About the Role
Charles P. Johnson & Associates, Inc. (CPJ) is seeking an experienced, motivated, and highly capable Division Manager of the Engineering Department to lead civil engineering operations, project delivery, staff performance, and client service for the Fairfax, Virginia office and surrounding jurisdictions.
This leadership role is ideal for a licensed Professional Engineer with strong land development experience, proven project management ability, and the desire to take ownership of both the technical and business operations of an engineering division. The Division Manager will oversee engineering staff, manage project budgets and schedules, support proposal development, monitor billing and project financial performance, and ensure high-quality delivery of civil engineering services.
The Division Manager will also serve as a senior technical resource and client-facing leader for complex land development projects from concept through approval, permitting, and construction support. Success in this role requires sound engineering judgment, strong communication skills, business awareness, leadership, and the ability to manage people, projects, clients, deadlines, and administrative responsibilities with accountability and professionalism.
Key Responsibilities
Division Leadership & Management Administration
- Lead, manage, and support the day-to-day operations of the Engineering Department.
- Provide supervision, direction, coaching, and performance feedback to engineers, designers, CAD technicians, and project support staff.
- Support staffing decisions, workload planning, resource allocation, and project assignments across the division.
- Promote accountability, responsiveness, quality, and collaboration within the engineering team.
- Participate in employee development, mentoring, training, performance management, and succession planning.
- Monitor departmental productivity, project status, staff utilization, deadlines, and overall division performance.
- Ensure internal processes, project documentation, quality standards, and administrative expectations are consistently followed.
- Collaborate with senior leadership on division goals, staffing needs, operational priorities, and business planning.
- Contribute to a team-focused culture while promoting CPJ's reputation for excellence, responsiveness, and client service.
Leadership Expectations
The Division Manager serves as the leader of the Engineering Department and is accountable for the overall performance, culture, operational effectiveness, and growth of the division. This individual is expected to lead by example, foster a culture of accountability and collaboration, and align departmental performance with company goals and strategic objectives.
People Leadership
- Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing engineering team.
- Establish clear performance expectations and hold team members accountable for results.
- Conduct regular coaching, mentoring, and professional development conversations.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, workforce planning, succession planning, and employee retention initiatives.
- Address employee relations and performance concerns promptly, professionally, and consistently.
- Foster a positive, collaborative, and results-oriented work environment.
- Develop future leaders within the department through mentorship and growth opportunities.
Operational Leadership
- Establish department priorities and ensure resources are aligned to meet project and business objectives.
- Monitor staff utilization, workload balancing, and project execution across the division.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance efficiency, quality, and client service.
- Ensure adherence to company standards, quality control procedures, and best practices.
- Promote operational consistency and accountability across all projects and teams.
Financial Leadership
- Maintain accountability for divisional financial performance, including revenue, profitability, utilization, backlog, and project budgets.
- Review project financial metrics and proactively address risks affecting project performance.
- Support annual budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning efforts.
- Oversee project billing, budget tracking, and resource planning activities.
- Ensure project managers effectively manage scope, schedules, budgets, and client expectations.
Strategic Leadership
- Contribute to the development and execution of departmental and company growth strategies.
- Identify opportunities for expanded services, market growth, and operational improvements.
- Support long-term workforce planning and succession planning initiatives.
- Stay informed of industry trends, regulatory changes, and emerging technologies that may affect the business.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to company leadership regarding engineering operations, staffing, and organizational needs.
Client & Business Leadership
- Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, agencies, consultants, and industry partners.
- Lead proposal strategy, scope development, fee preparation, and pursuit efforts.
- Support business development activities and contribute to annual revenue growth objectives.
- Represent CPJ professionally in client meetings, industry events, and public forums.
- Promote a culture of exceptional client service, responsiveness, and accountability.
Project Management, Budgeting & Financial Oversight
- Oversee civil land development projects from initial concept through final approval, permitting, and completion.
- Develop, review, and manage project scopes, schedules, budgets, cost estimates, deliverables, and staffing plans.
- Monitor project financial performance, including budgets, profitability, billing status, work-in-progress, and project completion progress.
- Review and support monthly billing, invoicing, budget tracking, and project financial administration.
- Identify project risks, scope changes, budget concerns, and schedule impacts, and communicate them proactively to leadership and clients.
- Coordinate with clients, municipalities, review agencies, subcontractors, subconsultants, and internal project teams.
- Ensure project deliverables are completed accurately, on time, within budget, and in accordance with client expectations and agency requirements.
- Support contract administration, proposal tracking, change orders, additional service requests, and project closeout activities.
Business Development, Proposals & Client Relations
- Lead and support proposal development, fee preparation, project planning, and scope development for new and existing clients.
- Assist with marketing the firm's capabilities to establish new clients and strengthen relationships with existing clients.
- Serve as a primary client contact for assigned projects and maintain regular communication regarding project progress, budgets, schedules, and deliverables.
- Attend client meetings, agency meetings, consultant coordination meetings, and occasional evening public hearings as required.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with clients, municipalities, regulatory agencies, consultants, and project partners.
- Identify opportunities for expanded services, repeat business, and strategic growth within the division.
- Represent CPJ professionally in the marketplace and support the company's continued growth in Northern Virginia and surrounding jurisdictions.
Technical Responsibilities
- Provide senior-level technical leadership for complex civil engineering and land development projects.
- Independently apply advanced civil engineering principles and practices to land development assignments.
- Review and interpret zoning regulations, development standards, municipal requirements, and review processes across multiple jurisdictions.
- Conceptualize and oversee civil design approaches for assigned phases of land and site development projects.
- Prepare and review grading, stormwater management, drainage, utility, roadway, erosion and sediment control, and ADA-compliant designs.
- Oversee storm drain modeling, hydrologic calculations, open channel modeling, detention basin modeling, and related design calculations.
- Provide technical guidance in resolving design issues, including detailed calculations, field investigation, inspections, and coordination of specific design elements.
- Make design recommendations, adaptations, and modifications to meet project objectives and agency requirements.
- Review technical specifications, contract documents, construction plans, reports, narratives, estimates, development applications, submittal documents, and response letters.
- Conduct constructability reviews and assist in the design, planning, and review of other civil engineering projects.
- Support project teams in obtaining local, state, and federal permits for land development projects.
- Perform or oversee field investigations and inspections as needed.
- Review work produced by staff for quality assurance, accuracy, code compliance, and adherence to project requirements.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or related field required at time of hire.
- Active Virginia Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
- Minimum of eight or more years of progressive civil engineering and land development experience required.
- Prior experience managing engineering staff, project teams, clients, budgets, schedules, and deliverables.
- Demonstrated experience preparing, reviewing, and managing site plans within Northern Virginia jurisdictions.
- Strong land development engineering experience, including large- and small-scale drainage and BMP design.
- Experience developing project scopes, budgets, proposals, fee estimates, schedules, and work plans.
- Experience with project billing, budget tracking, financial performance, and project administration.
- Proficiency with reading construction plans and interpreting zoning ordinances, development standards, regulations, and compliance requirements.
- Ability to prepare and review reports, narratives, development applications, submittal documents, technical specifications, and agency response letters.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, clients, subconsultants, deadlines, financial responsibilities, and competing priorities simultaneously.
- Strong leadership, communication, analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
- Experience with computer applications and civil engineering design software such as AutoCAD Civil 3D.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Project.
Preferred Qualifications
- Ten or more years of civil land development experience strongly preferred.
- Experience in a department manager, division manager, senior project manager, or comparable leadership role.
- Experience with Northern Virginia entitlement, zoning, bonding, permitting, and approval processes.
- Strong client-facing experience with the ability to build and maintain long-term professional relationships.
- Experience managing proposal development, contract scope, fee negotiations, additional services, and project profitability.
- Proficiency with storm drain modeling and Rational Method hydrologic calculations.
- Proficiency with open channel and detention basin modeling and design.
- Experience with HEC-RAS modeling and CLOMR/LOMR applications and processing.
- Knowledge of AutoCAD, Civil 3D, AES, CIVILD, WSPGW, PCSWMM, StormCAD, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, WaterCAD, or comparable engineering software.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor, develop, and retain engineering staff.
- Dedication to supporting the professional growth of junior and mid-level team members.
Technical Skills
- AutoCAD Civil 3D, Microsoft Office Suite, and Microsoft Project.
- StormCAD, PCSWMM, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, WaterCAD, AES, CIVILD, WSPGW, and comparable engineering software.
- Storm drain modeling, Rational Method hydrologic calculations, open channel modeling, and detention basin modeling.
- Site planning, grading, utility design, stormwater management, erosion and sediment control, roadway design, and ADA-compliant design.
- Technical reports, narratives, development applications, submittal documents, agency response letters, specifications, contract documents, and cost estimates.
- Project scopes, proposals, budgets, billing support, schedules, resource planning, and financial tracking.
What Makes You Successful
- Strong leadership presence with the ability to manage people, projects, clients, and business responsibilities.
- Ability to balance technical quality with budget, schedule, billing, and client service expectations.
- High level of accountability, professionalism, and follow-through.
- Strong sense of urgency in responding to clients, agencies, leadership, and internal stakeholders.
- Ability to make sound decisions, solve problems, and communicate clearly under pressure.
- Effective verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong work ethic, attention to detail, and commitment to quality.
- Ability to build trust with staff, clients, leadership, and project partners.
- Commitment to coaching, mentoring, and developing others.
- Ability to support company growth through strong project delivery, client relationships, and operational leadership.
Leadership Competencies
- Integrity, accountability, and sound professional judgment.
- The ability to lead through influence, coaching, and example.
- Strong conflict resolution and employee development skills.
- Excellent communication skills with executives, staff, clients, and external stakeholders.
- Business acumen with an understanding of profitability, utilization, forecasting, and operational performance.
- A commitment to building an engaged, inclusive, and high-performing team.
- The ability to make difficult decisions while maintaining trust, transparency, and professional relationships.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Charles P. Johnson & Associates, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. CPJ is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
Pay: From $130,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
