Cape Fear Public Utility Authority seeks a Chief Engineer to lead planning, design, and delivery of water and wastewater infrastructure for the greater Wilmington, NC area. This role oversees capital improvement programs, asset management, and system upgrades to ensure safe, reliable service and environmental stewardship. The Chief Engineer manages a multidisciplinary team, directs consultants and contractors, and guides budgets, schedules, and standards. The role partners closely with operations, environmental, and leadership teams to ensure regulatory compliance, resilience, safety, and long-term infrastructure sustainability for the community.
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership for water and wastewater engineering programs and projects
- Oversee planning, design, and delivery of capital improvement and infrastructure projects
- Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and engineering standards
- Manage engineering budgets, schedules, contracts, and consultant relationships
- Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary engineering team
- Collaborate with operations, environmental, and customer service teams to optimize system performance
- Develop and implement asset management and reliability programs for critical infrastructure
- Advise executive leadership and board on technical risk, resilience, and long-term capital planning
- Drive safety, quality, and environmental stewardship in all engineering activities
- Represent CFPUA with regulators, community stakeholders, and professional organizations
Required Skills
- Civil engineering
- Water and wastewater infrastructure design
- Capital project management
- Asset management and lifecycle planning
- Budgeting and financial management for capital programs
- Regulatory compliance (water and wastewater)
- Contract and vendor management
- Team leadership and staff development
- Hydraulic modeling and system planning
- Risk management and resilience planning