Water Supply Planning Lead; Senior Advisor

Water Supply Planning Lead (Senior Advisor) Austin, TX

The Water Supply Planning Lead (Senior Advisor) is a recognized water supply planning expert and trusted advisor who provides company wide leadership on complex water resources challenges. This role guides long-range water supply planning, demand forecasting, source reliability and yield analysis, conservation, drought preparedness, alternative water supplies, and resilient infrastructure strategies. Working across offices and disciplines, the Senior Advisor helps clients make informed decisions that support reliable service, regulatory compliance, sustainable growth, and long-term water security.

The ideal candidate is an externally recognized thought leader with deep experience evaluating surface water, groundwater, reuse, conservation, and other supply options; leading regional and statewide water planning initiatives; and solving the most complex technical, regulatory, financial, and stakeholder challenges. The role translates advanced analyses into clear, actionable recommendations for utility leaders, public agencies, elected officials, and multidisciplinary teams.

Consistent with Halff’s Senior Advisor career level, this position focuses primarily on strategic planning, market and client development, major pursuits, technical mentoring, industry leadership, and advancement of the firm’s water supply planning capabilities, while serving as a technical or project advisor on select high-impact assignments.

• Strategic Technical Leadership:
  Serve as Halff’s senior subject matter expert and trusted client advisor for long-range water supply planning, water availability, demand forecasting, system yield and reliability, conservation, drought preparedness, and source diversification.
• Complex Planning and Problem Solving:
  Proactively identify, define, and solve complex water supply challenges that integrate technical, regulatory, financial, environmental, infrastructure, and stakeholder considerations.
• Water Supply Evaluations:
  Guide assessments of surface water, groundwater, reuse, conservation, interconnections, transfers, storage, and other alternative supplies, including feasibility, permitting, reliability, risk, cost, and implementation considerations.
• Multidisciplinary Initiative Leadership:
  Lead major regional and statewide water planning studies and initiatives across offices and practices, aligning teams around scope, technical approach, quality, schedule, budget, risk, and client objectives.
• Strategy and Market Growth:
  Influence water supply planning strategy, identify emerging business and regulatory challenges, develop market-positioning plans, and help shape service improvements that strengthen Halff’s competitive advantage.
• Client and Business Development:
  Build long-term relationships with utilities, districts, river authorities, groundwater districts, public agencies, and industry partners; lead strategic pursuits, capture planning, teaming, technical approaches, and client presentations.
• Technical Quality and Risk:
  Provide senior-level review and advisory oversight for models, planning assumptions, technical memoranda, reports, regulatory documentation, and implementation plans; promote consistent QA/QC and defensible decision-making.
• Staff Development:
  Mentor and coach technical professionals, project managers, and emerging leaders; identify training needs; share best practices; and strengthen the firmwide water supply planning talent pipeline.
• Industry Leadership:
  Represent Halff through professional organizations, conferences, publications, presentations, and advisory roles that expand the firm’s reputation as a leader in water supply planning.

• Bachelor’s degree in civil, environmental,…