Transportation Project Manager Jobs in California

This Opportunity

If you are looking to learn, grow, and advance your career with a global industry leader, you will thrive at WSP. With over 70 years in the California transportation market, we have delivered some of the state’s most impactful transportation programs through teamwork, innovation, and a commitment to our communities. We are expanding to meet our clients’ evolving needs and are seeking people who are ready to solve problems, challenge the status quo, and help shape the future. Join a winning team and build what’s next with WSP!

WSP is seeking a motivated and experienced Vice President, Civil Engineering Transportation Project Manager (PID, PA&ED and PS&ED Delivery) to support our growing California Regional Transportation team, focusing on Caltrans and local agency roadway and civil engineering projects across Northern California. This full-time position may be based in our San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland or Sacramento offices. This role provides the opportunity to work closely with multidisciplinary civil engineering teams while delivering complex transportation projects that meet our clients’ objectives and help solve regional mobility challenges.

Job Overview

The Project Manager will lead and manage transportation projects from initiation through closeout, ensuring successful delivery in alignment with WSP’s core values, quality standards, and contractual commitments. This role provides technical project supervision and oversees all administrative, commercial, and technical aspects of complex and multidisciplinary projects. Responsibilities include managing scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality, and safety while maintaining strong communication with clients, subconsultants, and internal teams. The Project Manager is accountable for overall project performance and for delivering high-quality work that meets or exceeds client expectations.

The Project Manager will support the growth of WSP’s Northern California transportation practice by building and maintaining strong client relationships with local agencies and Caltrans. This role includes identifying and positioning for new opportunities, contributing to pursuit strategies, leading or supporting proposal development and interviews, and collaborating with market and business leadership to advance client growth. The ideal candidate brings a strong understanding of the regional transportation market, established client relationships, and the ability to assist in securing new work while delivering exceptional client service that strengthens WSP’s partnerships with Northern California transportation agencies.

Your Impact

People & Performance Leadership

• Provide project leadership, partnering closely with the Local Business Leader and Senior Management Team.
• Contribute to the overall growth and success of the California Region by supporting key performance indicators related to safety, quality, financial performance, and client satisfaction.
• Foster a collaborative and high-performing team environment that supports staff development, mentoring, and succession planning.

Business Development

• Support our clients and the industry through innovative thought and advancement of transformative transportation projects.
• Collaborate across Northern and Southern California offices and with National Business Line experts to provide clients with innovative and future-focused solutions.
• Support transportation business development efforts including market strategy development, client engagement and pursuit planning.
• Cultivate client relationships to identify new opportunities and support procurement of contracts with transportation clients, including Caltrans and local agencies.
• Develop strategic teaming alliances and partnerships to position WSP for new opportunities.
• Represent WSP in the transportation market through active participation in client and industry events and professional associations.
• Lead or support pursuits, including capture planning, proposal development, and interview execution.

Project/Program Management

• Lead the delivery of transportation projects for Caltrans and other local agencies in Northern California as an active member of the transportation team.
• Manage the delivery of PID, PA&ED and PS&ED projects across the full project lifecycle. Serve as Contract Manager, Project Manager, Sr Lead or other key leadership roles as appropriate based on project needs.
• Plan and execute projects, including defining scope of work, developing schedules, preparing fee.
• Participate in contract negotiations and support contract administration activities.
• Provide overall project management oversight to ensure strong project financial performance and adherence to project management, quality control, and risk management requirements, delivering projects on time, within budget, and to client satisfaction. Ensure the delivery of high-quality project deliverables, including PS&ED documents, engineering reports, project memorandums, etc.
• Guide and support staff in project management best practices, ensuring consistency with WSP standards and client expectations.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or closely related discipline.
• Active California Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Minimum of 12 years of relevant post-education experience in civil engineering and highway design.
• Minimum of 10 years delivering Caltrans related projects.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in project management.
• Advanced proficiency with Caltrans Design Development process, highway design and construction practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and grow highway design and transportation practice.
• Strong management and leadership skills with experience leading mid-level to senior level staff and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Proven ability to deliver projects on time, on budget, to client satisfaction with adherence to quality and risk management requirements.
• Strong and established client relationships and industry contacts in Northern California.
• Advanced proficiency with analytical and organizational skills, with business acumen to bridge the business and project management.
• Advanced proficiency with critical thinking and problem-solving skills to make assessments and calculations involving the application of project management principles, with a sound understanding of intent, impact, and optimal outcomes.
• Advanced proficiency with interpersonal and communication skills to interact effectively, persuasively, and tactfully with leadership, subcontractors, and employees at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent self-leadership with attention to detail, multi-tasking, and adjusting readily to the changing prioritization of responsibilities in a dynamic work environment.
• Works independently and provides guidance and leadership to mid-level to senior level team or project members, with strict adherence to QA/QC.
• Advanced proficiency with technical writing, office automation, relevant software, MS Office suite products, technology, spreadsheets, and PM tools.
• Strong experience in managing the review and approval of documents and discipline-specific project deliverables, processes, and plans in a multi-project environment is highly desirable.
• Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including senior management, subcontractors, consultants, and company-wide staff, including those with whom no formal hierarchical relationship exists.
• 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 project-specific needs. Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in civil engineering or closely related field.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

WSP Benefits:

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.

Compensation:

Expected Salary (all locations): $191,340 - $250,000

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.

The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.

NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:

WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.