At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission‑critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting‑edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.
Your impact
As the West Central Water Treatment Department Leader, you will be responsible for building, leading, and delivering the full water and wastewater treatment portfolio across the West Central geography. This includes strengthening delivery performance, developing the team, supporting growth, succession planning, driving quality, and coordinating with treatment leaders across other geographies to bring the best of Jacobs to our clients. This role can be performed from any West Central home office location. The West Central geography includes Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas.
You will be responsible for driving operations and growth of the team in coordination with key partners, including Treatment Department Leaders in California and the Northwest, West Central Water Department Leaders, Client Account Managers, Client Service Leaders, and Regional Market Solutions Leaders. You will also coordinate with your Department Lead peers for Water Resources, Conveyance, and Infrastructure Design (IDD).
In this role, you will report to the Director of Operations and supervise Group Leaders and Managers of Projects. This role is expected to maintain visible leadership presence in West Central offices and with project teams, with periodic travel across the geography to support staff engagement, client relationships, project delivery, and business priorities.
This is a hybrid leadership role requiring people leadership, technical coordination, and project delivery excellence. The leader will serve as the central point for water and wastewater treatment in West Central, aligning people, projects, clients, and technical resources to deliver high‑quality work, develop staff, strengthen client trust, and support sustainable growth. As a people leader, the Department Lead is expected to maintain visible leadership presence by working from a Jacobs office, project site, or client site at least three days per week.
Business metrics and key performance indicators
- Drive portfolio growth to meet business plan goals by leveraging staff experience, providing career development pathways, and managing delivery operations.
- Forecast and manage team billability and productivity.
- Capitalize on Global Integrated Delivery (GID) engagement, with a commitment to delivering hours, staff alignment, and gross margin targets.
- Achieve annual net staff growth target set by geography.
- Annual voluntary turnover (12 months rolling) below 5%.
- HS&E team performance.
People leadership and team structure
- Supervise and provide leadership to a market‑aligned team of Group Leaders and Managers of Projects.
- Balance team structure, supervisor loads, and span of control to support coaching, staff development, workload management, and consistent delivery performance.
- Coach and develop leaders and staff through regular communication.
- Partner with HR and Talent Acquisition on recruiting, retention, Inclusion and Belonging, and new-hire integration.
Project delivery excellence and quality
- Drive accountability for project delivery quality, performance expectations, and consistent client‑ready work across the department.
- Reinforce Jacobs’ delivery expectations through quality planning, qualified reviews, performance monitoring, and early resolution of delivery risks.
- Promote quality, safety, well‑being, and mental health programs to support an incident‑ and injury‑free culture.
Growth, clients, and technical coordination
- Partner with Market Solutions Leaders, Market Growth Directors, CAMs, Sales, and peer Department Leaders to support growth strategy, pursuits, technical resourcing, and differentiated client solutions.
- Coordinate with Group Leaders, project managers, and Managers of Projects to optimize Global Integrated Delivery engagement across the market portfolio.
Operations, finance, and overhead stewardship
- Partner with the Director of Operations and other leaders to deliver operational performance, achieve gross margin goals, manage G&A to budget, and promote operational discipline.
- Optimize utilization, balance workload across experience levels, and coordinate workload leveling across the market, geography, region, and global delivery teams.
- Approve time sheets, PPTO requests, expense reports, and appropriate expenditures, including assets, conference attendance, sponsorships, committees, and other overhead investments that improve return on overhead costs.
Here’s what you’ll need
- Bachelor’s degree in civil, environmental, chemical, mechanical, or related engineering discipline, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- 15+ years of progressive experience in water treatment planning, design, delivery, operations support, or related consulting services.
- Professional Engineer registration, or ability to obtain registration, preferred.
- Demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary teams, technical coordination, and successful delivery of complex water treatment projects.
- Demonstrated emotional intelligence, inclusive leadership, relationship building, conflict resolution, and ability to build trust across geographies and career levels.
- Innovative and solutions‑oriented thinking.
- Ability to articulate a clear vision and direction, and possess strong social, networking, and communication skills (both internal and external).
- Strong portfolio/team performance and business acumen.
Benefits
- Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount.
- Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan.
- Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full‑time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, and caregiver leave.
- Certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.
The base salary range for this position is $158,500.00 to $277,500.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
We value collaboration and believe that in‑person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.
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