Director - Water Resources


Baton Rouge
Permanent
$130,000 - $175,000 USD a year
Civil
PR/605564_1789547812
Director - Water Resources

A well-established multidisciplinary engineering consultancy is seeking an experienced Water Resources Director to lead and expand its water resources capabilities across Louisiana and the wider Gulf Coast region.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for a technically accomplished Professional Engineer who wants to influence the future direction of a growing practice. The successful candidate will combine technical leadership with staff development, client engagement, operational oversight, and strategic business growth.

Rather than stepping away from engineering entirely, you will remain involved in technically challenging projects while shaping project delivery standards, building a high-performing team, and strengthening relationships with public-sector and infrastructure clients.

Key Responsibilities

  • Provide technical leadership across a diverse portfolio of water resources, drainage, stormwater, and flood-resilience projects.
  • Oversee the development of project scopes, budgets, schedules, staffing plans, and technical delivery strategies.
  • Serve as a senior technical resource on complex hydrologic and hydraulic assignments.
  • Maintain high standards of quality, accuracy, constructability, and regulatory compliance.
  • Lead, mentor, and develop engineers at different stages of their careers.
  • Support recruitment, performance management, succession planning, and the continued expansion of the water resources team.
  • Work closely with project managers and company leadership to allocate resources and improve project outcomes.
  • Build and maintain trusted relationships with municipal, state, federal, and regional clients.
  • Identify new project opportunities and expand existing client relationships.
  • Contribute to proposals, interviews, pursuit strategies, and long-term business planning.
  • Monitor industry developments, funding opportunities, regulatory changes, and emerging technical practices.
  • Help determine the software, technology, training, and resources required to support the team's continued growth.

Typical Project Areas

The practice supports public infrastructure and community-resilience projects that may include:

  • Stormwater management and drainage improvements
  • Watershed planning and master planning
  • Hydrologic and hydraulic modelling
  • Floodplain analysis and management
  • Roadway and transportation drainage
  • Detention, retention, and outfall systems
  • Open-channel and drainage conveyance design
  • Bridge hydraulics and scour analysis
  • Erosion control and channel stabilisation
  • Flood-risk reduction and resilience programmes
  • Hydraulic structures
  • Regulatory flood studies
  • Construction-phase engineering support

The ideal candidate will bring:

  • A bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
  • Professional Engineer licensure in Louisiana, or the ability to obtain Louisiana licensure shortly after joining.
  • Approximately 8 or more years of relevant civil engineering experience.
  • Strong technical experience in water resources, stormwater, drainage, hydrology, hydraulics, or floodplain management.
  • Previous responsibility for supervising, mentoring, or developing engineering staff.
  • Demonstrated experience managing client relationships and communicating with public agencies.
  • Familiarity with the regulatory environment affecting water resources and infrastructure projects.
  • Experience preparing scopes, budgets, schedules, technical reports, and proposals.
  • The credibility and communication skills required to operate as a technical leader.
  • An interest in helping grow a team, client base, and service line.

Experience with Louisiana transportation, municipal, drainage, floodplain, or watershed programmes would be particularly valuable.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

  • Take ownership of an established technical discipline with genuine scope for further growth.
  • Maintain involvement in meaningful engineering work while moving into a broader leadership position.
  • Influence hiring, team structure, technical standards, and strategic direction.
  • Work on high-impact infrastructure and resilience projects throughout Louisiana.
  • Join a collaborative organisation with access to multidisciplinary technical resources.
  • Benefit from a flexible working environment and a strong commitment to professional development.
  • Receive a competitive compensation package with performance-based incentives and comprehensive employee benefits.

FAQs

Congratulations, we understand that taking the time to apply is a big step. When you apply, your details go directly to the consultant who is sourcing talent. Due to demand, we may not get back to all applicants that have applied. However, we always keep your resume and details on file so when we see similar roles or see skillsets that drive growth in organizations, we will always reach out to discuss opportunities.

Yes. Even if this role isn’t a perfect match, applying allows us to understand your expertise and ambitions, ensuring you're on our radar for the right opportunity when it arises.

We also work in several ways, firstly we advertise our roles available on our site, however, often due to confidentiality we may not post all. We also work with clients who are more focused on skills and understanding what is required to future-proof their business. 

That's why we recommend registering your resume so you can be considered for roles that have yet to be created. 

Yes, we help with resume and interview preparation. From customized support on how to optimize your resume to interview preparation and compensation negotiations, we advocate for you throughout your next career move.

Handpicked roles for you