Assistant Branch Manager

About the role

The Assistant Office Manager supports the Office Manager in leading office operations, financial performance, personnel management, and strategic initiatives. This role serves as a key member of the office leadership team with responsibility for supporting multiple departments, managers, and operational functions while ensuring alignment with company policies, procedures, and objectives.

Responsibilities

• Supports the Branch Manager in leading branch-wide operations, including multiple departments, groups, and satellite offices
• Provides direct supervision, coaching, mentoring, guidance, and accountability for Department and Group Managers
• Led performance management processes, including goal setting, evaluations, coaching, promotions, improvement plans, and succession planning for the office
• Led recruiting, onboarding, training, and retention efforts for the office
• Leads a collaborative, high-performance culture that emphasizes accountability, professional growth, and employee engagement
• Led an effective organizational structure aligned with departmental workload, growth objectives, and service offerings
• Communicates branch, subsidiary, and corporate initiatives to staff and supports their implementation at the local level
• Serves as a primary ambassador of company values and leadership expectations with the branch
• Assists with branch-wide operational consistency, ensuring adherence to company procedures, standards, and risk management practices
• Oversees the departments and groups and their ability to perform work properly
• Provides senior technical review and oversight of key deliverables, reports, and complex projects, as appropriate
• Ensures consistent application of quality control, safety practices, and standard-of-care expectations across the branch
• Serves as an operational resource for resolving scheduling conflicts, staffing constraints, and interdepartmental coordination issues
• Maintains awareness of industry standards, codes, and best practices relevant to the department
• Supports the development and improvement of technical practices, training programs, and standardization initiatives for the office
• Coincides with leadership to align technical practices and resource utilization across offices
• Supports, develops, and leads branch-level standardization, training, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Supports the Branch Manager in overseeing the office's financial performance, including revenue, profitability, utilization, backlog, overhead control, and key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Oversees invoicing, contract compliance, change management, and collections across departments and/or groups
• Supports staffing forecasts and workforce planning to balance efficiency, growth, and employee development
• Ensures compliance with company policies, procedures, and risk management practices
• Shares responsibility for office profit and loss (P&L) performance
• Aids in the development and execution of office budgets, revenue targets, financial goals, and business plans
• Maintains financial key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational metrics to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement
• Develops and maintains strong client relationships within the market
• Leads office business development efforts in coordination with office leadership and business development
• Reviews and contributes to proposals, scopes of work, schedules, and fee strategies in accordance with company policies
• Serves as a primary client relationship manager for the office
• Develops and models a strong safety culture within the office
• Ensures staff compliance with safety policies, training requirements, regulatory standards, and company procedures
• Leads continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, innovation, and operational excellence
• Collaborates with other branches, departments, and support teams to leverage company-wide resources, expertise, and best practices
• Aligns office objectives with subsidiary and company strategies
• Participates in leadership meetings, company initiatives, and committees
• Leads and communicates subsidiary initiatives to branch staff and oversees successful

Qualifications

• 10 years of related experience with a degree or 14 years of related experience without a degree
• High school diploma or GED required
• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering and Management, Materials Science Engineering, Geology, or a related field is preferred
• An MS in Engineering or an MBA is preferred
• Maintain licenses and/or certifications as necessary for the work performed or managed per ECS Senior Technical Staff
• If driving for or on behalf of any ECS subsidiary, a valid driver's license is required
• Very strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Advanced understanding of engineering consulting operations, project execution, and professional services business models
• Very strong ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Very strong judgement, problem-solving ability, and attention to detail
• Very strong ability to work effectively with clients, direct reports, peers, and supervisors, as well as independently
• Very strong ability to build a team
• Client-focused mindset with very strong business development skills
• Very strong financial acumen with demonstrated responsibility for P&L performance
• Very strong ability to balance technical excellence, people leadership, and business objectives
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence and align teams
• Strong strategic thinking and execution capability
• Military qualifications: If meeting the education, certification, and licenses requirements from the above section titled "Required Qualifications"

Policies and Procedures

• If driving for or on behalf of any ECS subsidiary, a valid driver's license is required

ECS

ECS Group of Companies (ECS) was founded in 1988 with the goal to raise the standards of professional engineering consulting. Today, we are a leader in geotechnical, construction materials, environmental and facilities consulting services. We are employee-owned with more than 3,000 employees in 100+ offices and testing facilities coast to coast. ECS is currently ranked #60 in Engineering News-Record’s Top 500 Design Firms (April 2026), #148 in Engineering News-Record’s Top 200 Environmental Firms (October 2025) and #50 in Zweig Group’s Hot Firm List (May 2025).

For additional information about ECS, visit: www.ecslimited.com.

ECS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To learn more, click here.