Vice President, Water Resources Engineer

Xcel Energy is seeking a Vice President, Water Resources Engineer for their Ridgeland, MS office. The role involves providing leadership in water resources engineering, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations, and overseeing complex engineering projects. The candidate will collaborate with diverse teams and contribute to innovative solutions for environmental challenges. WSP promotes an inclusive work culture, encouraging candidates from various backgrounds to apply.
At WSP, we are driven by inspiring future-ready pioneers to innovate. We’re looking to grow our teams with people who are ready to collaborate in building communities and expanding our skylines. To do this, we hire candidates of all experiences, skillsets, backgrounds and walks of life. We actively foster a work environment and culture where inclusion and diversity is part of our fundamental structure. This is delivered behaviorally, through our policies, trainings, local partnerships with professional diverse organizations, internal networks and most importantly with the support and sponsorship of our leaders who help drive our commitment to an inclusive, diverse, welcoming and equitable work environment. Anything is within our reach and yours as a WSP employee. Come join us and help shape the future!

Our Business

We are a global leader in environmental consulting - made stronger with the recent acquisition of Wood’s Environment & Infrastructure business and Golder - with world-class expertise in environmental, social and governance (ESG), climate resiliency & sustainability (CRS), and earth sciences. Combined we have over 20,000 multidisciplinary professionals worldwide collaborating daily to protect and conserve natural landscapes, create firm foundations for communities to stand on, and champion sustainable development to combat climate change.

As part of the team, you will have access to an unparalleled network of resources and endless opportunities to collaborate on exciting projects with diverse teammates from across the globe.

This Opportunity

WSP is currently initiating a search for a VP, Water Resources Engineer for our Ridgeland, Mississippi office. Be involved in projects with our Earth & Environment Team and be a part of a growing organization that meets our client’s objectives and solves their challenges.

Provides leadership within a sector of organization to ensure water resources engineering subject matter, technical deliverables, and programs are delivered with a level of quality that meets or exceeds acceptable industry and company standards. Responsible for SME innovation and administration; ensuring corporate compliance with all Local, State, and Federal environmental and safety regulations; and providing pragmatic direction to address current and future environmental challenges in a rapidly-changing and complex business climate.

Your Impact
• Provide proactive and strategic leadership for the engineering discipline and function, offering direction, expertise, and support to ensure project and work site deliverables are successfully achieved within the business sector.
• Perform engineering review of permit applications, engineering design plans and specifications, standby plans and engineering contracts, integrated waste management plans, and periodic construction inspections, to ensure that they comply with applicable state and/or federal regulations and sound engineering practice and standards.
• Lead larger-scale more complex engineering projects ensuring contributors know what they are required to do and by when, preparing and overseeing relevant project budgets, monitoring external events, tracking hours and expenses, ensuring satisfactory performance, and supervising subcontractors, contract work, and employees.
• Meet with various public or private entities or individuals to discuss issues relating to a variety of environmental problems and programs.
• Actively foster compliance with applicable Federal, State, and Local environmental laws, policies, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure that engineering discipline certifications, accreditations, and value proposition is developed and continuously improved.
• Conduct needs analyses and client value surveys to align the engineering discipline’s function with business and project strategy, identifying and addressing any skill gaps or risks within the sector business operations.
• Schedule engineering discipline meetings, providing updates and recommendations to ensure that all reasonable and proper measures are taken to inculcate discipline expertise and innovation into project work.
• Serve as one of the engineering discipline’s lead representatives/liaison to a variety of external entities including Federal, State, and Local Agencies, Clients, Subcontractors, industry-related groups, and various government and community entities.
• Develop and inform proposal and project scopes, timelines, pricing, and budgetary metrics – and accountable for planning, development and management of projects in compliance with all applicable City/State/federal codes and regulations, and in accordance with all acceptable engineering practices.
• Interpret and summarize data, including reports and documents that result in sound engineering, engineering, and regulatory conclusions.
• Provide verbal and/or written inputs to multi-disciplinary project teams and contribute to providing high level strategic advice to clients.
• Develop a client base for providing high level water resources engineering services including identifying additional business development opportunities.
• Mentor staff to support their growth and professional development.
• Manage and provide performance guidance and leadership to assigned staff.
• Collaborate with professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide future ready solutions for clients.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering, with a focus in Water Resources or closely related discipline.
• 12+ years of relevant post education experience in water resources engineering.
• Engineer license required (multi-state preferred).
• Advanced proficiency with water resources engineering principles, practices, process, design/build, standard of care, and the application to environmental permitting and project work-related issues.
• Strong working knowledge of relevant environmental laws, regulations, compliance practices, and record-keeping requirements, and the business impact upon the organization.
• Advanced proficiency with making technical computations and calculations involving the application of engineering principles, understanding plans and specifications and making factual comparisons to the appropriate regulations.
• Works independently and provides guidance and leadership to mid-level to senior level team or project members, with strict adherence to QA/QC.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Tactical lateral thinking and strong analytical skills with attention to detail and prioritization of responsibilities in a pressure work environment.
• Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including senior management, clients, regulators, and company-wide staff, including those with whom no formal hierarchical relationship exits.
• Advanced proficiency with office automation and communication software, technology, math principles, predictive models, and tools.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
• Strong ability to quickly adapt to change and demonstrate flexibility to a variety of schedules and hours to meet business needs.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications
• Master’s Degree in Engineering.
• Strong experience in managing the review and approval of documents and discipline-specific deliverables, certifications, processes, and plans in a multi-project environment is highly desirable.