Project Manager - Resilience and Community Planning (Southern California)

BKF Engineers; Santa Barbara (CA); On-site; USD 147,000 - 179,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salaries

Profit sharing

401k

Generous paid time off

Flexible schedules

Education reimbursement

Job summary

BKF Engineers is searching for a Project Manager to lead resilience and community planning projects in Southern California. This role is critical for helping communities address environmental and infrastructure challenges.

You'll coordinate with teams, manage budgets and schedules, and actively engage with clients and stakeholders. Candidates should have a Bachelor's in a relevant field and extensive project management experience.

Benefits include competitive salaries, profit sharing, and generous paid time off.

Qualifications

• 5-12+ years of experience in planning, resilience, or public-sector consulting.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary and/or public-sector projects.
• Strong communication and graphics skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage planning and resilience projects from kickoff through delivery.
• Serve as a primary client contact and maintain strong relationships.
• Support funding and implementation strategies.

Skills

Project management

Public engagement

Community resilience strategies

Strong communication skills

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Planning, Geography, Emergency Management, Public Policy, or Engineering

Tools

GIS

Microsoft Office

Job description

BKF is a multi-service infrastructure consulting firm providing civil engineering, construction management, environmental, planning, and surveying services across California, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. With offices throughout California and the Portland area, BKF has served transportation, water resources, land development, government, and federal clients for over 110 years.

At BKF, you'll find a unique opportunity to grow your career with intention. Our culture values professional autonomy, innovation, and meaningful collaboration across offices. We are proud to be recognized with the Great Place to Work certification for the second year in a row.

We are seeking a Project Manager in the Southern California region with expertise in Resilience and Community Planning to lead projects that help communities prepare for, adapt to, and recover from environmental and infrastructure challenges. This role combines project management and technical planning, working across multidisciplinary teams to deliver resilience strategies, planning efforts, and funding approaches that support long-term community and infrastructure outcomes. The ideal candidate is a strong client partner who can manage projects, support business development, and deliver practical, community-focused solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage planning and resilience projects from kickoff through delivery
• Oversee scopes, budgets, schedules, staffing, and deliverables
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget, and at a high quality
• Coordinate with multidisciplinary teams and support junior staff development
• Serve as a primary client contact and maintain strong relationships
• Lead or support planning and resilience efforts, including:
  • Hazard mitigation and climate adaptation
  • Community resilience strategies and assessments
  • Long‑range and land use planning
• Lead community engagement efforts, including:
  • Workshops, public meetings, and stakeholder coordination
  • Development of graphics, mapping, and planning documents
• Support funding and implementation strategies by:
  • Aligning plans with funding opportunities
  • Supporting grant applications and funding strategies
  • Connecting planning efforts to capital projects
• Support business development through proposals, RFPs, and client outreach
• Represent the firm at industry events and with public agency partners

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Planning, Geography, Emergency Management, Public Policy, Engineering, or related field
• 5-12+ years of experience in planning, resilience, or public‑sector consulting
• Project management experience (scope, budget, schedule)
• Experience managing multidisciplinary and/or public‑sector projects
• Experience supporting proposals, RFPs, and client presentations
• Strong communication and graphics skills
• Experience with stakeholder and client engagement

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field
• Experience with hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, or infrastructure resilience
• Experience with FEMA or disaster recovery programs
• Familiarity with GIS and spatial analysis
• Experience with grant development and implementation
• Relevant certifications (AICP, PMP, CFM, FEMA or similar)

Physical Demands

Must be able to regularly talk, hear and operate a computer, keyboard and mouse and occasionally lift, pull/push and carry up to 20 pounds with accommodations.

Work Conditions

Exposure to constant or intermittent sounds at a low or moderate level consistent with an office setting. Exposure to high‑stress, fast‑paced, deadline‑oriented environment. Travel to other BKF locations and client sites may be required.

Benefits

• The typical base salary range for this position is $147,000.00 - $179,000.00, annualized depending upon skills, experience, education, and geographical location. This is a salary position paid biweekly.
• Competitive salaries, profit sharing, and 401k
• Generous paid time off packages
• 9 paid holidays
• Flexible schedules
• Education reimbursement, paid annual dues for professional and societal organizations

BKF provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.