Senior Client Service Manager (Water/ Wastewater/ Infrastructure)

Job Description

We are seeking a Senior Client Service Manager (CSM) to lead strategic client development for priority municipal clients in the West region. This role is designed for an experienced relationship leader who understands municipal operations, major capital program funding and delivery, and the challenges of affordability, regulatory compliance, and community expectations.

As the strategic business partner for assigned clients, you will strengthen relationships, enhance client satisfaction, and position our firm to win work that aligns with both client missions and our firm's growth strategy. This position sits at the intersection of client strategy, project delivery, business development, and long-term partnership.

Relationship Leadership

• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with municipal leaders.
• Lead a Client Service Team to drive multi-level engagement across our organization and the client's.
• Maintain a deep understanding of client priorities, pressure points, and long-term plans.
• Translate client insights into actionable strategies that position our firm to win work and expand partnerships.

Client Strategy and Growth

• Align client challenges with our full suite of services and differentiators.
• Own growth outcomes for assigned clients, including sales, revenue stability, and profitability.
• Drive winning work by leading opportunity development-guiding capture planning, positioning, and proposal development strategies to secure new projects and programs.
• Partner with Area Growth Leaders, Area Directors and associated Enterprise organizations to establish and execute a targeted investment strategy.

Client Experience and Delivery Integration

• Collaborate with Project Directors and delivery teams to confirm client satisfaction across active projects.
• Identify and address performance risks early, safeguarding consistent delivery of high-quality work.
• Leverage active delivery to reinforce value and position for follow-on work and strategic expansion.

Accountability and Business Planning

• Lead client growth and business planning processes, establishing clarity of goals, investments, and expected ROI.
• Track relationship health, opportunity pipeline, and competitive insights.
• Foster a lifecycle view of client needs from planning through design, construction, and operations.
• Understand and track competitor's performance (i.e., wins, losses, market share with client, key staff).
• Develop relationships with other firms for intelligence sharing and securing teaming arrangements.

Internal and External Advocacy

• Serve as the internal advocate for the client, ensuring decisions reflect partnership needs.
• Represent the firm externally with professionalism, credibility, and a deep understanding of technical capabilities.
• Serve in a leadership capacity within professional organizations or NGOs that enhance our brand presence in the marketplace, foster client relationship-building, and create opportunities to connect with potential teaming partners.

What Success Looks Like

• Trusted advisor status with key client decision-makers.
• High client satisfaction validated by feedback and relationship health indicators.
• Predictable growth through proactive pursuit positioning and insight-not reactive mentality.
• Win strategic work consistently through disciplined capture planning and compelling proposals.
• Acting as a results-driven influencer who shapes client-focused strategies and activities that deliver measurable sales and profit.
• Strong collaboration among CSMs, Project Directors, technical teams, and marketing partners.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute a multi-year client growth strategy aligned with BC and client business objectives.
• Develop and advance the client business case, including revenue targets, service expansion, and positioning milestones.
• Secure and deliver profitable work while managing risk exposure.

• Lead the performance of the full client portfolio (projects and pursuits) to achieve revenue, margin, and backlog targets.
• Maintain utilization aligned with portfolio expectations.
• Provide regular performance calibration with Business Unit and Area/Market leadership.

• Build and lead an engaged, high-performing Client Service Team (CST) with clear accountability.
• Coordinate resources across business lines and engage SMEs to expand service breadth.
• Mentor developing team members and model effective client leadership.

• Expand relationships across client functional areas and leadership levels.
• Translate client insights and market intelligence into actionable growth strategies.
• Execute structured client engagement plans (minimum 20% client-facing time).
• Serve as Sales Leader on key pursuits; evaluate opportunities and develop win strategies.
• Maintain accurate client data and apply governance between CSM and PM roles to ensure unified client messaging and delivery alignment.
• Flexibility to adapt and execute various additional assignments based on evolving needs.

Mentorship

• May provide mentorship, guidance, support, and knowledge-sharing to help less experienced team members develop their skills and grow within their roles.

Skills and Competencies

• Proficiency in managing client portfolios to achieve revenue, margin, and growth outcomes.
• Advanced professional acumen in balancing project oversight with strategic client leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, evaluate, and scope new business opportunities in coordination with business leaders.
• Proficiency in go/no-go decision support and development of effective pursuit win strategies.
• Experience serving as Sales Leader for key proposals.
• Ability to identify and engage appropriate teaming partners to strengthen competitive positioning.
• Advanced proficiency in developing, expanding, and leveraging client relationships across multiple organizational levels.
• Strong ability to research and translate client business drivers into actionable growth strategies.
• Capability to identify emerging client needs and align BC capabilities to capture new market opportunities.
• Demonstrated ability to motivate and align multidisciplinary teams to execute business plans.
• Advanced facilitation, interview, and executive communication skills (written and oral).
• Working proficiency in risk identification, mitigation, and performance management.
• Familiarity with governance principles, decision-support models, and change leadership practices.
• Proficiency in leveraging digital tools, data systems, and AI-enabled platforms to support client and business performance.
• Advanced leadership skills with the capability to inspire and guide a team.

Experience

• Typically, a minimum of 10 years of experience in environmental engineering and consulting industry with progressive responsibilities including marketing and business development.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience in a Client Service Manager, Account Manager, Pursuit Lead, Project Director, or similar relationship-focused role.
• Demonstrated success in cultivating and expanding long-term client partnerships and achieving growth objectives.
• Proven ability to win highly competitive projects through disciplined capture planning and positioning.
• Understanding capital planning, funding mechanisms, regulatory drivers, and utility operations.
• Experience collaborating with technical delivery teams, pursuit teams, and executive leadership.
• Proven ability to recruit, develop, and mentor high-performing teams, fostering a culture of collaboration and growth.
• Effective communication and facilitation skills with the ability to influence without formal authority.
• Knowledge of large-scale CIP programs, alternative delivery models, and advisory/strategic services.
• Working knowledge of engineering scopes, project schedules, and project delivery risks.

Education

• A bachelor's degree in engineering, science, business, sales, or equivalent experience is required.

Who Thrives in this role

You will love this role if you're energized by partnering directly with client leadership to tackle complex challenges. You enjoy shaping strategy and driving alignment across diverse teams, bringing a growth mindset, and feeling confident leading without a script. Most importantly, you value long-term partnerships and understand that exceptional client service isn't just a responsibility; it's a competitive advantage.

Why join us

The communities we serve depend on strong, resilient, and affordable water and infrastructure systems. Our clients carry the weight of that responsibility every day-and they deserve partners who do more than deliver projects. They deserve partners who listen, anticipate, and act strategically.

If you are passionate about helping clients succeed and thrive at the intersection of strategy, delivery, and relationships, we would love to meet you.

Salary Range: The anticipated starting pay range for this position is based on the employee's primary work location and may be more or less depending upon skills, experience, and education. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Location B: $158,000 - $216,000

You can view which BC location applies to you here. If you have any questions, please speak with your Recruiter.

Benefits and Other Compensation: We provide a comprehensive benefits package that promotes employee health, performance, and success which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, an employee assistance program, paid time off and parental leave, paid holidays, 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match, performance-based bonus eligibility, employee referral bonuses, tuition reimbursement, pet insurance and long-term care insurance. Click here to see our full list of benefits.

About Brown and Caldwell

Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, Brown and Caldwell is a full-service environmental engineering and construction services firm with 50 offices and over 2,100 professionals across North America and the Pacific. For more than 75 years, we have created leading-edge environmental solutions for municipalities, private industry, and government agencies. We strive to be the company of choice-to our clients, who benefit from our passion for delivering exceptional quality, and to our employees, present and future, who share our commitment to client service, collaboration, and innovation. Join us, and you will find a home where you can do your best work, reach new levels of expertise, and enjoy exceptional development opportunities. For more information, visit www.brownandcaldwell.com

This position is subject to a pre-employment background check and a pre-employment drug test.

Notice to Third Party Agencies: Brown and Caldwell does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement and approved engagement request with Brown and Caldwell, Brown and Caldwell reserves the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency.

Brown and Caldwell is proud to be an EEO/AAP Employer. Brown and Caldwell encourages protected veterans, individuals with disabilities, and applicants from all backgrounds to apply. Brown and Caldwell ensures nondiscrimination in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

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