Public Works Department Manager

Take Your Design Career to the Next Level 

Kleinfelder, a Forbes' Top Employer for Engineers in North America, is committed to a people-first culture, technical excellence, and creating opportunities where employees can thrive!

Are you ready to be challenged, make a difference, and experience professional growth in your career? Our collaborative, multidisciplinary group spanning architectural, structural, civil, electrical, mechanical, process engineering, pipeline design, and integrity management works together to deliver integrated, high‑impact solutions.

Step into Your New Role  

Public Works / Water Resources Department Manager

Our Public Works team delivers civil design services for complex projects in local, state, and commercial markets. This position creates performance and sales goals, ensures project managers and engineers comply with company quality standards, monitors the performance of the production team, and provides senior level expertise to guide staff in solving complex problems.

In this role, you will lead a team of 20–30 technical staff and manage the department’s overall performance, including P&L, operations, and strategic growth. You will support business development, maintain client relationships, collaborate with partners, and work with marketing on proposal efforts. Additional responsibilities include providing technical or project management guidance, overseeing service delivery, coordinating resources across offices, ensuring quality, recruiting and developing talent, and driving profitable growth.

The ideal candidate has proven experience expanding client contracts with federal and state agencies, local governments, regional authorities, and teaming partners. This leader is people-focused, collaborative, emotionally intelligent, and an effective communicator.  May require 25-40% travel.

The successful candidate will be a forward-thinking, results‑driven leader who can translate strategy into action. This role will develop and execute one-, three-, and five-year business plans focused on target markets, key clients, and delivery goals. With strong leadership and disciplined oversight, the Public Works Department Manager will guide the team from planning through execution—ensuring the right talent is engaged, the best opportunities are pursued, and client satisfaction remains paramount. This role can be located in Austin, Dallas, Houston or San Antonio.

Specific Duties include:

• Provide overall leadership and operational oversight for the Public Works/Water Resources team across Texas and Oklahoma, guiding day-to-day operations and supporting Project Managers with business planning, hours and revenue forecasting, workshare strategies, and staff balancing to drive consistent project and financial performance.
• Lead the growth and expansion of water practice through the pursuit and delivery of services, including engineering, planning, and design support.
• Build, maintain, and strengthen relationships with existing clients to ensure the delivery of high-quality, compliant, and responsive water services, while promoting repeat work, client satisfaction, and long-term partnerships.
• Plan, recruit, develop, and retain the talent required to support the department’s technical, managerial, and supervisory needs, ensuring the team is positioned for sustained growth. This role includes responsibility for internal resource allocation and marketing budgets, with strategic alignment and support from the Red River Area.
• Establish, implement, and continuously improve standards, processes, and procedures that promote consistent project quality, risk management, and targeted profitability across water and design-related projects.
• Conduct regular portfolio and performance reviews of public works and water resource projects, ensuring accountability for key financial and operational metrics including profitability, accounts receivable (AR), days sales outstanding (DSO), net revenue multiplier (NRM), work-in-progress (WIP), and gross and net revenue performance.

Specific Skills/ Experience/ Education

• 12+ years of water experience (leadership experience is a plus).
• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Engineering is required.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
• Demonstrated success with strategic planning for long-term business plans, including setting/measuring goals and leadership of strategic pursuits
• Excellent time management skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to lead, and grow, teams.
• Solid understanding of financial metrics.
• Professional approach appropriate to represent the company in all settings.
• Solid professional relationships with key regional clients and teaming partners.
• Successful experience growing revenues in engineering and design markets.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, retain, and develop high-end talent to an organization.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results on challenging projects.

Following an offer, candidates will be required to satisfactorily complete employment reference checks, verification of professional licensure and/or educational credentials, a motor vehicle report (MVR), and a comprehensive background check.

Move Forward with Kleinfelder: Kleinfelder and its’ subsidiaries and affiliates, has been connecting great people to the best work since 1961. We are engineers, scientists, and construction professionals providing solutions that improve our clients’ transportation, water, energy, and other private infrastructure. As a responsive, cross-disciplinary team of bright, curious, and innovative problem-solvers, we are dedicated to doing the right thing, every day, on every project from over 110 offices in the US, Canada, and Australia. Connecting great people to the best work is our purpose – together, we deliver.  

Progress with an Employer that Values You 

Kleinfelder, and its’ subsidiaries and affiliates, is an inclusive organization free from discrimination. We are a stronger organization when we are a diverse workforce and believe that through diversity, equity, and inclusion comes creativity, innovation, and unity. We are proud to offer the following:  

Benefits: Kleinfelder, and its’ subsidiaries and affiliates, offers an excellent compensation and benefits package, including: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) plan, and paid holidays.  

Career Development: We are committed to investing in the professional development of our staff, offering each employee every opportunity to grow, develop, and take control of their career paths. We support these efforts through reimbursements for continuing education as well as many of the expenses associated with trainings and certifications, and opportunities for career development through our internal Mentoring Program.  

Equal Opportunity: Kleinfelder, and its’ subsidiaries and affiliates, is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Minorities/Women/Disabled/Veterans. (Compliant with the new VEVRAA and Section 503 rules)  

NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES   

Please note that Kleinfelder, and its’ subsidiaries and affiliates, does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Recruitment Fee Agreement, Kleinfelder, and its’ subsidiaries and affiliates, will not consider or agree to payment for any referral compensation or recruiter fee. In the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement, Kleinfelder, and its’ subsidiaries and affiliates, explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resume, including those submitted to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of Kleinfelder.