Vaco has an exciting opportunity for a Central Florida Area Leader in the Water & Utilities space.
Area Leader, Water & Utilities Position Overview We are seeking an experienced Area Leader, Water & Utilities to lead the planning, design, and delivery of complex utility infrastructure projects for municipal and public-sector clients. This senior-level opportunity is ideal for a technically strong, client-focused engineering professional with extensive experience managing water, wastewater, reclaimed water, and utility infrastructure projects from initial planning through design, permitting, bidding, and construction support. The successful candidate will bring a combination of technical expertise, project management leadership, client relationship management, and business development experience. This individual will serve as a trusted advisor to clients, mentor engineering staff, and help grow the water and utilities practice through strong project execution and strategic market development.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead water and utility infrastructure projects involving:
- Water distribution systems
- Wastewater collection systems
- Pumping systems and lift stations
- Force mains and gravity sewer
- Reclaimed water systems
- Utility rehabilitation, replacement, and expansion projects
- Manage projects through all phases, including planning, feasibility studies, preliminary engineering, final design, permitting, bidding, and construction-phase services.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for municipal and public-sector clients, regulatory agencies, subconsultants, and internal project teams.
- Develop and manage project scopes, schedules, budgets, staffing plans, and deliverables.
- Provide senior technical oversight and quality control for engineering calculations, reports, plans, specifications, and other project documents.
- Coordinate multidisciplinary teams across civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and controls, environmental, and GIS disciplines.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with municipal utility owners and other public-sector clients.
- Identify opportunities for additional work and assist with proposals, presentations, interviews, and other business development initiatives.
- Mentor project engineers, designers, and developing technical staff.
- Support construction administration, including RFIs, submittal reviews, change orders, and site visits as needed.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- Active Professional Engineer (P.E.) license.
- 10+ years of progressive utility engineering experience, including significant project management responsibility for municipal water and/or wastewater projects.
- Demonstrated success managing project budgets, schedules, multidisciplinary teams, and client relationships across multiple concurrent projects.
- Strong knowledge of utility design practices, permitting requirements, and public-sector project delivery.
- Experience developing and maintaining relationships with municipal and public-sector clients.
- Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills.
What You'll Need to Be Successful
- Ability to lead complex engineering projects and competing priorities with minimal oversight.
- Strong technical knowledge of water and wastewater infrastructure and engineering best practices.
- Ability to communicate proactively and professionally with clients and keep project teams informed of key decisions, activities, risks, public concerns, and project developments.
- Strong collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively across disciplines, teams, and office locations.
- Sound judgment when resolving technical, project delivery, and client-service challenges.
- A strong commitment to quality, responsiveness, accountability, and client satisfaction.
- Ability to balance technical leadership with client development and practice growth.
Why This Opportunity This is an opportunity for an experienced water and utilities professional to step into a visible leadership role with the ability to lead major municipal infrastructure projects, strengthen client relationships, develop engineering talent, and influence the continued growth of a water and utilities practice.
Ideal candidate profile: Senior Project Manager, Project Director, Water/Wastewater Practice Leader, Utilities Group Leader, or experienced Water/Wastewater Engineer ready to take on broader leadership and business development responsibilities.
By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions.
