Project Director-Water- Southern, CA

Help us build the future and we'll help you build a rewarding and purposeful career.

Our global network is made up of architects, designers, planners, engineers, and environmental scientists all working towards the same goal. Join a team that brings inspirational architecture, landscapes, townscapes and places to our world, and we'll provide you unlimited space to grow.

You'll be able to apply our powerful global network of skills and decades of experience to build positive client outcomes.

Who are we looking for?

GHD's municipal business in Water and Transportation is in a period of accelerated growth. Over the past few years, we have doubled our municipal portfolio, driven by strong client relationships, technical excellence, and a deep commitment to the communities we serve.

Building on this momentum, we have launched a bold growth initiative to double our Transportation practice over the next four years. Achieving this next phase of growth requires more than business development alone it also requires leaders who can win work, delivery it successfully, and turn execution into enduring client confidence.

Our growth strategy depends on trust and scale. The Project Director-Water- Southern, CA position acts as a "seller-doer" building trust by connecting what we promise during pursuits, how we deliver during execution, and why clients choose us again for future work. This position can be located in Irvine, Long Beach, San Diego, and Los Angeles, CA.

At GHD, our workplace thrives on a hybrid model, combining in-office collaboration and flexibility. Join us in office, three days a week to contribute, connect and excel in our vibrant environment.

Working with an energetic and high performing team, this position offers a variety of duties and will see you involved in:

• Serve as a trusted advisor to existing clients through direct project leadership and consistent delivery performance
• Maintain deep understanding of client priorities, funding realities, and community outcomes
• Represent client and community voices internally, shaping solutions and pursuits based on real delivery insight
• Build long-term client partnerships rooted in credibility, responsiveness, and results

Delivery-led Growth:

• Lead or play a senior role in the delivery of key projects, ensuring outcomes align with client expectations and commitments made during pursuits
• Convert successful delivery into repeat work, expanded scope, and follow-on opportunities
• Identify growth opportunities emerging from active projects and ongoing client engagements
• Use delivery experience to inform strategy, pricing, risk assessment, and positioning

Pursuit and Opportunity Shaping:

• Shape and lead pursuits where delivery experience, technical judgment, and client trust are critical differentiators
• Partner with Relationship Managers, Market Leads, and technical teams to pursue targeted opportunities
• Contribute to proposal strategy, messaging, and interviews with a focus on credibility and execution confidence
• Participate in contract negotiations with a clear understanding of delivery risk, resourcing, and outcomes

Operational and Financial Accountability:

• In collaboration with Project Manager, oversee and be accountable for project performance, including scope, schedule, budget, quality, and client satisfaction
• Track and manage key performance indicators such as backlog, margin, and client health for assigned accounts
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations, procurement requirements, and internal governance
• Provide clear communication and reporting to internal leadership on client performance and growth outlook

Additional Responsibilities:

• Personal Capability Building: Act as subject matter expert in an area of technology, policy, regulation, or operational management for the team. Maintain external accreditations and in-depth understanding of current and emerging external regulation and industry best practices through continuing professional development, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.
• Key Account Management: Ensure quality service and profitable business growth by managing a portfolio of complex customer relationships and/or a small team of account managers.
• Customer Relationship Development / Prospecting: Develop and implement a relationship management plan for strategic, complex potential accounts to build key relationships at local and national levels. Coordinate the engagement of own organization with the customer organization to ensure effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues.
• Customer Needs Clarification: Consult with a range of customer representatives at different levels to identify the outcomes they require, introducing relevant internal specialists and utilizing their expertise to gather and analyze complex customer data, clarify medium- to long-term customer needs, and develop and agree to a specification of customer requirements.
• Sales Opportunities Creation: Develop a personal network of senior managers within the business sector and represent the organization at business sector events. Obtain market intelligence, promote the organization, and enhance its reputation.
• Sell Customer Propositions: Lead a cross-functional internal team (e.g., technical, commercial, and legal) to configure a complex tailored or bespoke product-and-services solution and associated contractual terms that meet the customer's mid- to long-term needs at a national/key operating-unit level. Negotiate agreement with the customer and internally with commercial colleagues to ensure that customer requirements are met at an acceptable level of profitability and cash flow, or, alternately, review and authorize complex sales proposals from team members that deviate from standard terms, escalating issues to senior management where appropriate.
• Operational Compliance: Monitor and review performance and behaviors within area of responsibility to identify and resolve noncompliance with the organization's policies and relevant regulatory codes and codes of conduct.
• Promoting Customer Focus: Develop internal marketing plans and work collaboratively with other departments to improve internal relationships and build strong external customer relationships.
• Customer Relationship Management / Account Management: Develop and implement relationship management plans for complex existing customer accounts to identify and build relationships with relevant decision-makers and influencers within the customer organization and to enable effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues. Manage ongoing relationships with identified customer segments to ensure their needs are met, providing themes, summary analyses, and recommendations for changes based on customer input.

Education:

Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Engineering, Environmental Science, or similar.

Qualifications:

• Professional Engineer license preferred
• Minimum 10 years of experience in municipal or public sector project delivery and client relationship management.
• Strong Seller/Doer experience with strong business development, proposal preparation and marketing skills.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence at senior levels.
• Proficiency in CRM tools (Salesforce in particular) and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strategic thinker with a client-centric mindset.
• Strong understanding of municipal operations, governance, and procurement.
• Experience in client engagement and business development, with a track record of building relationships across government, industry, and community stakeholders.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Client portfolio performance (bookings)
• Project portfolio performance (NLM)
• Client satisfaction scores

As a multicultural organization, we encourage individual achievement and recognize the strength of a diverse workforce. GHD is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race; color; religion; genetic information; national origin; sex (including same sex); sexual orientation; gender identity; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; age; disability or handicap; citizenship status; service member status; or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

Salary Range: $152,000-$253,000 based on location and experience