Director of Civil Engineering - East Region

Department: EngineeringLocation: Huntsville, AL Compensation: $160,000 - $215,000 / yearDescriptionAlta is seeking a dynamic East Regional Director of Engineering to join our team in Huntsvilleand lead our growing engineering practice in the East. This is a fantastic opportunity for an engineering leader who believes in the importance of active, multimodal, and sustainable transportation to shape communities while driving business excellence and operational performance.In this role, you will work with the Engineering Director to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for our East region engineering teams, driving innovation in sustainable transportation design while fostering a culture of collaboration, professional growth, and excellence. You will be responsible for setting technical and strategic direction for engineering initiatives across our East region of offices, which include Atlanta, Durham, Minneapolis, Baltimore, and Nashville; ensuring our projects create positive impacts on communities nationwide while meeting financial and operational performance standards.If you are passionate about leading transformational change in transportation engineering while developing talent and advancing organizational excellence, apply with Alta today!About AltaAlta Planning + Design is a sustainable transportation company dedicated to creating active, healthy communities through planning, landscape architecture, engineering, and education/encouragement programs. Alta was founded in 1996 when communities were calling for safer streets for people walking and bicycling as the non-motorized transportation movement developed into a profession in the United States. We pioneered the field of active transportation, evolving our planning and design work into a visionary global practice that empowers people to live active, healthy lives and gets them to where they need to go.Our core values and work bring about positive change by creating places that are geared toward moving people rather than cars, connecting community members to daily needs and human experience, and empowering every person to live an active healthy life. As a global leader in mobility innovation for 30 years with over 230 staff, we are dedicated to connecting people to places by working across disciplines and scale to address social justice, safety, and environmental resilience.Leadership ResponsibilitiesAs East Regional Director of Engineering, you will be the strategic leader responsible for driving engineering excellence and organizational growth across our East region’s operations while collaborating with other regional directors to help lead the engineering practice. Your leadership will directly impact the success of our mission to create active, healthy communities, while ensuring strong financial performance and operational excellence. Strategic Leadership & VisionDevelop and execute long-term strategic plans for the East region engineering practice, aligning with company-wide objectives and market opportunitiesEnsure the East Region meets or exceeds annual and quarterly financial targets, with strong emphasis on achieving Net Service Revenue and EBITDA growthLead the regional engineering organization through periods of growth and change, ensuring operational excellence and cultural alignmentChampion innovation in active transportation engineering practices and emerging technologiesDrive a culture of fiscal and business acumen that empowers teams to seek continuous improvement in operational efficiency and financial performancePlay an active role in the budgeting process, including prioritization of trade-offs to grow both revenue and earningsPeople Leadership & Organizational DevelopmentLead, mentor, and develop a team of engineering professionals, project managers, and technical staff across multiple office locationsSupervise and evaluate East Region staff, creating clear performance expectations, providing regular feedback, and establishing pathways for career advancementBuild and maintain a high-performance culture focused on professional growth, collaboration, and technical excellenceRecruit, hire, and retain top engineering talent to support regional growth objectives, maintaining forward-looking hiring plans to fill open roles efficientlyFoster cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing across engineering, planning, landscape architecture, and other practice areasOwn key performance areas including safety, client engagement, staff development and retention, and cross-business collaborationMaintain staff utilization at or above predetermined goals while ensuring sustainable workload managementBusiness Development & Client RelationsAssist regional business development directors in identifying new market opportunities and client relationshipsLead proposal development and client presentations for major regional projectsMaintain and expand relationships with key public sector clientsEnsure compliance with proposal and cost estimation protocols to maintain financial and delivery integrityOperational Excellence & Project OversightOversee project delivery across the region, ensuring quality, schedule, and budget performance delivering projects on-time and on-budgetOversee financial and operational performance of projects within the East Region, maintaining close oversight of project managers and their performance relative to plan while delegating effectivelyDemonstrate deep understanding of financial metrics and KPIs including book-to-burn ratio, revenue factor, and overhead rateImplement best practices and process improvements to enhance delivery efficiency and client satisfactionProvide strategic oversight of project portfolios ranging from natural surface trails to complex multimodal transportation networksEnsure compliance with professional standards, regulations, and company quality assurance protocolsApply disciplined approach to managing non-billable labor and overhead costsQualificationsRequired Experience & Education:15+ years of progressive experience as a Transportation Engineer in consulting environment or public entity8+ years in project management roles with demonstrated P&L responsibility5+ years in leadership positions managing engineering teams and business operationsBachelor's degree in Civil EngineeringProfessional Engineering (P.E.) license requiredProven track record of business development success and client relationship managementLeadership & Management Competencies:Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and develop high-performing teams in a professional services environmentStrong strategic thinking and business acumen with experience in organizational planning and executionFinancial acumen with ability to analyze business performance and articulate relevant KPIs, financial metrics, and levers of growth and profitExcellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with ability to influence at all organizational levelsExperience managing regional operations, including budget oversight, resource allocation, and performance metricsProven ability to drive cultural change and organizational development initiativesBudget prioritization skills with experience evaluating trade-offs to optimize both revenue and earnings in a professional services environmentStrong command of numbers and finance, with a bias toward data-driven decision makingCritical thinking abilities with purposeful judgment and reasoned consideration of evidence, context, and objectivesAttention to detail with focus on monitoring KPIs and understanding that long-term success is driven by daily executionTechnical Expertise:Experience in active, non-motorized transportation planning and designComprehensive understanding of project delivery from conceptual design through construction administrationExperience with Plans, Specifications and Estimates packages for complex roadway and transportation projectsProficiency in project management principles, methods, and techniques for large-scale, multi-disciplinary projectsWorking knowledge of MS Excel, Word, MS Project, AutoCAD / Civil 3D or MicroStation / OpenRoads, and enterprise project management toolsAdditional Requirements:Ability and willingness to travel regionally as neededStrong professional ethics, accountability, and decision-making capabilitiesExperience managing competing priorities and multiple simultaneous projects within budget and schedule constraintsOperational discipline with focus on ensuring compliance with project protocols and standardsPreferred QualificationsAdvanced Education & Credentials:Master's degree in Civil Engineering, Business Administration, or related fieldActive leadership roles in industry-relevant professional associations and committeesSpecialized Experience:Experience leading large, complex transportation engineering projectsExperience with Deltek VantagePoint or similar enterprise resource planning systemsBackground in active, sustainable, multimodal transportationMentoring and coaching experience with engineering professionalsExperience leading cross-functional, multi-disciplinary project teamsWhat We OfferFlexible ScheduleAlta offers a flexible, hybrid work schedule where most employees work from home three days per week. In-office days support our collaborative culture, one of our core values. CompensationThe pay range for this job in Atlanta is $160,000-$215,000 annually. Placement within the range is based upon experience, skill-sets, and qualifications.BenefitsAlta offers comprehensive benefits to all full-time employees:Medical: PPO or HSA medical plans, Alta pays 75% of the costDental/Vision: PPO, Alta pays 90% of the costLife Insurance: Alta pays 100% of the premium for life and AD&D, equal to your base compensation401(k): Alta provides a match up to 3%PTO: 21 days accrued annually to startHolidays: 11 total company paid holidaysPaid Parental Leave/Short-Term DisabilityAdditional Benefits: Wellness reimbursement up to $800 annually, Alta Gets Around benefit of up to $900 annually, 5-year travel award, and professional development opportunities