Waterfront & Coastal Engineering Practice Leader

Waterfront & Coastal Engineering Practice Leader

At GEI, we’re passionate about designing resilient, sustainable, and inspiring waterfronts. From harbors and marinas to seawalls and dunes, our work protects and enhances some of the most iconic and vulnerable coastlines in New England and beyond.

We’re looking for an experienced Waterfront & Coastal Engineering Practice Leader to join our Portland, Maine office — a thriving coastal setting that blends professional challenge with everyday balance.

You’ll lead and contribute to a diverse range of projects, including:

• Marine infrastructure - ports, piers, marinas, ferry terminals, and waterfront facilities.
• Coastal resilience and stabilization - beach nourishment, dune restoration, living shorelines, seawalls, revetments, and bulkheads.
• Waterfront planning and adaptation - integrating climate change and sea level rise strategies into harbor improvement and community growth initiatives.
• Facility inspections and assessments - supporting in-house engineer-diver and drone teams to evaluate and rehabilitate critical structures.

Your Impact

• Expand our waterfront and coastal engineering practice by cultivating new and existing clients and markets, while also cross‑selling GEI’s core services across environmental, water resources, ecological, and civil engineering.
• Serve as a technical leader and mentor, support recruiting, staff development, and team management.
• Lead proposal development; maintain strong visibility in the marketplace through ongoing client engagement, participation in professional organizations, and presentations at industry events.
• Manage a variety of waterfront and coastal engineering projects.
• Develop and oversee project plans, schedules, and budgets.
• Serve as a technical lead for the design of waterfront structures, including preparation of construction drawings, specifications, cost estimates, and engineering reports.
• Contribute to strategic planning efforts at the office, regional, and national levels.

• Proven success in growing and leading practice, including mentoring and developing staff.
• B.S. in Structural or Civil Engineering (M.S. preferred).
• 15+ years of experience in structural, civil, or coastal engineering.
• Registered professional engineer in Maine, or ability to obtain within 6 months of joining GEI.
• Strong design experience in concrete, steel, timber, and aluminum structures.
• Familiarity with permitting at local, state, and federal levels.
• Experience managing interdisciplinary design teams.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• A valid U.S. driver’s license and willingness to travel for site work (some overnight trips).
• Comfortable working outdoors in various weather conditions.

• Extensive experience in the Maine waterfront practice with a well-established professional network.
• Significant experience in the New England Region and a well-established professional network

Some of the world’s most pressing problems – from climate change to sustainable development, to critical infrastructure and the future of our energy supply – need our brightest and diverse minds working together to create safer, more resilient communities for tomorrow.

We are technical experts, collaborators, and entrepreneurs who draw from diverse backgrounds to solve our clients’ most complex challenges.

With several offices across North America, we offer a range of engineering, science, and technical consulting services. Our range of expertise, project types, and culture make us the choice for top talent in the AEC industry. See all our office locations here .

Employee-owned. Employee-focused.

As an employee-owned company, our employees support our flat leadership structure, have a say in how our business operates and benefit from our financial success. We are committed to employee growth with career development opportunities, competitive total rewards, a well‑being program, flexible work arrangements and more. Our company culture is driven by our 4 Cs – we are Client‑Centered,…