Department Manager

Position Overview

The Department Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, financial performance, operational success, engineering quality, and continued growth of an assigned engineering department. Reporting to the Regional Manager, this position provides technical guidance on complex projects while leading departmental operations, client relationships, business development initiatives, and employee development.

Working with a high level of autonomy, the Department Manager is accountable for meeting department objectives related to profitability, utilization, staffing, project performance, collections, quality standards, and client satisfaction. This position serves as a critical connection between company leadership, employees, and clients to ensure alignment with organizational goals and long-term growth strategies.

The ideal candidate will bring strong engineering expertise, leadership ability, business judgment, and a commitment to developing teams while delivering high-quality service to clients.

Why Join Us

• Opportunity to make a direct impact within a growing engineering organization
• Leadership role with influence over department strategy and performance
• Collaborative team environment focused on quality, innovation, and client success
• Opportunity to mentor employees and contribute to long-term organizational growth

Typical Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and oversight for the department, including managing, coaching, mentoring, and developing assigned employees.
• Apply advanced engineering knowledge and experience across a variety of projects, clients, and technical challenges.
• Manage department financial performance including profitability, utilization, budgeting, forecasting, work-in-progress management, collections, and growth initiatives.
• Ensure engineering deliverables meet quality standards, accuracy expectations, industry requirements, and internal procedures.
• Lead business development activities by developing client relationships, maintaining strong customer satisfaction, identifying opportunities, and helping grow the department’s market presence.
• Work closely with leadership to identify hiring needs and ensure staffing levels support current and future project demands.
• Support employee engagement, accountability, professional growth, and overall team performance.
• Monitor project performance and provide oversight on complex, high-risk, or financially challenging projects.
• Assist with strategic planning, process improvements, and collaboration across teams and departments.
• Represent the organization professionally with clients, industry partners, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Perform additional responsibilities as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Licensed Professional Engineer (PE)
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an ABET-accredited program, along with appropriate continuing education.
• Minimum of 10 years of engineering experience.
• Ability to independently make engineering decisions and determine appropriate solutions while seeking guidance when needed.
• Ability to represent the organization in client meetings and resolve complex technical or project-related issues.
• Experience applying advanced engineering methods, techniques, and professional judgment.
• Ability to use technical research, analysis, testing, and industry standards to support engineering decisions.
• Ability to serve as a connection between leadership, employees, and clients.
• Experience overseeing major projects, complex engineering assignments, or projects requiring additional oversight due to financial or operational challenges.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within an employee-owned or collaborative ownership-based organization.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing technical teams.
• Strong business development experience with the ability to build relationships and grow client accounts.
• Experience supporting employee development, career progression, and team engagement.
• Knowledge of applicable engineering codes, regulations, safety standards, and industry best practices.
• Commitment to teamwork, accountability, continuous improvement, and delivering excellent client service.