Senior Water/Wastewater Project Manager

Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising; Ventura (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

HDR is seeking a Senior Water/Wastewater Project Manager to lead complex pipeline, reservoir, and infrastructure projects. You will guide engineering teams, develop master plans, and ensure designs meet owner expectations.

Ideal candidates bring 10+ years of water/wastewater experience, a PE license, and strong leadership, communication, and business development skills. This full-time role is based in California and offers growth within HDR’s Water Business Group.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher preferred for advanced technical leadership.
• PE license or eligibility required for project oversight.
• Minimum 10 years related experience with piping/water/wastewater projects.

Responsibilities

• Plan, direct, and monitor medium or large water/wastewater projects with high technical complexity.
• Lead engineers and CAD staff to create master plans, designs, specs, and estimates.
• Mentor junior engineers and project managers, and supervise large project staffs.
• Develop project schedules, team assignments, and QA/QC plans.
• Coordinate with owners to meet or exceed expectations and drive client relationships.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Business development

Team coordination

Multitask management

AutoCAD familiarity

Microsoft Office

Education

Master's degree

BS Engineering in Civil, Chemical, or Mechanical

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Tools

MS Office

Microsoft Project

AutoCAD

Job description

Senior Water/Wastewater Project Manager - ( 196363 )

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?

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.

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.

In the role of Senior Water/Wastewater Project Manager , we'll count on you to:

The primary duties of the Senior Water/Wastewater Project Manager include planning, directing, and monitoring all aspects of medium or large multi-disciplinary water/wastewater pipeline, reservoir, pump station and infrastructure projects with high degrees of technical complexity. More specifically the Senior Water/Wastewater Project Manager will be expected to independently lead and supervise teams of engineers and CAD professionals to create detailed master plans, designs, plans, specifications, and estimates for water/wastewater projects and related systems. These responsibilities include establishing project teams; establishing project schedules and responsibility assignments; developing project design criteria schematics and methods; performing or overseeing process design sizing and hydraulic calculations; preparing preliminary design and other engineering reports; determining and writing engineering specifications: overseeing the production of design drawings; developing and executing QA/QC plans for each project; and working directly with the owner to ensure that the project meets or exceeds the owners expectation. The Senior Water/Wastewater Project Manager will also be responsible for mentoring less experienced Project Managers and Junior Engineers, training other engineering personnel, and supervising large project staffs. The Senior Water/Wastewater Project Manager will be viewed as a technical authority with recognized expertise in the areas of water/wastewater infrastructure projects, regulations, processes, equipment and operations. The Senior Project Manager will also assist in the marketing and management of major water/wastewater projects and clients.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree

• PMP certification
• Existing relationships with large water clients in the Los Angeles area (Metropolitan Water District, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Orange County Water District) a plus.
• BS Engineering in Civil, Chemical, or Mechanical
• California PE license with five or more years more responsible in charge
• Project engineering and management experience in a consulting firm.
• Minimum of 15 years of experience in the planning and design of municipal and/or industrial water/wastewater treatment systems.
• Proven project leadership, project management (staffing schedule and budget), and mentoring skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Software knowledge: Microsoft Office, Excel, Microsoft Project, basic AutoCAD experience
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills.
• Broad knowledge of water/wastewater design processes and technologies.
• Strong business development and strategic planning skills.
• The Senior Project Manager should have existing relationships with local and statewide municipal and private clients.
• Excellent team player with ability to function effectively in a variety of roles on integrated project teams.

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.

Primary Location

United States-California-Ventura

Industry

Water

Schedule

Full-time

Employee Status

Regular

BusinessClass : Pump Stations and Pipelines

Job Posting

Oct 1, 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.