Senior Water Infrastructure Project Leader

HDR, Inc.; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Part time

Job summary

HDR is seeking a Senior Project Manager in Northern California to lead complex water infrastructure projects from concept to completion. You will guide multidisciplinary teams, manage risk, and ensure design excellence across dam, levee, and flood-control initiatives.

The role emphasizes mentorship, client relations with irrigation districts and agencies, and integration of design with construction and regulatory coordination.

Qualifications

• Design lead experience in civil engineering projects including site layouts, horizontal and vertical control, grading and drainage, paving, site utilities, and associated civil engineering activities.
• Proven experience design of complex multidisciplinary projects and coordination with internal and external team members.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to build cohesive teams across geographies.
• Excellent communication, organization, and client management abilities.
• Experience providing engineering support during construction or field-based construction work.
• A collaborative mindset and passion for mentoring others.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary teams through the full lifecycle of major water infrastructure projects—from concept to completion—ensuring excellence at every phase.
• Manage large, complex projects (or multiple concurrent efforts), balancing scope, schedule, budget, and quality. Design, lead, or support production for civil engineering design on a wide variety of projects.
• Strengthen client partnerships by building trusted relationships with irrigation districts, flood control agencies, and state/federal partners.
• Drive team success by mentoring engineers and project managers while fostering an inclusive culture.
• Own project performance by tracking financials and coordinating with accounting and leadership to keep projects on track.
• Champion QA/QC and provide technical leadership on design, construction support, and agency coordination.

Skills

Design leadership

Multidisciplinary design

Leadership

Communication

Construction support

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

MS Office

MS Project

AutoDesk Civil 3D

Job description

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

We believe water is more than a resource, it's a shared responsibility. As part of our WaterBusiness Group, you’ll help shape how communities manage water for generations to come. From delivering safe drinking water and treating wastewater responsibly to developing sustainable water supplies and protecting lives and property through flood control, your work will directly support public health, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure resilience. We bring together experts across disciplines to solve complex challenges with bold thinking and technical excellence. Whether you're modernizing aging systems or pioneering innovative approaches, your contributions will make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. This isn’t just a job, it's a chance to lead change, drive progress, and leave a lasting legacy.

Watch Our Story: ' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story'

Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.

As a Senior Project Manager, you’ll play a pivotal role leading complex water projects that matter—from dams and levees to flood control systems and beyond. We’re looking for a leader who thrives on collaboration, embraces technical challenges, and is passionate about mentoring teams and delivering impactful solutions.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead with purpose: Guide multidisciplinary teams through the full lifecycle of major water infrastructure projects—from concept to completion—ensuring excellence at every phase.
• Deliver impactful work: Manage large, complex projects (or multiple concurrent efforts), balancing scope, schedule, budget, and quality. Design, lead, or support production for civil engineering design on a wide variety of projects, including site layouts, horizontal and vertical control, grading and drainage, paving, site utilities, and associated civil engineering activities.
• Strengthen client partnerships: Build and maintain trusted relationships with clients such as irrigation districts, flood control agencies, the California Department of Water Resources, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
• Drive team success: Foster a collaborative, inclusive culture while mentoring and developing engineers and project managers.
• Own project performance: Track financials, proactively adjust plans, and partner with accounting and leadership teams to keep projects on track.
• Champion quality: Implement and uphold QA/QC best practices to ensure technical excellence.
• Provide technical leadership: Offer strategic guidance on design, construction support, and agency coordination—especially for complex challenges requiring innovation beyond standard codes.
• Facilitate collaboration: Lead work sessions, bringing together internal teams and stakeholders to move projects forward efficiently.
• Support growth: Contribute to marketing and business development efforts while helping expand HDR’s presence in the NorCal water market.

What You Bring:

Design lead experience in general civil engineering projects, including site layouts, horizontal and vertical control, grading and drainage, paving, site utilities, and associated civil engineering activities

Proven experience design of complex multidisciplinary projects and coordination with internal and external team members

Strong leadership skills with the ability to build cohesive teams across geographies

Excellent communication, organization, and client management abilities

Experience providing engineering support during construction or field-based construction work

A collaborative mindset and passion for mentoring others

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in mentoring and training Civil EITs and civil designers

Experience with AutoDesk Civil 3D

#LI-MO1

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering
• 10 years related experience
• A minimum 5 years project management experience

Requires professional engineering license recognized by the licensing board for the location of the position offered. Example: Professional Engineer (PE or P.Eng) license.

• MS Office and MS Project experience (Access experience would be plus)
• Demonstrated leadership, business development and strategic planning skills
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

What We Believe
HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment
As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

What We Believe
HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment
As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

Primary Location

Primary Location

: United States-California-Folsom

Other Locations

Industry

: Water

Schedule

Schedule

: Part-time

Employee Status

Employee Status

: Regular

BusinessClass : Dams Levees Civil Works

Job Posting

Job Posting

: Sep 8, 2026

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity.

We are an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employe r.

We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.

Ready to learn more? Let's work together to make great thingspossible.

We design solutions to the world's greatest challenges. We'realways looking for great talent to join our global teams.