (and if more generous, in accordance with state and local law).

Temporary/casual employees have access to 401(k) plans, employee stock purchase program, and paid leave, in accordance with state and local law.

The benefits information listed above may not apply to union positions because benefits for such positions are governed by applicable collective bargaining agreements

Primary Location: United States | FL | Tampa
Other Locations: United States | VA | Fairfax
Organization: 2248 Water-US M&T Consulting-Seattle WA
Employee Status: Regular
Management Level: Senior manager
Business Justification: Replacement
Travel: Yes
Schedule: Full time

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment. At Stantec we are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process then please inform a member of our Talent Acquisition team.