Description Your role at GEI. GEI is seeking a mid-level Waterfront / Coastal Project Manager to help grow our southern New England market while supporting a broad portfolio of coastal, waterfront, and climate adaptation projects across the Northeast. This role is ideal for a motivated seller-doer who can manage projects, build client relationships, and contribute technical expertise to resilient waterfront solutions.
The successful candidate will work closely with GEI's coastal, structural, environmental, water resources, and civil engineering teams to deliver projects that protect shorelines, strengthen waterfront infrastructure, improve community access, and support long-term climate resilience. The position will be based in Newport, Rhode Island and will play an important role in expanding GEI's visibility and client base in the state.
Essential Responsibilities & Duties You will lead and contribute to a diverse range of responsibilities, including:
- Business development and market growth - help identify, pursue, and win work through client engagement, proposal development, networking, and collaboration with GEI's regional leadership and technical practice teams.
- Project management - manage coastal and waterfront projects with varying levels of complexity, including scopes, schedules, budgets, deliverables, quality, and coordination with clients, contractors, and permitting agencies.
- Coastal resilience and adaptation - support projects involving shoreline stabilization, flood protection, living shorelines, dune and beach restoration, sea level rise planning, climate adaptation, and resilient waterfront design.
- Waterfront and marine infrastructure - contribute to planning, design, assessment, and rehabilitation of ports, piers, marinas, ferry terminals, harbors, seawalls, revetments, bulkheads, waterfront parks, and public access improvements.
- Technical delivery and collaboration - work with interdisciplinary teams across structural, coastal, geotechnical, environmental, ecological, civil, and water resources disciplines to deliver integrated solutions.
This position combines hands-on project delivery with client-facing leadership and market-building responsibilities, with a particular emphasis on expanding GEI's coastal resilience and waterfront presence in southern New England.
Your Impact - Drive growth in GEI's Rhode Island and broader southern New England markets by strengthening relationships with municipal, state, commercial, institutional, and private waterfront clients.
- Manage and deliver coastal resilience, waterfront infrastructure, and climate adaptation projects from planning through design, permitting, and construction support.
- Support proposal strategy, scope development, fee development, interviews, and follow-up efforts for targeted pursuits.
- Provide technical leadership on mid-sized projects while collaborating with senior technical experts on complex assignments.
- Mentor junior staff and help build local delivery capacity in Rhode Island and southern New England.
Minimum Qualifications - B.S. or M.S. in civil, coastal, structural, marine, environmental, or related engineering discipline.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license required, preferably in RI and MA.
- Approximately 5-8 years of relevant experience in waterfront, coastal, marine infrastructure, civil, or climate resilience projects.
- Experience with coastal resilience, waterfront infrastructure, shoreline stabilization, flood protection, or climate adaptation projects.
- Familiarity with local, state, and federal permitting processes for waterfront and coastal projects.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across offices and technical disciplines.
- Demonstrated project management experience, including scope, schedule, budget, client communication, and coordination of multidisciplinary teams.
- Interest in and ability to support business development, including client relationship development, proposal preparation, and participation in industry or community-facing activities.
- Valid U.S. driver's license and willingness to travel for site visits, inspections, client meetings, and business development activities, including occasional overnight travel.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS WORK ENVIRONMENT
Functional Demands:
Sedentary
X
Light
Medium
Other
Activity Level Throughout Workday (check one per row)
Physical Activity Requirements Occasional (0-35% of day) Frequent (33-66% of day) Continuous (67-100% of day) Not Applicable Sitting
X
Standing
X
Walking
X
Climbing
X
Lifting (floor to waist level) (in pounds)
X
Lifting (waist level and above) (in pounds)
X
Carrying objects
X
Push/pull
X
Twisting
X
Bending
X
Reaching forward
X
Reaching overhead
X
Squat/kneel/crawl
X
Wrist position deviation
X
Pinching/fine motor skills
X
Keyboard use/repetitive motion
X
Taste or smell (taste=never)
X
Talk or hear
X
Accurate 20/40 Very Accurate 20/20 Not Applicable Near Vision
X
Far Vision
X
Yes No Not Applicable Color Discrimination
X
Sensory Requirements Minimal Moderate Accurate Not Applicable Depth perception
X
Hearing
X
Environment Requirements Occupational Exposure Risk Potential Reasonably Anticipated Not Anticipated Blood borne pathogens
X
Chemical
X
Airborne communicable diseases
X
Extreme temperatures
X
Radiation
X
Uneven surfaces or elevations
X
Extreme noise levels
X
Dust/particulate matter
X
Other (exposure risks): Usual workday hours :
8
X
10
12
Other work hours
