Water/Wastewater Design Manager

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 36,000 people, in over 70 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role description:

Are you ready to lead meaningful infrastructure projects that make a real difference in our cities and communities? Arcadis is seeking a motivated and experienced Design Manager to join our Resilience Water team in Philadelphia, PA. In this role, you’ll put your technical water/wastewater design and construction expertise to work in both project and client roles, delivering quality design packages to some of our most important water clients.

This is a hands-on leadership role - you'll guide multidisciplinary teams, develop design packages for water and wastewater facilities, mentor and grow junior engineers, and play a key role in shaping the future of water infrastructure across the region. You'll also help support strategic growth through business development and client engagement, working with a talented group of professionals.

Role accountabilities:

• Project Leadership & Delivery: Serve as Design Manager and team leader, overseeing the planning, design, and construction of municipal water/wastewater infrastructure, including process mechanical design, equipment selection, alternatives analysis, discipline coordination, for treatment facilities, pump stations, transmission mains, and distribution/collection networks. Ensure successful project execution, from scope development to final delivery, within budget and schedule.

• Technical Expertise & Quality Assurance: Perform detailed engineering analysis, develop complete construction bid packages, and maintain Arcadis design quality and standards. Support planning and basis of design development. Utilize design software to solve complex technical challenges and ensure compliance with Arcadis' specifications and industry best practices. Support our national Water Design & Engineering practice in Arcadis.

• Client Management & Business Development: Support marketing and business development efforts in the water/wastewater sector, manage key client relationships in the region, and collaborate with senior staff to grow regional market presence. The focus will be on authorities and municipalities in Pennsylvania, as well as the City of Philadelphia, for both drinking water and wastewater projects, spanning smaller plants <5 MGD to larger plants >100 MGD

• Team Development & Mentorship: Supervise and mentor junior engineers and technical staff, coordinate multidisciplinary project execution, and help build team capabilities through knowledge sharing and support, both in-person and remote

• Industry Engagement: Actively participate in professional organizations and industry conferences through presentations, committee involvement, and leadership roles at the local, state, or national level.

Key Skills & Abilities:

The ideal candidate will possess strong staff development and supervision skills, including the ability to mentor and support junior-level team members. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential, along with proven client relationship capabilities—particularly in successfully managing and delivering engineering projects that meet or exceed client expectations. The role also requires flexibility to travel up to 15% for client meetings, site visits, stakeholder engagement, and other project-specific needs.

Qualifications & Experience:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, Mechanical, or Chemical Engineering (or related field)
• 15 years’ experience in water/wastewater design and project management
• Professional Engineer (PE) license

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering, or an MBA
• 20 years of progressively responsible experience
• Hydraulic and process modeling (including EPA net, Bentley, BioWIN) as required to support project development. 
• Active involvement in local, state, or national professional associations

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day, which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. We are dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis, including race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Arcadis offers benefits for full-time and part-time positions. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision, EAP,  401K, STD, LTD, AD&D, life insurance, paid parental leave, reward & recognition program, and optional benefits including wellbeing benefits, adoption assistance, and tuition reimbursement.  We offer nine paid holidays and 20 days PTO that accrue per year. The salary range for this position is $136,086 - $195,965. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors, such as experience, education, budget, internal equity, project, and location.

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