Apply on Employer Site

Alta Planning + Design · 21 hours ago

Director of Civil Engineering - West Region

Oakland, CA

Full-time

Hybrid

Director/Executive

$175K/yr - $215K/yr

15+ years exp

Alta Planning + Design is a sustainable transportation company dedicated to creating active, healthy communities through planning, landscape architecture, engineering, and education programs. The West Regional Director of Engineering will lead the engineering practice across the West region, driving innovation in sustainable transportation design and fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence among engineering teams.

ArchitectureEnvironmental Engineering

Responsibilities

Develop and execute long-term strategic plans for the West region engineering practice, aligning with company-wide objectives and market opportunities

Ensure the West Region meets or exceeds annual and quarterly financial targets, with strong emphasis on achieving Net Service Revenue and EBITDA growth

Lead the regional engineering organization through periods of growth and change, ensuring operational excellence and cultural alignment

Champion innovation in active transportation engineering practices and emerging technologies

Drive a culture of fiscal and business acumen that empowers teams to seek continuous improvement in operational efficiency and financial performance

Play an active role in the budgeting process, including prioritization of trade-offs to grow both revenue and earnings

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of engineering professionals, project managers, and technical staff across multiple office locations

Supervise and evaluate West Region staff, creating clear performance expectations, providing regular feedback, and establishing pathways for career advancement

Build and maintain a high-performance culture focused on professional growth, collaboration, and technical excellence

Recruit, hire, and retain top engineering talent to support regional growth objectives, maintaining forward-looking hiring plans to fill open roles efficiently

Foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing across engineering, planning, landscape architecture, and other practice areas

Own key performance areas including safety, client engagement, staff development and retention, and cross-business collaboration

Maintain staff utilization at or above predetermined goals while ensuring sustainable workload management

Assist regional business development directors in identifying new market opportunities and client relationships

Lead proposal development and client presentations for major regional projects

Maintain and expand relationships with key public sector clients

Ensure compliance with proposal and cost estimation protocols to maintain financial and delivery integrity

Oversee project delivery across the region, ensuring quality, schedule, and budget performance delivering projects on-time and on-budget

Oversee financial and operational performance of projects within the West Region, maintaining close oversight of project managers and their performance relative to plan while delegating effectively

Demonstrate deep understanding of financial metrics and KPIs including book-to-burn ratio, revenue factor, and overhead rate

Implement best practices and process improvements to enhance delivery efficiency and client satisfaction

Provide strategic oversight of project portfolios ranging from natural surface trails to complex multimodal transportation networks

Ensure compliance with professional standards, regulations, and company quality assurance protocols

Apply disciplined approach to managing non-billable labor and overhead costs

Qualification

Transportation EngineeringBusiness DevelopmentProfessional Engineering LicenseProject ManagementFinancial AcumenActive Transportation DesignClient Relationship ManagementLeadership ExperienceOperational DisciplineCommunication SkillsCritical ThinkingAttention to DetailMentoring ExperienceCollaboration SkillsDecision-Making Capabilities

Required

15+ years of progressive experience as a Transportation Engineer in consulting environment or public entity

8+ years in project management roles with demonstrated P&L responsibility

5+ years in leadership positions managing engineering teams and business operations

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

Professional Engineering (P.E.) license required

Proven track record of business development success and client relationship management

Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and develop high-performing teams in a professional services environment

Strong strategic thinking and business acumen with experience in organizational planning and execution

Financial acumen with ability to analyze business performance and articulate relevant KPIs, financial metrics, and levers of growth and profit

Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with ability to influence at all organizational levels

Experience managing regional operations, including budget oversight, resource allocation, and performance metrics

Proven ability to drive cultural change and organizational development initiatives

Budget prioritization skills with experience evaluating trade-offs to optimize both revenue and earnings in a professional services environment

Strong command of numbers and finance, with a bias toward data-driven decision making

Critical thinking abilities with purposeful judgment and reasoned consideration of evidence, context, and objectives

Attention to detail with focus on monitoring KPIs and understanding that long-term success is driven by daily execution

Experience in active, non-motorized transportation planning and design

Comprehensive understanding of project delivery from conceptual design through construction administration

Experience with Plans, Specifications and Estimates packages for complex roadway and transportation projects

Proficiency in project management principles, methods, and techniques for large-scale, multi-disciplinary projects

Working knowledge of MS Excel, Word, MS Project, AutoCAD / Civil 3D or MicroStation / OpenRoads, and enterprise project management tools

Ability and willingness to travel regionally as needed

Strong professional ethics, accountability, and decision-making capabilities

Experience managing competing priorities and multiple simultaneous projects within budget and schedule constraints

Operational discipline with focus on ensuring compliance with project protocols and standards

Preferred

Master's degree in Civil Engineering, Business Administration, or related field

Active leadership roles in industry-relevant professional associations and committees

Experience leading large, complex transportation engineering projects

Experience with Deltek VantagePoint or similar enterprise resource planning systems

Background in active, sustainable, multimodal transportation

Mentoring and coaching experience with engineering professionals

Experience leading cross-functional, multi-disciplinary project teams

Benefits

Medical : PPO or HSA medical plans

Dental/Vision : PPO

Life Insurance : Alta pays 100% of the premium for life and AD&D, equal to your base compensation

401(k) : Alta provides a match up to 3%

PTO : 21 days accrued annually to start

Holidays : 11 total company paid holidays

Paid Parental Leave/Short-Term Disability

Additional Benefits : Wellness reimbursement up to $800 annually, Alta Gets Around benefit of up to $900 annually, 5-year travel award, and professional development opportunities