Water Resources Technical Director (I or II)

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a Water Resources Technical Director or Senior Water Resources Technical Director to lead the continued growth, innovation, and technical excellence of our water resources practice. Water-focused technical services are experiencing strong demand and SWCA is expanding our capabilities with a senior leader who can shape the long-term direction of our water resources technical practice.

SWCA is a growing, 1,850 staff, employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star)isto makeSWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership.We live our core values: we collaborate as#OneSWCA;weare#AlwaysLearning, we#NeverSettle,and we#GiveBack.

The Water Resources Technical Director will provide enterprise-level leadership in advancing SWCA's water resources strategy, enhancing technical capabilities, developing future leaders, and supporting growth across our offices, clients, and business lines. This position will ensure exemplary technical quality, foster innovation in methodologies and tools, and position SWCA as an industry leader in water resource services.

The selected individual will be an experienced leader with recognized water resources expertise. The Director will report to one of SWCA's Vice Presidents of Scientific and Technical Services. This is a full time, regular status position, eligibleto work in any of our offices, or 100% distributed in the domestic US.
It is expected that travel will be between 10-20% of the time. This requisition can hire at either the Director or Senior Director level, depending upon experience and expertise.

This position is available at the below levels and title will be based on years of relevant experience or expertise:

• Water Resources Technical Director - Requires a minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in environmental consulting and/or natural resources management with a strong emphasis on water resources, including demonstrated growth in technical leadership as well as project and program management.
  Salary range: $121,140 - $158,496 annually.
• Senior Water Resources Technical Director - Requires a minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in environmental consulting and/or natural resources management with a strong focus on water resources, along with advanced technical leadership and extensive project and program management experience.
  Salary range: $138,445 - $179,755 annually.

Application deadline: Sunday, January 4, 2026. Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. We anticipate arranging panel interviews in the latter part of January 2026. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully review each submission.

A letter of interest and resume are required for this application.

Strategic Technical Leadership (50%)

• Lead long-range strategic planning and implementation for the national water resources practice, developing enterprise-level initiatives that expand, diversify, and innovate technical service offerings.
• Identify and leverage emerging scientific, regulatory, and technological trends to position SWCA as an industry leader in water resources; build and participate in external scientific/professional networks and ensure continuous internal dissemination of new knowledge.
• Serve as the enterprise technical leader and mentor for the national water resources practice, setting the standard for excellence, innovation, and state-of-the art methodologies and tools.
• Drive consistency, scalability, and integration of technical approaches across geographies; lead cross-company initiatives in partnership with regional and technical leaders.
• Build and elevate the next tier of technical leadership by delegating water resource practice group functions (e.g., resource hubs, tools, communications) to sub-discipline and regional leads.
• Align practice strategies with other company leaders including operations, client services, talent acquisition, and technology leaders to develop shared key performance indicators (KPIs) and integrated solutions that support enterprise objectives.
• Partner with the Senior Quality Director to establish discipline-specific quality standards and partner with operational leaders to ensure consistent adoption across the company.
• Work with leaders in talent acquisition and operations to build a scalable technical talent pipeline identifying strategic skill gaps and anticipating future needs to achieve high-impact hiring.
• Serve as an ambassador for SWCA's Safety Culture and implementation.

Strategic Project Work & Business Development (50%)

• Serve as a senior subject matter expert on strategic, complex, and innovative water resources projects across multiple geographies, ensuring technical excellence, regulatory alignment, and enterprise value.
• Lead or oversee water resource projects of regional or national importance, providing technical direction and mentoring to strengthen project teams and practice capabilities.
• Partner with leaders across SWCA to ensure enterprise-level quality, consistency of technical approaches, and integration of best practices into project deliverables.
• Represent SWCA as a thought leader at industry professional forums and client meetings to strengthen visibility, influence, and strategic partnerships.
• Collaborate closely with Client Services and other business development leaders within SWCA to grow, diversify, and expand water resource services in target markets and geographies, ensuring alignment between client needs, practice strategy, and enterprise priorities.
• Identify and capitalize on market, regulatory, scientific, and technological trends to shape new water resource service offerings and guide technical approach for high-value pursuits.
• Serve as Technical Client Manager for key accounts to foster a client-focused environment.

• Bachelor's degree or above (or equivalent experience) in hydrology, water resources science or engineering, ecology, environmental science, water policy/management, or a related discipline.
• Water Resources Technical Director-Minimum of 10 years of progressive responsible experience in environmental consulting and/or natural resources management with a strong focus on water resources, including increasing technical leadership and project and program management.
• Sr. Water Resources Technical Director-Minimum of 15 years of progressive responsible experience in environmental consulting and/or natural resources management with a strong focus on water resources, including increasing technical leadership and project and program management.
• Demonstrated success addressing complex water resource issues across multiple agencies, geographies, and sectors.
• Diverse experience with Clean Water Act compliance.
• Proven ability to identify and capitalize on market, regulatory, and technological trends; demonstrated success in developing new business and leading high-value pursuits.
• Strong financial and project management skills, including the ability to manage complex, multi-faceted programs.
• Recognized mentor with a track record of developing practitioners and supporting organizational succession planning.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Prior experience working collaboratively across offices, regions, and cross-disciplinary teams at all levels of the organization.
• Broad understanding of water resources regulatory frameworks, technical methodologies, and emerging technologies.
• Strong client-facing skills, including communication, relationship building, and strategic problem-solving.
• Demonstrated experience communicating highly technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to influence outcomes and lead through collaboration.

• Experience applying digital tools (e.g. modeling, remote sensing, GIS, AI) for water resource studies.

Preferred or Desired Qualifications

• Master's degree or above (or equivalent experience) in hydrology, water resources science or engineering, ecology, environmental science, water policy/management, or a related discipline.

Why Work at SWCA:

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record's Top 200 Environmental Firms. We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, a Science and Leadership Program, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

If you need assistance accessing SWCA's website, completing the online application, or require accommodations at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; other inquiries will not receive a response.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this USA-based position can expect a salary of: Water Resources Technical Director -- $121,140/year to $158,496/year; Senior Water Resources Technical Director -- $138,445/year to $179,755/year. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements, where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA's Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive benefits package (https://www.swca.com/careers/benefits-wellness/), forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA's continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.

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