Water Resources Practice Lead

Position Summary

The Water Resources Practice Lead will lead and grow the firm's water resources practice, overseeing the planning, design, and execution of complex projects related to stormwater management, drainage systems, flood control, dam safety, watershed planning, and environmental compliance. This strategic role blends project management, technical leadership, business development, staff management, and client engagement to drive excellence and innovation in water resources engineering.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The following inexhaustive list of duties represents a sample of work routinely performed by this role:

Technical Leadership

• Provide expert-level guidance on surface water hydrology, stormwater runoff, urban/rural drainage, flood mitigation, dam design and safety, watershed modeling, and regulatory compliance.
• Serve as a technical authority on water resources projects, including review and approval of key deliverables.
• Stay ahead of evolving regulations and industry standards to ensure innovative, compliant, and sustainable solutions.

Project & Practice Management

• Oversee project lifecycles from proposal to closeout, including scope, schedule, budget, quality assurance, and risk management.
• Develop and implement practice growth strategies in alignment with firm objectives.
• Coordinate with other practice leaders and service areas to foster interdisciplinary collaboration.

Team Leadership & Development

• Manage, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of engineers, designers, and technical specialists.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, professional development, and client-centered service.

Business Development & Client Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with federal, state, municipal, and private-sector clients.
• Lead pursuit strategies, proposals, and presentations for key water resources opportunities.
• Represent the firm in industry associations, public forums, and technical committees.

Qualifications and Experience

Education + Degree

• Required: Bachelor's degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering, or related field.
• Preferred: Master's degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering, or related field.

Experience, Certification, or Licensure

• Required: Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Preferred: NCEES Record.
• Minimum 12+ years of progressively responsible experience in water resources engineering, including a minimum of 3 years in a supervisory role.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams and managing large-scale water infrastructure projects, including client management responsibilities.
• Experience working on H&H projects for federal agencies (e.g. BIA, NPS, USFWS, USACE, etc.) is highly preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Business development experience with proven ability to win work and manage client relationships.
• Must have Real ID or Passport in order to undergo commercial airfare travel.
• Must have valid driver's license.

Technical + professional Skills

• Proficiency with hydrologic and hydraulic modeling software (e.g., HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SWMM, XPStorm, MIKE FLOOD).
• Experience with GIS, AutoCAD Civil 3D, and drainage analysis tools.
• In-depth knowledge of regulatory frameworks (e.g., FEMA, USACE, EPA, state and local stormwater and dam safety regulations). Master's degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering, or related field.

Work Environment

For those who are local to the Bodwé office in St. Charles, IL, this is a hybrid position with periodic travel (≤ 10%) to project sites, client locations, or industry events. In certain instances, those who are not local, will be considered for a fully remote position; also, with periodic travel to project sites, client locations, industry events, and routine (at least quarterly, but could vary) visits to the Bodwé office in St. Charles, IL to meet with team members and other Bodwé staff.

This position primarily operates in a professional office setting with standard office equipment and a quiet, climate-controlled environment. While in the office, there is no regular exposure to loud noise, hazardous materials, or heavy machinery.

This role also requires periodic travel to project sites, including locations undergoing renovation or active construction. During site visits, the employee may be exposed to non-temperature-controlled environments, construction noise, dust, and other typical conditions found on job sites. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required during these visits, depending on site conditions. While on site visits, an individual in this role will be required to work atypical hours at the request of the client or role demands.

Physical Demands

Sitting/Standing: This is a sedentary role most of the time. However, during field work this role requires the ability to be on your feet moving around a field location for most of the day.

Walking: This role requires the ability to move about outside in various geographic and building terrains to do field work.

Stooping/Kneeling/Crouching/Crawling: This role may require stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and ladder climbing as part of field work / verification activities.

Using Hands/Fingers: This role constantly operates technological office equipment such as laptop, mouse, keyboard, computer monitors, telephones, and scanners, copiers, and fax machines.

Talking/Hearing: This role requires constant communication with others in the organization to exchange information, review information, and make decisions about information.

Seeing: This role requires the ability to see, view, and distinguish all aspects of construction to ensure quality control.

Carrying/Lifting: This role requires lifting up to 30 lbs to transport technological office equipment, safety equipment, and other needed construction items to and from various workspaces.

Branch:

Infrastructure Services Branch

Entity:

WBK Engineering, LLC

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Hours Per Week:

40-40+

Work Arrangement:

Hybrid or Remote

Reports To:

Vice President of Operations, Infrastructure

Manages Others:

Yes

Overnight Travel:

Up to 10%

Tags:

#LI-Hybrid

#LI-Remote