Director of Design Services

About This Role

Lead the daily operations of a design group within a rail and infrastructure consulting firm. This role ensures engineering teams are managed, resourced, and consistently deliver high-quality plans and designs, and requires a full-time onsite presence.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and mentor engineers, designers, and support staff, overseeing assignments, workloads, and performance reviews
• Manage plan production, schedules, and deliverables, ensuring design projects meet quality, budget, and client requirements
• Monitor group financials, utilization, and manpower; provide staffing and level-of-effort estimates for proposals
• Partner with the VP of Design Services for technical guidance and client engagement, focusing on daily operations, staffing, and business oversight
• Enforce QA/QC standards across design deliverables and stay current with tools, technology, and best practices to drive efficiency
• Provide input for proposals, staffing plans, and resource needs, and support interviews and client pursuits
• Contribute to strategic planning for design group growth, resource development, and market competitiveness

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or related field
• 12+ years of experience in engineering design
• 4+ years in management/supervisory roles
• Direct experience in engineering plan production
• Strong understanding of workload forecasting, resource planning, and project budgets
• Excellent leadership, organizational, and communication skills
• Ability to work on-site daily at Headquarters in Orange, CA

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or related field
• 12+ years of experience in engineering design, including at least 4 years in management/supervisory roles

Nice to Have

• PE License in California (or ability to obtain)
• Rail, transit, or infrastructure design project experience
• Experience managing medium to large design teams (20+ staff)

Benefits