Transportation Hydraulics Section Manager

HDR, Inc.; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

HDR, Inc. in Pennsylvania seeks a Transportation Hydraulics Section Manager to lead and grow the hydraulics team on large infrastructure projects, coordinating staff and delivering high‑quality design and analyses.

The role includes client management, proposal development, and ensuring project profitability. The ideal candidate has a Civil Engineering degree, a PE license, and 10+ years of hydraulics/water resources experience, with strong leadership and communication skills for cross‑team

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• A minimum of 10 years experience.
• Professional registration, license or certification may be required based on role.
• Strong communication and listening skills.
• Ability to handle multiple assignments.
• Good leadership and organizational skills.
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee‑owned culture is a must.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with other Area Section Managers to balance staff workload, provide training opportunities, and pursue business development opportunities.
• Lead multi‑disciplined transportation design teams as Project Manager or Project Engineer for local and workshare projects.
• Perform technical design for DOT and local agency hydraulics and water resources projects.
• Drive business development efforts within Ohio, including marketing planning and client management.
• Establish client relationships and lead marketing of new and existing clients.
• Lead the development of proposals, project scopes, schedules, and budgets.
• Mentor less‑experienced staff and act as a technical expert in engineering analysis and design with a proven background of technical leadership.
• Independently coordinate work of engineers and balance the project delivery team throughout project development.
• Conduct analyses, develop design solutions, and prepare design drawings, calculations, and specifications for transportation projects, including checking calculations and designs done by others.
• Perform quality control reviews of design projects.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Project management

Hydraulics design

Leadership

Client relations

Communication

Education

Civil Engineering degree

PE license

Tools

AutoCAD Civil 3D

OpenRoads

HEC-RAS

ArcGIS Pro

Job description

Position Overview

We believe transportation is more than movement, it's the foundation of connected, thriving communities. As part of HDR's Transportation Business Group, you'll help shape the systems that move people and goods safely, efficiently, and sustainably. From designing resilient highways and iconic bridges to advancing transit, passenger and freight rail, aviation, federal transportation ports and marine infrastructure, your work will directly support economic vitality, public safety, sustainable and resilient communities and quality of life.

This isn't just a job, it's a chance to lead progress, drive meaningful impact, and leave a legacy of smarter, more connected transportation networks. We are all employee‑owners at HDR, which is the foundation of our collaborative culture that connects employees around the world.

HDR is seeking a Transportation Hydraulics Section Manager in Pennsylvania to lead and grow our hydraulics team. The Section Manager will be responsible for management of hydraulic staff, delivery of project submissions, staff development, project profitability, staff morale, and quality control. They will function as a Project Manager or Project Engineer on large and complex infrastructure projects. They will be involved in business development planning, client management, proposal preparation, and interviews. The Section Manager will ensure all work is planned, organized, controlled, and evaluated through a pro‑active project management system, and will implement, monitor, and support company policies. They will also select, train, and develop technical personnel and work cooperatively with Area Leadership, National Directors, and Marketing Leads.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with other Area Section Managers to balance staff workload, provide training opportunities, and pursue business development opportunities.
• Lead multi‑disciplined transportation design teams as Project Manager or Project Engineer for local and workshare projects.
• Perform technical design for DOT and local agency hydraulics and water resources projects.
• Drive business development efforts within Ohio, including marketing planning and client management.
• Establish client relationships and lead marketing of new and existing clients.
• Lead the development of proposals, project scopes, schedules, and budgets.
• Mentor less‑experienced staff and act as a technical expert in engineering analysis and design with a proven background of technical leadership.
• Independently coordinate work of engineers and balance the project delivery team throughout project development.
• Conduct analyses, develop design solutions, and prepare design drawings, calculations, and specifications for transportation projects, including checking calculations and designs done by others.
• Perform quality control reviews of design projects.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• A minimum of 10 years experience.
• Professional registration, license or certification may be required based on role.
• Strong communication and listening skills.
• Ability to handle multiple assignments.
• Good leadership and organizational skills.
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee‑owned culture is a must.

Preferred Qualifications

• BS degree in Civil Engineering, MS degree in Civil Engineering.
• PE in Pennsylvania or ability to obtain within six months of hire.
• Minimum of 10 years of hydraulics and water resources design experience.
• Proven hands‑on experience in all aspects of transportation design projects with a focus on PennDOT and PTC projects.
• Technical proficiency preparing hydrologic and hydraulic analyses and reports, scour investigations, erosion and sediment control plans and reports, drainage, and stormwater management design, waterway and NPDES permitting, quantity & cost estimates, and specifications.
• Experience with standard drainage analysis and design packages including but not limited to AutoCAD Civil 3D, MicroStation OpenRoads Designer, StormCAD, EPASWMM, XPSWMM.
• HEC‑RAS 1D/2D and/or SRH‑2D river modeling experience is preferred.
• ArcGIS Pro and HEC‑HMS experience is preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office software.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, communication skills and ability to work with various teams.
• Mentoring and teaching other staff.
• Ability to handle multiple assignments.
• Excellent marketing and business development skills.
• Experience managing staff, clients, and contracts.
• Preference given to local candidates.