Utility Management Services Business Class Leader

HDR; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 163,000 - 264,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Employee ownership benefits

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

HDR is seeking an experienced leader to serve as the Business Class Leader (BCL) for Utility Management Services in Northern California. You will drive strategy, growth, and delivery for water, wastewater, and stormwater advisory and operations, leading a multidisciplinary team of professionals across disciplines.

The role emphasizes client leadership, technical excellence, and alignment with HDR's employee-owned culture, with responsibilities spanning strategy, marketing, and project execution

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a Professional, Architecture, Engineering or closely related field is required.
• Proven leadership of multidisciplinary technical teams and cross-functional collaboration.
• 10+ years of relevant industry experience preferred.
• Strong client relationship and business development capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of strategic and business leadership for the Northern California UMS within HDR.
• Manage client relationships, growth opportunities, and project delivery while ensuring quality and risk management.
• Oversee operations, staffing, utilization, and financial performance of the UMS practice.
• Promote HDR values and an employee-owned culture within the team.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in a Professional, Architecture, Engineering or closely related field

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?

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 Water Business 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.

HDR is seeking an experienced and collaborative leader to serve as BCL for Utility Management Services (UMS) within the Northern California Water Business Group. This role provides strategic, operational, and people leadership for a diverse, multidisciplinary technical team delivering advisory, planning, and operational services to water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities.

The BCL is accountable for growing people, strengthening client partnerships, advancing technical excellence, and executing business strategy, while aligning closely with HDR’s values and employee-owned culture. The role requires frequent engagement with utility leadership, managers, and staff across client organizations, as well as collaboration with local and national HDR leaders.

Strategic & Business Leadership

• Lead development and execution of the Northern California UMS Business Class strategy, aligned with Water Business Group and national UMS objectives.
• Partner with the Water Business Group Manager, Client Development, Market Sector, and Professional Services leaders to identify growth opportunities and set priorities.
• Drive intentional growth through service expansion, innovation, and alignment with evolving utility needs and regulatory environments.
• Contribute to and support national UMS initiatives, knowledge sharing, and best practice development.
• Support the development of and provide reviews of scopes of work, fee estimate, project risk identification and project schedules.
• Serve as the Client Manager for selected clients
• Project Delivery - Function as a project manager and/or lead or support delivery of work

People Leadership & Team Development

• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a diverse team of technical professionals across disciplines, experience levels, and backgrounds.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative culture that values different perspectives, continuous learning, and professional growth.
• Set clear expectations for performance, utilization, quality, and career development; provide coaching and constructive feedback.
• Build and lead high-performing, multidisciplinary teams that can adapt to changing client and project needs.
• Serve as a visible, approachable leader who models HDR values and strengthens employee engagement within an employee-owned organization.

Client & Market Leadership

• Act as a trusted advisor to water, wastewater, and stormwater utility clients, engaging with executive leadership, management, operations, engineering, finance, and regulatory staff.
• Build long-term relationships by understanding client organizational dynamics, business drivers, risks, and priorities.
• Lead and support client planning, strategy, and decision-making processes, helping utilities align technical solutions with organizational goals.
• Participate directly in marketing planning, proposal development, interviews, and client presentations.
• Represent HDR in professional organizations and industry forums to strengthen market presence and thought leadership.

Technical Excellence & Quality Leadership

• Provide technical leadership and oversight across a wide range of UMS services, including:
  • Utility and asset management
  • Business process and organizational assessments
  • Strategic and master planning
  • Operations optimization
  • Treatment process optimization
  • Regulatory support
  • Infrastructure condition assessment and rehabilitation
  • Capital planning including sequencing, prioritizing, and financing
  • Construction sequencing, outage support, and commissioning
  • Integration with streetscape and urban design
  • Technology evaluation, implementation, and data-driven decision support
• Promote and uphold HDR quality standards through effective quality assurance and quality control processes and knowledge sharing.
• Encourage innovation, technology adoption, and best management practices to improve client outcomes.

Operational & Financial Leadership

• Oversee Business Class operations, including staffing, utilization, forecasting, delivery performance, and financial discipline.
• Support coordination across offices and with national resources to enable work-sharing and efficient delivery.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and risk management practices.
• Balance business, technical, and people priorities to support sustainable growth.

Preferred Qualifications

• Directly relevant industry tenure in excess of 10 years.
• Actively engaged in professional or industry associations to enhance HDR technical expertise and brand
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and fostering collaboration across diverse skill sets and perspectives.
• Project management experience delivering utility management, operational, or advisory services for public-sector clients.
• Strong ability to engage utility organizations at multiple levels, from executive leadership to operations and technical staff.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts.
• Proven client relationship skills and interest in business and client development.
• Commitment to quality, continuous improvement, HDR values, and participation in an employee-owned culture.
• Direct experience working within or closely with water utilities on organizational development, asset management, or business process improvement.
• Preference for local candidates; exceptional non-local candidates will be considered, and relocation assistance may be available.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a Professional, Architecture, Engineering or closely related field
• 10 years of experience
• Committed to quality, improvement and HDR values
• Maintains a professional or engineering registration and has related technical experience
• Experienced in development and management of diverse teams
• Works cooperatively with other area business class leaders, operations managers, technical directors and marketing managers on business class efforts
• 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.

We provide a comprehensive benefits package that promotes employee ownership, employee health, performance, and success, which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, an employee assistance program, paid time away, parental leave, paid holidays, a retirement savings plan with employer match, employee referral bonus and tuition reimbursement. Stated benefits are for full-time regular positions. The expected compensation range for this position is $162,855.00 - $264,375.00 annually depending upon skills, experience, education and geographical location. Primary Location: United States-California-Folsom Other Locations: United States-California-Walnut Creek, United States-California-Sacramento Industry: Water Schedule: Full-time Employee Status: Regular BusinessClass: Utility Management Services Job Posting: Aug 21, 2026

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. We are an Affiliated Action and Equal Opportunity Employer (https://www.hdrinc.com/equal-employment-opportunity-employer). We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.