Sr Water Market Director

Job Description

Overview 

Atkins Realis is seeking a Sr Water Market Director to provide executive‑level leadership for the firm’s water business across the United States. This role is responsible for setting and executing the water market strategy, driving sustainable growth, strengthening market positioning, and ensuring alignment across regions, disciplines, and services.

The Sr Water Market Director will serve as a spokesperson for Atkins Realis within the water industry, leading high‑impact pursuits, cultivating strategic client and partner relationships, and advancing innovative solutions across drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, water resources, resilience, and sustainability.

Your role 

Business Leadership and Performance

• Own and improve operational systems and processes.

• Drive performance metrics and efficiency.

• Manage budgets, forecasts, and profitability targets.

• Develop and promote a strong commercial and business acumen culture.

• Ensure compliance with various commercial requirements including contracts and subcontracts, claim management, corporate governance, and authority matrix.

• Ensure proper reviews and approvals for pursuit pricing strategy and project cost estimates.

• Oversee compliance with safety, quality, and technical standards.

National Market Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and lead the U.S. water market strategy, aligning growth priorities with Atkins Realis’ long‑term business objectives.

• Establish market focus areas, investment priorities, and go‑to‑market approaches across regions and water sub‑markets.

• Partner with executive, regional, and technical leadership to ensure consistent execution of national strategies.

Growth, Clients & Pursuits

• Drive national growth initiatives by identifying new market opportunities, major client programs, and emerging funding sources.

• Lead and support strategic pursuits for large, complex, and high‑visibility water projects and programs across the U.S.

• Build and maintain executive‑level relationships with key national clients, utilities, agencies, and industry partners.

• Strengthen Atkins Realis’ national brand and market presence through industry leadership, advocacy, and engagement.

Innovation & Integrated Solutions

• Champion innovation in areas such as climate resilience, water reuse, digital water, sustainability, asset management, and regulatory compliance.

• Collaborate across disciplines to deliver integrated solutions that address complex water challenges at scale.

• Monitor national industry trends, regulatory changes, funding programs, and emerging technologies to inform strategic decisions.

People, Culture & Performance

• Mentor and develop water market leaders, client managers, and technical leadership across regions.

• Support talent development, succession planning, and workforce alignment to meet national market demands.

• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

• Partner with operations and quality leaders to ensure consistently high performance, delivery excellence, and client satisfaction.

About you

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Environmental Engineering, Water Resources, or a related field; master’s degree preferred.

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in the water sector, including national or multi‑regional market leadership.

• Demonstrated success developing and executing national growth strategies and winning complex, large‑scale pursuits.

• Deep understanding of U.S. public and private water markets, funding mechanisms, and regulatory frameworks.

• Proven ability to lead through influence and collaboration across geographic regions and organizational boundaries.

• Exceptional executive communication, leadership, and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Professional Engineer (PE) license or similar professional credential preferred.

Rewards & benefits 

At Atkins Realis, our values—Safety, Integrity, Collaboration, Innovation, and Excellence—are more than just words. They are the foundation of who we are and how we work. These principles shape our culture, guide our decisions, and inspire us to create an environment where every team member feels empowered to grow, succeed, and make a meaningful impact.