Water Supply Planning Lead (Senior Advisor)

Halff; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, prescription and life

401(k) plans

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

Health Savings Accounts (HSA)

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Halff seeks a Water Supply Planning Lead (Senior Advisor) in Austin, TX to guide long-range water resource strategies and reliability assessments. You will influence decisions across offices, translate complex analyses into actionable recommendations for utilities, agencies, and stakeholders, and shape Halff's water supply planning capabilities.

The ideal candidate has 15+ years of experience in water resources planning, external recognition as a thought leader, and a record of leading

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in civil/environmental/water resources engineering or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Professional Engineer license or equivalent credential preferred.
• 15+ years of experience in water supply or related planning areas.
• External recognition as a water supply planning thought leader.
• Expertise in demand forecasting, source reliability, conservation, drought planning.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary planning initiatives with broad impact.
• Strong client relationships and experience winning strategic work.
• Experience mentoring staff and communicating complex information clearly.
• Established industry presence through presentations, publications, or advisory roles.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic technical leadership for long-range water supply planning and reliability.
• Lead complex planning solving regulatory, financial, environmental, and stakeholder issues.
• Guide evaluations of surface water, groundwater, reuse, and alternative supplies.
• Lead regional and statewide planning studies across offices and practices.
• Shape strategy, market growth, and service improvements for Halff.
• Build and manage client relationships with utilities and agencies; lead pursuits.
• Provide senior review of models, reports, and regulatory documentation.
• Mentor staff and strengthen the water supply planning talent pipeline.
• Represent Halff in industry groups and conferences.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Complex planning

Water supply evaluations

Multidisciplinary leadership

Strategy & market growth

Client relations

Technical QA/QC

Mentoring

Industry leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in civil/environmental/water resources

Professional Engineer license or equivalent

Tools

Job description

Water Supply Planning Lead (Senior Advisor) Austin, TX

The Water Supply Planning Lead (Senior Advisor) is a recognized water supply planning expert and trusted advisor who provides companywide leadership on complex water resources challenges. This role guides long-range water supply planning, demand forecasting, source reliability and yield analysis, conservation, drought preparedness, alternative water supplies, and resilient infrastructure strategies. Working across offices and disciplines, the Senior Advisor helps clients make informed decisions that support reliable service, regulatory compliance, sustainable growth, and long-term water security.

The ideal candidate is an externally recognized thought leader with deep experience evaluating surface water, groundwater, reuse, conservation, and other supply options; leading regional and statewide water planning initiatives; and solving the most complex technical, regulatory, financial, and stakeholder challenges. The role translates advanced analyses into clear, actionable recommendations for utility leaders, public agencies, elected officials, and multidisciplinary teams.

Consistent with Halff’s Senior Advisor career level, this position focuses primarily on strategic planning, market and client development, major pursuits, technical mentoring, industry leadership, and advancement of the firm’s water supply planning capabilities, while serving as a technical or project advisor on select high-impact assignments.

What You Will Do

• Strategic Technical Leadership: Serve as Halff’s senior subject matter expert and trusted client advisor for long-range water supply planning, water availability, demand forecasting, system yield and reliability, conservation, drought preparedness, and source diversification.
• Complex Planning and Problem Solving: Proactively identify, define, and solve complex water supply challenges that integrate technical, regulatory, financial, environmental, infrastructure, and stakeholder considerations.
• Water Supply Evaluations: Guide assessments of surface water, groundwater, reuse, conservation, interconnections, transfers, storage, and other alternative supplies, including feasibility, permitting, reliability, risk, cost, and implementation considerations.
• Multidisciplinary Initiative Leadership: Lead major regional and statewide water planning studies and initiatives across offices and practices, aligning teams around scope, technical approach, quality, schedule, budget, risk, and client objectives.
• Strategy and Market Growth: Influence water supply planning strategy, identify emerging business and regulatory challenges, develop market-positioning plans, and help shape service improvements that strengthen Halff’s competitive advantage.
• Client and Business Development: Build long-term relationships with utilities, districts, river authorities, groundwater districts, public agencies, and industry partners; lead strategic pursuits, capture planning, teaming, technical approaches, and client presentations.
• Technical Quality and Risk: Provide senior-level review and advisory oversight for models, planning assumptions, technical memoranda, reports, regulatory documentation, and implementation plans; promote consistent QA/QC and defensible decision-making.
• Staff Development: Mentor and coach technical professionals, project managers, and emerging leaders; identify training needs; share best practices; and strengthen the firmwide water supply planning talent pipeline.
• Industry Leadership: Represent Halff through professional organizations, conferences, publications, presentations, and advisory roles that expand the firm’s reputation as a leader in water supply planning.

What You Will Need

• Bachelor’s degree in civil, environmental, or water resources engineering, planning, or a closely related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Professional Engineer license or other relevant professional credential preferred, based on discipline and responsibilities.
• More than 15 years of relevant experience in water supply planning, water resources planning, utility planning, or a related field.
• External recognition as a water supply planning thought leader and trusted advisor to utilities, agencies, and industry partners.
• Demonstrated expertise in demand forecasting, source reliability and yield analysis, conservation, drought planning, alternative water supplies, infrastructure phasing, and regulatory coordination.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary planning initiatives and solve complex problems with broad client and business impact.
• Strong record of developing client relationships, positioning for strategic work, leading pursuits, and contributing to market and practice strategy.
• Demonstrated success mentoring technical staff and communicating complex information clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Established industry presence through presentations, publications, professional organizations, or key advisory roles.

The Halff Water Supply Planning Advantage

• Integrated expertise in water supply, utility planning, treatment, conveyance, environmental services, funding, and infrastructure implementation.
• Data-informed planning that connects demand, available supplies, system reliability, risk, cost, and phased capital investment.
• Collaborative strategies that help utilities, agencies, and communities navigate regulatory requirements and competing stakeholder priorities.
• Firmwide technical resources and multidisciplinary teams that support planning through implementation.

Learn more about Halff's water solutions, projects, and team

Halff's Water Supply Planning Services

• Long-Range Water Supply and Regional Planning
• Water Demand Forecasting and Conservation Planning
• Water Availability, Source Reliability, and System Yield Analysis
• Surface Water, Groundwater, Reuse, and Alternative Supply Evaluations
• Drought Preparedness, Risk Assessment, and Resilience Planning
• Infrastructure Phasing, Capital Planning, and Implementation Strategy
• Regulatory, Agency, and Stakeholder Coordination

Company Overview

Halff is a full-service infrastructure consulting firm planned, designed, engineered, constructed -- and purposed -- for people. Since 1950, we've creating smart solutions that improve lives and communities by turning ideas into reality.

Halff was founded on a core tenet: Focus on people, treat them well, and success will follow. It's no wonder, then, that our employees and the culture they create result in our firm consistently being named a Top Workplace in America.

Our industry-leading professionals collaborate to meet tough challenges in creative ways. You can view Halff's full complement of services here.

Halff has more than 30 offices in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida, Arkansas, Arizona, and Georgia. For a full list of our location, click here.

We Offer Excellent Benefits, Including But Not Limited To

• Medical, dental, prescription and life insurance
• Long-term and short-term disability insurance
• Paid time off (PTO) and 8 company paid holidays (and Veteran's Day for our veterans)
• Traditional and Roth 401(k) plans
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
• 529 College Savings Plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
• Click here for a more comprehensive list of Halff's benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.

Halff is a drug-free workplace. This offer of employment is contingent upon the receipt of a clear drug screen and background check prior to your first day of employment. This position may be subject to random drug testing pursuant to federal regulations.

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