Client Manager – Water Services

Job description

Woodard & Curran is an employee-owned engineering, science, and operations firm dedicated to clean water, a safe environment, healthy communities, and happy people. We foster an inclusive, collaborative culture that supports professional growth, flexibility, and meaningful work, empowering our employees to make a lasting impact on our clients, communities, and the planet. **What’s in it for you?** Woodard & Curran is seeking a Municipal Water Client Leader to grow municipal water services across the Northeast, focusing on drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and water resources. This role is ideal for an experienced engineer or project manager ready to expand beyond project delivery into client leadership, account growth, and business development while continuing to support meaningful water infrastructure projects. You’ll work alongside industry experts across consulting, engineering, Operations & Maintenance, and Integrated Solutions to deliver innovative solutions, strengthen client relationships, and help expand our presence throughout New England. This highly visible role offers leadership growth, strong client engagement, competitive benefits, bonus potential, and a clear path toward greater regional and practice leadership responsibilities. **Who are we looking for?** A relationship-focused municipal water professional with strong technical expertise, public-sector experience, and a passion for client service, team collaboration, and market growth. Why could this role be your next move. This opportunity provides greater client ownership, leadership visibility, and influence—supported by established client relationships, strong technical resources, operational expertise, and experienced leaders. You'll have the opportunity to grow your impact, build trusted partnerships, and help communities solve critical water challenges. **Travel:** Up to 20% travel within the Massachusetts region, including visits to local offices and project sites. **Candidate Location**: Must be based in Massachusetts or the surrounding area, with the ability to travel regularly to our Andover, Canton, and Boston Metro offices. **What will you be doing at Woodard & Curran?** As a Client Manager, you will build and strengthen municipal client relationships, identify opportunities, support business growth, and collaborate with technical teams to deliver innovative, client-focused solutions. This highly visible role focuses on serving complex municipalities and advancing Woodard & Curran’s reputation for technical excellence and exceptional client service. ### What you will be doing at Woodard & Curran: - Grow the municipal water practice across drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and water resources in the Northeast. - Serve as a trusted advisor by understanding municipal operational, regulatory, funding, and infrastructure challenges. - Identify client needs and proactively develop solutions aligned with capital planning and long‑term priorities. - Position the firm early for upcoming work through strong client engagement and insight into municipal planning cycles. - Lead or support project delivery with a focus on quality, responsiveness, and client service. - Collaborate with technical teams to align solutions with client expectations and deliver high‑quality outcomes. - Lead or support proposals and interviews including scopes, budgets, presentations, and positioning strategies. - Shape scopes, budgets, and schedules in partnership with clients and internal teams. - Develop account plans and growth strategies aligned with client needs and regional goals. - Support healthy account management by helping teams stay aligned on budgets, invoicing, communication, and expectations. - Strengthening client relationships and creating opportunities for technical teams to engage and grow. - Participate in conferences to build relationships and stay current on emerging technologies and market drivers. - Coach and develop staff to support technical and professional growth. - Contribute to a collaborative team culture focused on client success and high‑quality delivery. ### What you will need to succeed: - **10–20 years of municipal water experience** — wastewater, stormwater, drinking water, or water resources consulting. - **Bachelor’s degree in environmental or civil engineering** from an accredited program. - **Strong understanding of municipal decision-making** including budgets, boards/commissions, capital planning, procurement, regulatory drivers, and funding programs. - **Ability to understand client needs and project delivery** and identify opportunities to add value over time. - **Credibility with public‑sector clients** and ability to build relationships with engineers, operators, public works leaders, utility directors, and municipal stakeholders. - **Technical strength with interest in broader leadership** including client strategy, business development, and regional growth. - **Growth potential without needing an existing book of business** but with ambition, emotional intelligence, and initiative. - **People‑focused and collaborative mindset** with creativity and energy for solving complex municipal challenges. - **Enjoyment of team building and mentoring** and bringing the right people together to deliver high‑quality solutions. - **Growth mindset with desire for autonomy and visibility** and a broader platform to shape their career. - **Experience supporting proposals and client positioning** including scopes, budgets, interviews, and presentations. - **Desire to expand beyond technical execution** into client strategy, practice growth, and leadership. - **Strong communication and problem‑solving skills** with the ability to collaborate and build effective teams. - **Motivation to help grow the organization** and the ability to inspire, connect, and develop others. - Motivation to help grow an organization and the ability to inspire, connect, and develop others.