WRA is seeking an Engineering Director to lead the Engineering Group within our interdisciplinary Riverscapes and Shorelines Team. The desired candidate will collaborate and engage both internally and externally to lead, support, and deliver a diverse range of design projects focused primarily on ecological restoration, with the capability to support a variety of environmental projects across our firm.
You will join our team of restoration design professionals and scientists, including engineers, landscape architects, fluvial geomorphologists, hydrologists, and ecologists. Our projects span a variety of ecosystems across California including San Francisco Bay tidal marshes and living shorelines, Sierra Nevada meadow restoration, Northern California Coast floodplain and salmonid restoration, California Central Coast estuary restoration, and Bay Area and Southern California urban stream rehabilitation. Additionally, our team is actively growing and pursuing restoration work in Oregon. We are passionate about restoring riverine and coastal systems that support healthy and resilient natural and human communities and are invested in the entire restoration process from initial site selection, design and construction to performance monitoring and adaptive management. We also collaborate with our community resilience team to address challenges such as sea-level rise, wildfire resiliency planning, and post-fire recovery.
WRA has a diverse portfolio of projects and clients, including decades-long private entities, public agencies, and non-profit organizations. In addition to our technical expertise, we help clients meet their goals and visions by providing grant fund cultivation, preparing financial models, partnering with investors, and engaging stakeholders.
We envision you working in-person at one of our San Francisco Bay Area offices or in a hybrid arrangement or remote location in this region of California. Other locations may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Regardless of your work arrangement, in-person, remote, or hybrid, you will be excited to collaborate with staff in many technical disciplines across the company.
At WRA, you will have 4 major areas of impact:
1. Technical Skills:
Provide technical expertise and strategic input to the development and implementation of complex restoration projects
Oversee the production of conceptual plans, construction plan sets, technical specifications, and cost estimates for use in all design phases
Provide construction support and observation services
2. Leadership:
Utilize experience to provide technical oversight of restoration conceptual plans, construction drawings, specifications, cost estimates, and relevant hydrologic and hydraulics analyses
Supervise, manage, direct and provide oversight of tasks and responsibilities for engineering staff and/or other technical support staff. Mentor and train engineering staff as needed
Oversee project managers and design staff to ensure work quality and that projects meet budgets and deadlines
Foster collaboration within an interdisciplinary team
Assist with strategic planning for the Riverscapes and Shorelines Team
3. Management:
Develop project work plans and scopes of work
Provide project oversight and schedule monitoring
Manage project budgets and invoicing
Collaborate with our VP of Finance, CEO, and Director of Project Delivery to ensure staff resources are deployed in a productive and profitable manner and assess performance metrics across a diverse project portfolio
4. Business Development:
Develop regional recognition through networking and events, such as attending and presenting at conferences
Advise clients on project issues to build business
Collaborate with other senior staff to lead proposal efforts with existing and new clients
Participate in various business development events and presenting at conferences
Partner across WRA teams and market segments to assist on multi-disciplinary project pursuits
To be successful in this role, you will need:
To be currently licensed as a Professional Civil Engineer in the state of California
Minimum of 15 years of applicable professional experience
A Bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering, or related field with an emphasis on water resources from an accredited university. A graduate degree in engineering or physical sciences is preferred
Strong written and verbal communication abilities
A passion for ecological restoration
Familiarity with California ecosystems and regulatory environment
Experience developing and managing a portfolio of work
A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation (while WRA has fleet vehicles that can be reserved for field use, during busy field seasons a truck may not be available)
Additional desired qualifications include:
Experience with FEMA Floodplain Development (CLOMR/LOMR) permitting; Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) certification a plus
Advanced training in river mechanics and restoration
General understanding of geomorphology, including coastal and riverine sediment dynamics
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