Senior Planning Engineer

About the RWA

The South-Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) provides water and other life-sustaining resources to nearly 430,000 consumers daily. As a nonprofit public corporation, RWA is committed to excellence and community, managing over 28,000 acres of watershed land to ensure environmental sustainability.

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Planning Engineer provides strategic and operational leadership for the RWA's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and long-range infrastructure initiatives. Reporting to the Director of Engineering, this role oversees CIP development, project management, and regulatory compliance, fostering a collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and report on CIP development, management, performance, prioritization, and execution, adhering to budget, business case evaluation, lifecycle analysis, financial forecasts, and project performance.
• Manage best practices in Capital Improvement and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) projects, including portfolio management, governance processes, and inter-departmental coordination, ensuring alignment with asset management objectives, budget constraints, and strategic plans.
• Review and approve master plans, technical studies, applied research, and planning activities, including hydraulic modeling, GIS analysis, and asset management, while guiding early-stage project deliverables.
• Coordinate project transitions from planning to design & construction phases, ensuring scope, schedule, and budget alignment, and identify process improvements to enhance efficiency, transparency, and integration.
• Align water quality, water supply, and treatment & distribution system planning with engineering delivery strategies, developing policies, procedures, and standards supporting short- and long-range planning, regulatory compliance, business continuity, and environmental & public health objectives.
• Support and coordinate initiatives to reduce non-revenue water, ensuring engineering strategies, data accuracy, and planning efforts to inform systemwide loss control programs and reporting.
• Provide thought leadership to Engineering, fostering professional development and a collaborative, planning-focused culture that supports modern planning and portfolio-based practices.
• Support organizational change by strengthening coordination, communication, and accountability across the Engineering Department, evaluating emerging technologies, advancing pilots & research partnerships, and fostering innovation aligned with organizational needs and workforce development goals.
• Perform special projects, representing the department and company in inter-departmental coordination, public forums, academic outreach, and external stakeholder engagements.

Qualifications

• Educational/Licensure/Certification Requirements:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline.
  • Master’s degree in Engineering, Water Resources, Business Administration, or related discipline is preferred and may be substituted for a portion of required experience.
  • CT Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) preferred; candidates actively pursuing licensure with a clear path to certification will also be considered.
• Experience/Skills/Abilities:
  • Minimum of 10-20 years of progressively responsible experience in water/wastewater utility engineering, infrastructure planning, or capital program delivery with management or supervisory experience, preferably within a public-sector, municipal, or regulated utility environment.
  • Demonstrated experience in capital improvement, asset management, and GIS-based planning, including system planning, scoping, budgeting, scheduling, and performance reporting.
  • Strong foundation in engineering design & construction standards, financial management, environmental policies, contracts management, regulatory compliance & permitting processes, and construction administration.
  • Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to coordinate across multi-disciplinary RWA teams, also including consultants, contractors, and regulatory stakeholders.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for effective team guidance and inter-agency reporting, including the ability to present complex information to executive leadership and non-technical audiences.
  • Excellent problem-solving, conflict resolution, and decision-making abilities with proven capability to manage multiple priorities and tasks, enhancing internal and external customer service.