Vice President Civil Engineering Jobs in Michigan

PROFESSIONAL CIVIL ENGINEER - VICE PRESIDENT / DIRECTOR OF MICHIGAN OPERATIONS -

Project Control Engineering, LLC | Algonac, Michigan | Flexible Hybrid Arrangement

Base Salary: $140,000-$170,000

Performance Incentive | Sign-On/Relocation Support | Long-Term Ownership Opportunity

Lead an established Michigan civil engineering and surveying firm

Project Control Engineering, LLC (PCE) is seeking an experienced Licensed Professional Civil Engineer to lead Michigan operations and guide the continued growth of our firm. This is not a traditional project-manager or administrative office-management position. It is a senior leadership opportunity for an accomplished civil engineering professional prepared to oversee the daily performance of an established engineering and surveying practice.

The selected leader will be responsible for employees, project delivery, client service, financial performance, quality, business development, and operational improvement. This individual will work directly with ownership to preserve PCE's responsive service while strengthening the firm for long-term success.

About PCE

PCE serves municipalities, private developers, property owners, contractors, and other public- and private-sector clients. Our services include:

• Municipal engineering and civil infrastructure planning and design
• Water, sanitary sewer, stormwater, and roadway improvements
• Private land development and professional surveying
• Construction observation and administration
• CCTV, utility investigation, field, and technical support services

PCE's reputation is built on long-term relationships, practical solutions, local knowledge, accessibility, and personal responsibility. We want a leader who respects that history and can build upon it.

The opportunity

The Vice President / Director of Michigan Operations will serve as PCE's senior day-to-day operating leader. This position offers the opportunity to:

• Lead an experienced multidisciplinary team and strengthen client relationships.
• Influence operations, culture, staffing, and strategic priorities.
• Improve project delivery, financial performance, and leadership development.
• Establish a potential path toward long-term ownership or equity-equivalent participation.
• The director will remain involved in selected projects and major client matters, but the primary responsibility is leading a well-run, accountable, responsive, and profitable Michigan operation.
• Primary responsibilities
• Operational leadership
• Direct the daily operations of PCE's Michigan office and professional-services practice.
• Coordinate engineering, surveying, construction services, field operations, project management, and administrative support.
• Establish clear priorities, responsibilities, reporting relationships, and decision-making processes.
• Lead operations, staffing, and project-resource meetings.
• Resolve workload, staffing, scheduling, communication, and delivery issues.
• Promote consistent procedures while preserving PCE's practical approach to client service.
• Work with ownership on priorities, budgets, staffing plans, and long-term business planning.
• Financial and project performance
• Assume responsibility for revenue, backlog, utilization, project performance, operating margin, billing, and collections.
• Review project budgets, schedules, staffing plans, work in progress, accounts receivable, and forecast-to-complete information.
• Hold project managers accountable for scope, schedule, budget, quality, client communication, and collections.
• Improve project initiation, scope control, change-order documentation, invoicing, and financial forecasting.
• Assist with annual budgets and periodic forecasts.
• Give ownership concise, reliable reporting about operations, risks, opportunities, and corrective actions.
• Project delivery, quality, and risk management
• Establish effective project-management and QA/QC practices.
• Participate in major project initiation, staffing, technical review, contract review, and risk decisions.
• Ensure professional services are appropriately supervised and reviewed.
• Monitor projects with significant budget, schedule, client, technical, contractual, or professional-liability exposure.
• Promote timely communication and early identification of problems.
• Coordinate responses to disputes, claims, and significant client concerns.

People leadership

• Lead, coach, evaluate, and develop project managers, engineers, survey personnel, technicians, field staff, and administrative leadership.
• Clarify roles, authority, performance expectations, and accountability.
• Participate in performance reviews, compensation recommendations, promotions, corrective action, and succession planning.
• Lead recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, development, and retention efforts.
• Mentor emerging project managers and future company leaders.
• Address employee concerns and conflicts promptly, professionally, and fairly.
• Foster a culture of teamwork, respect, accountability, growth, responsiveness, and client service.
• Client relations and business development
• Serve as a senior representative of PCE with municipal, development, institutional, contractor, and professional clients.
• Maintain regular contact with key clients and community partners.
• Protect existing relationships and identify appropriate opportunities for expanded services.
• Lead or participate in proposals, interviews, presentations, negotiations, and major client meetings.
• Develop client-service and business-development plans.
• Coordinate client responsibilities among ownership, project managers, and technical leaders.
• Participate in appropriate municipal, civic, professional, and industry organizations.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from an accredited program.
• Active Michigan Professional Engineer license, or the ability to obtain it through comity within an agreed period.
• At least 12 years of progressively responsible civil engineering experience.
• At least five years of meaningful leadership responsibility involving professional, technical, or multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience managing financial performance, including budgets, utilization, backlog, revenue, margin, and collections.
• Demonstrated success managing important client relationships.
• Experience with business development, proposals, interviews, and contract negotiations.
• Strong understanding of professional-services contracts, scope, change management, QA/QC, and professional-liability risk.
• Ability to lead experienced professionals, resolve difficult issues, and make timely decisions.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• High standards of professional judgment, ethics, accountability, and client service.

Preferred qualifications

• Fifteen or more years of progressive civil engineering experience.
• Experience leading a civil engineering, surveying, municipal, land-development, or multidisciplinary consulting office.
• Experience managing a professional-services business unit with approximately $2 million-$10 million in annual revenue.
• Established municipal, development, contractor, or professional relationships in Southeast Michigan.
• Experience with municipal engineering, water and wastewater systems, stormwater, roads, land development, surveying, construction administration, or field services.
• Experience developing project managers and future business leaders.
• Experience implementing project-management systems, financial dashboards, quality procedures, or operational improvements.
• Business, financial, or executive-leadership education or training.
• Experience with ownership transitions, long-term incentives, or closely held professional-services firms.

Compensation and long-term opportunity

PCE anticipates a base salary of $140,000-$170,000, depending on qualifications and experience.

The anticipated package also includes:

• Annual performance-based incentive
• Competitive sign-on incentive
• Relocation assistance where appropriate
• Health and related employee benefits
• Retirement benefits and paid time off
• Professional-development and licensing support
• Approved hybrid-work flexibility following successful onboarding
• Eligibility for a formal long-term ownership or equity-equivalent opportunity after an appropriate performance and vesting period
• Ownership or long-term incentive participation will depend on demonstrated performance, continued service, professional and cultural alignment, and definitive written agreements.

Location and work arrangement

PCE's headquarters is in Algonac, Michigan, along the St. Clair River. This is a visible leadership position and is not fully remote. The successful candidate must maintain a meaningful and consistent presence with PCE's employees and clients.

During onboarding, the anticipated schedule will generally include approximately four days per week in the Algonac office, with flexibility for client meetings, project visits, and remote work. Following successful onboarding, the director may generally work approximately three days per week from the Algonac office and up to two days remotely, at client or project locations, or from another approved regional location. The final arrangement will depend on business needs, leadership requirements, client responsibilities, and the candidate's circumstances.

A meaningful leadership and ownership opportunity

PCE is looking for a long-term leader who wants responsibility for an established Michigan professional-services business and a meaningful role in its future. The right candidate will develop employees, serve valued clients, strengthen performance, and participate in the value created through that leadership.

Project Control Engineering, LLC is an equal opportunity employer.

Please contact Laura Watson at 810-794-1931 to schedule an interview.