Job DescriptionCDM Smith has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Project Manager to join our West Pacific group and lead municipal drinking water, wastewater treatment, and pump station projects in Northern California. The successful candidate will serve as the primary point of contact for clients, provide confident leadership to multidisciplinary teams, and bring the technical credibility needed to guide sound decisions from planning and design through construction administration and program management.
This position may be based in Concord or Sacramento, California. As a member of this team, you will contribute to CDM Smith's mission by:
• Project Leadership: Provide visible, accountable leadership from project initiation through closeout. Establish clear priorities, decision paths, roles, and performance expectations; create an environment in which team members raise risks early, collaborate across disciplines, and remain focused on client outcomes. Make timely decisions, resolve conflicts constructively, coach project staff, and escalate issues when needed to protect safety, quality, schedule, budget, and client commitments.
• Client Communication and Relationship Management: Serve as the principal day-to-day client contact and trusted advisor. Communicate clearly and proactively with client executives, technical staff, regulators, partners, and internal stakeholders. Lead effective meetings and presentations; translate complex technical, schedule, cost, and risk information into concise, decision-ready recommendations; confirm commitments and follow through. Manage expectations, address concerns early, and build relationships that support client satisfaction, repeat work, and long-term partnerships.
• Technical Credibility and Quality: Apply sound engineering judgment and sufficient technical depth in municipal water and wastewater planning, design, and construction to challenge assumptions, integrate multidisciplinary input, and guide defensible project decisions. Understand the basis of design, key technical risks, permitting and constructability considerations, and quality requirements. Lead technical reviews, engage appropriate subject-matter experts, and ensure deliverables are accurate, coordinated, practical, and responsive to client needs. Provide guidance to engineers, designers, construction personnel, contractors, and subcontractors.
• Project Development and Planning: Define project objectives, scope, approach, deliverables, schedules, budgets, governance, and success measures using lessons learned. Prepare clear statements of work and work breakdown structures, obtain stakeholder concurrence, identify project risks and opportunities, and establish practical mitigation and contingency plans. Ensure adherence to company project management policies, procedures, and practices.
• Financial and Commercial Management: Manage project costs, revenue, profitability, cash flow, and forecasting. Monitor performance against the approved plan, identify and quantify cost and schedule variance, and communicate corrective actions promptly. Prepare and review timely client billings, support collection of outstanding invoices, and review subcontractor and vendor invoices. Recognize out-of-scope work early and secure appropriate authorization before proceeding.
• Scope, Schedule, Risk, and Change Management: Continuously evaluate project status, critical path, dependencies, risks, and commitments. Use project performance information to anticipate issues, implement recovery actions, and escalate material concerns. Apply disciplined change management protocols, document decisions, align internal and external stakeholders, and maintain clear accountability for scope, schedule, budget, and deliverables. Ensure safety plans and audit corrective actions are addressed.
• Resource Management and Team Development: Develop and maintain a realistic resource plan, secure the right internal and external expertise, and coordinate subcontractor and vendor support in accordance with procurement requirements. Clearly communicate assignments, deadlines, quality expectations, and decision authority. Provide timely direction, coaching, recognition, and constructive feedback, and partner with supervisors to support staff development and address performance concerns.
• Business Development and Sales Collaboration: Partner with sales and technical leaders to identify and shape opportunities, assess delivery risks, and develop credible scopes, staffing plans, schedules, and fees. Support interviews, proposals, and client presentations with a clear understanding of client drivers and project outcomes. Create opportunities for additional services and repeat business through strong execution, technical credibility, and trusted client relationships.
• Professional and Industry Engagement: Represent CDM Smith through participation in relevant professional societies and industry activities, strengthening technical networks, market awareness, and client relationships.
Qualifications - Bachelor's Degree.
- 7 years of related experience.
- PMP (PMI), CCM or DBIA certification is required (within 12 months of hire or promotion onto the Approved Project Manager list).
- Domestic and/or international travel may be required. The frequency of travel is contingent on specific duties, responsibilities, and the essential functions of the position, which may vary depending on workload and project demands.
- Equivalent additional directly related experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.
Preferred Qualifications- Current Professional Engineer (PE) license in California, strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary project teams and managing scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality, and client expectations.
- Bachelor's degree in Civil, Environmental, or Chemical Engineering.
- 15 years of related experience in engineering consulting.
- Experience managing Northern California municipal water or wastewater projects valued at more than $1 million.
- Established relationships and successful project experience with municipal clients in Northern California.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams through planning, design, and construction-phase services.
- Strong technical knowledge of municipal water and/or wastewater systems, with the judgment to lead technical decisions and quality reviews.
- Executive-level communication, facilitation, negotiation, networking, and team-building skills.
- A record of developing staff, building accountable teams, and earning client trust through reliable project delivery.
Amount of Travel Required10% or less
Additional Pay Range InformationCDM Smith is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. This pay range is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels for the geographic location assigned to the position. In addition to geographic location, a candidate's salary is determined by several other factors including, but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, relevant work experience, skills, required certifications, and education/training.
Additional CompensationAll bonuses at CDM Smith are discretionary and may or may not apply to this position.
Visa Sponsorship AvailableNo-We will not support sponsorship in the United States, i.e. H-1B or TN Visas for this position
Agency DisclaimerAll vendors must have a signed CDM Smith Placement Agreement from the CDM Smith Talent Acquisition Manager to receive payment for your placement. Verbal or written commitments from any other member of the CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries staff will not be considered binding terms. All unsolicited resumes sent to CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries and any resume submitted to any employee outside of CDM Smith Talent Acquisition Team will be considered property of CDM Smith. CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries will not be held liable to pay a placement fee.
Pay Range MaxUSD $210,434.00
Pay Range MinUSD $120,266.00
