Surface Water Department Manager

Michael Baker International

Surface Water Department Manager for North Carolina water practice at Michael Baker International. Managing diverse water projects and leading client relationships in stormwater and drainage.

Posted 6/15/2026full-timeCary • North Carolina • 🇺🇸 United StatesSeniorLead💰 $150,000 - $195,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Develop client relationships to help grow our North Carolina water practice and position for opportunities, including serving as capture manager.
Contribute to proposal development, including technical approaches and supporting materials
Oversee department operations, staff utilization, and overall performance of the NC Surface Water Department.
Manage and deliver stormwater, drainage, and stream restoration projects, ensuring alignment with scope, schedule, budget, and quality expectations
Direct and manage tasks and/or other staff and sub-consultants on efficient project execution including adherence to project scopes, budgets, and schedules to ensure Baker project management and quality standards are maintained.
Lead or support design and technical oversight for watershed master plans, stormwater conveyance and drainage systems, stream and channel restoration, stabilization, and watershed improvements, flood mitigation infrastructure, erosion and sediment control and BMP implementation.
Oversee preparation and/or review of engineering reports, design plans, calculations, and technical memoranda; permitting and compliance with state and federal requirements; and/or overall construction management/construction phase services for execution of projects
Support development of scopes, fee estimates, staffing plans, and schedules
Serve as a key point of coordination with clients, stakeholders, and regulatory agencies
Conduct coordination meetings as needed internally, with the Client, and/or other stakeholders.
Mentor junior staff and support team development

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or related field (master's degree is a plus)
10 + years of relevant experience in stormwater, drainage, stream restoration, or water resources engineering
Professional Engineer (PE) license in North Carolina (or ability to obtain)
Demonstrated experience managing projects and coordinating multidisciplinary teams
Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and drive them to completion
Strong technical background in stormwater design, drainage systems, channel/stream restoration, and infrastructure improvements
Experience working with 2D Hydrologic and hydraulic analysis and modeling
Stormwater management and water quality requirements
Permitting and regulatory coordination (including environmental/resource agencies)
Strong communication and client-facing skills, including the ability to translate technical concepts for varied audiences
Demonstrated history of project/program management, technical leadership, and independent success
Experience with design-build or progressive delivery is a plus.
Ability to travel across the state of North Carolina up to 25%.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental, vision insurance
401k Retirement Plan
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Life, AD&D, short-term, and long-term disability
Professional and personal development
Generous paid time off
Commuter and wellness benefits

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

stormwater designdrainage systemsstream restorationhydrologic analysishydraulic modelinginfrastructure improvementsproject managementconstruction managementtechnical oversightdesign-build

Soft Skills

client relationship managementteam developmentcommunication skillsmentoringmultidisciplinary coordinationproject coordinationproblem-solvingleadershiptime managementadaptability

Certifications

Professional Engineer (PE) licenseBachelor’s degree in Civil EngineeringBachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering