Freese and Nichols is seeking a National Practice Leader to lead our Water/Wastewater Transmission and Utilities (T&U) team. We welcome candidates from any of our office locations as we continue to expand our national presence. As National Practice Leader, you will set strategy, strengthen market presence, and elevate national visibility through executive client engagement, industry leadership, and cross-practice collaboration

The T&U Practice delivers planning, design, and rehabilitation of critical water infrastructure, including wastewater collection systems, pump stations, storage tanks, and large-diameter conveyance pipelines. The team brings expertise in tunneling and trenchless technologies, corrosion control, transient analysis, and condition assessment. Serving municipalities, water districts, and river authorities nationwide, this practice supports both new facilities and rehabilitation of aging systems. As a key driver of growth and geographic expansion, T&U is one of the firm’s most dynamic and strategically important practices.

What You Will Do:

• Translate market and technology insights into long term growth strategies and value propositions that strengthen Freese and Nichols’ national positioning.
• Serve as a recognized leader in water and wastewater transmission, conveyance, and utility systems, representing the firm through thought leadership, industry forums, conferences, and client engagements.
• Gather and apply client feedback and market intelligence to continuously refine and evolve service offerings.
• Build and sustain strong executive‑level client relationships, identifying new business opportunities and expanding existing partnerships nationwide.
• Lead and support marketing, sales, and business development efforts, including strategic pursuits and market‑facing initiatives.
• Partner with firm leadership, operational groups, and talent teams to attract, recruit, and retain top transmission and utility professionals, building a diverse, future‑ready pipeline of technical and client leaders.
• Stay at the forefront of advances in the W/WW conveyance and municipal utility marketplace, including regulations, funding mechanisms, delivery approaches, and competitive trends.
• Champion the strategic use of data, analytics, data science, and technology‑enabled solutions to enhance planning, design, risk assessment, and decision‑making.
• Collaborate with technical leaders to evaluate, pilot, and scale innovative tools, methodologies, and digital workflows that differentiate the firm nationally.
• Foster a collaborative, high‑performing practice culture that emphasizes teamwork, professional growth, and knowledge sharing.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in water and wastewater transmission and utilities planning, design, and delivery
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field
• Demonstrated success in business development, client leadership, and multi-disciplinary collaboration at a regional or national level.

Preferred:

• Registered Professional Engineer

About Freese and Nichols

At the heart of our culture is our LEADS values (Learn continuously, Engage as family, Act with integrity, Deliver quality, and Serve always).  Each year, our employee engagement survey confirms that our leaders and our employees live our values.

We strive to be the firm of choice for clients and employees through innovative approaches, practical results, and outstanding service.  For more than 130 years, we have been planning and designing the infrastructure our communities need:  developing water supplies, designing roadways and bridges, preparing for natural disasters, and much more.

Besides our comprehensive benefits package (see more at Benefits That Work for You), we offer paid overtime for salaried employees, an annual bonus, and access to company cabins in Red River, New Mexico and Banner Elk, North Carolina.  We are proud of our flexible work environment which includes a hybrid schedule with up to 40% of remote work, and an alternative work schedule program which provides a day off every other Friday.

Join our team of 1,300+ employees as we grow from Virginia to Colorado. Learn more about working here at Working at Freese and Nichols.

Freese and Nichols is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and prohibits employment discrimination for employees and applicants based upon race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

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