Associate Director, Water-Wastewater

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director – Water/Wastewater to help lead and expand PRIME AE’s Water | Wastewater practice across Ohio. This is a key leadership opportunity for a proven engineering professional with strong technical expertise, business development acumen, and a passion for building client relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead business development efforts and pursue new opportunities with municipal, county, state, federal, and utility clients throughout Ohio and the surrounding region.
• Develop and maintain strong client relationships, positioning PRIME AE as a trusted partner for water and wastewater infrastructure programs.
• Lead major pursuits from opportunity identification and Go/No-Go decisions through proposal development, interviews, contract negotiations, and project execution.
• Provide executive-level oversight and guidance for water and wastewater projects including treatment facilities, pump stations, collection systems, distribution systems, stormwater infrastructure, and water quality initiatives.
• Collaborate with project managers and technical leaders to ensure successful project delivery, including scope, schedule, budget, quality, and client satisfaction.
• Support strategic planning and growth initiatives for the Water | Wastewater practice across Ohio and Kentucky.
• Cook up market strategies and expand client relationships.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop engineering staff while fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Support resource planning, staffing decisions, and operational performance across the practice.
• Represent PRIME AE through industry organizations, conferences, professional associations, and community engagement activities.
• Monitor industry trends, funding opportunities, regulatory developments, and emerging technologies to identify opportunities for growth and innovation.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or related discipline required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in Ohio required or ability to obtain within six months.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in water, wastewater, environmental, or municipal infrastructure engineering.
• Minimum 3–5 years of experience leading projects, teams, or functional groups within a consulting engineering environment.
• Demonstrated success developing and maintaining relationships with public-sector water and wastewater clients.
• Proven business development experience including proposal leadership, client development, strategic pursuits, and revenue growth.
• Strong technical background in water and wastewater systems, treatment processes, utility infrastructure, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, regulatory compliance, and capital improvement planning.
• Experience managing complex infrastructure projects and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Strong understanding of project financial management, budgeting, forecasting, and operational performance metrics.
• Excellent leadership, communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Active participation in professional organizations such as AWWA, WEF, ASCE, APWA, or similar industry associations preferred.
• Able to travel throughout Ohio, Kentucky, and surrounding markets as needed.

Qualifications

• Passionate about improving communities and protecting public health through infrastructure projects.
• Willingness to travel and represent PRIME AE at industry events and meetings.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively.