Director of Operations, West Central Water Market
Jacobs |
Jacobs | Posted Jan 8, 2026
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Full-time
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At Jacobs, we challenge today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission‑critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting‑edge manufacturing. We turn abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.
Your impact
We are looking for a visionary leader ready to shape the future of water infrastructure across the Jacobs West Central geography. If you embrace innovative solutions to provide our clients and communities the very best from a worldwide delivery team, join our purpose‑driven team of 1,200+ professionals spanning ten states. Innovation, sustainability and people‑first leadership drive everything we do.
We are excited to announce a career opportunity for an Americas West Central Director of Water Operations—a fast‑paced role reporting directly to the Executive Director of Operations with direct reports including Department Leaders, Managers of Projects, and select others. The successful candidate will bring a collaborative approach to cultivating partnerships across finance, sales, HR, Talent Acquisition, Health & Safety, and Jacobs Employee Network leaders.
Business Metrics and Key Performance Indicators
This position is responsible for delivering the fiscal‑year annual plan, inclusive of:
- Bottom line growth (net revenue and operating margin) year over year, consistent with CAGR and SAM.
- Operating margin with a proportional gross margin (GM) to general and administrative (G&A) per FY Plan GM/G&A ratio.
- Achieving net hiring goals, both US‑based and global (Global Aligned Team Members) needed to achieve both Billable Hours (BH) and Global Integrated Delivery (GID) Hours.
- Top line growth (jointly with sales team), inclusive of lowering booked to billed time.
- Continual delivery and improvement year over year of Days Sales Outstanding (DSO).
Responsibilities
As Director of Operations you will lead a high‑performing team and drive operational excellence, financial performance, and strategic growth for the Water Performance Unit (PU). You will be a key member of the West Central Leadership Team and champion innovation, inclusion and growth.
Financial Leadership
- Bring executive‑level business and financial acumen to deliver business KPIs and identify margin expansion opportunities.
- Lead quarterly Water PU business forecasts against the fiscal‑year plan.
Team & Talent Development
- Provide enterprise leadership, inspiring and mentoring future leaders through coaching and career development.
- Lead key recruiting and retention efforts, creating a culture of caring that invests in our people and results in continued low attrition and highly engaged teams.
Client & Market Engagement
- Drive market expansion through strategic partnerships and client engagement, in partnership with sales, regional technologist and alternative delivery leads.
- Grow global delivery models, promoting the use of global delivery centers to meet client commitments and bring innovative solutions from around the world.
Operational Excellence & Risk Management
- Promote BeyondZero, quality, and safety programs to create an incident‑ and injury‑free culture.
- Serve in key roles for higher‑risk projects and top pursuits, engaging with Jacobs contracting, risk and legal teams as appropriate.
Here’s what you’ll need
- Proven success in managing large, geographically dispersed teams.
- Strong financial acumen and experience with P&L ownership.
- Track record of operational transformation and driving growth.
- Inclusive leadership style with a passion for people development.
- Demonstrated ability to prioritize and execute top business needs while remaining agile.
- Champion for global delivery and digital delivery adoption & growth.
- Market knowledge of trends and drivers in the water market, including alternative (design‑build) delivery.
- 15+ years in leadership roles, preferably directly in operations for infrastructure and/or water markets.
- Engineering or business degree; master’s preferred.
Benefits
Health and welfare benefits designed to invest in you and the things you care about. Employees have access to medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the possibility to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs offers unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) for full‑time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, one floating holiday and caregiver leave. Certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonuses, and stock.
The base salary range for this position is $205,000.00 to $325,000.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience and relevant education or training.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
We value collaboration and believe that in‑person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations, enabling them to deliver their best work.
Our application experience is important to us. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.
About the Company
Jacobs
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