Project Director Transportation at Arcadis, Irvine, CA

Project Director Transportation at Arcadis in Irvine, CA. Full-time. $212,000 to $318,000 a year. Apply with swipeandhired.

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role description:

Arcadis is seeking a Project Director focusing on Transportation projects. This position will provide leadership and oversight for highly complex projects, programs, or accounts, ensuring successful delivery in accordance with established project management standards and business objectives.

This role is accountable for project performance across key areas including schedule, budget, quality, health and safety, client satisfaction, risk management, and team performance. The Project Director serves as a senior project leader, providing strategic direction to multidisciplinary teams while maintaining strong relationships with clients, contractors, and internal stakeholders.

Role accountabilities:

• Lead complex projects and programs in accordance with established project management procedures, governance requirements, and delivery standards.

• Provide strong leadership, direction, and technical guidance to multidisciplinary project teams, creating a collaborative, high-performing environment focused on quality and successful project outcomes.

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with clients, contractors, project partners, and internal stakeholders.

• Provide strategic leadership throughout the project lifecycle, including project planning, execution, monitoring, reporting, and closeout.

• Monitor project performance against established goals, milestones, schedules, budgets, and quality expectations.

• Establish and maintain effective financial, project management, risk, and governance controls to support successful delivery.

• Identify, evaluate, and proactively manage project risks and opportunities, developing appropriate mitigation strategies and corrective actions.

• Contribute to commercial strategy, including the review and negotiation of contractual terms when appropriate.

• Lead project delivery meetings and ensure clear communication regarding project status, priorities, risks, issues, and required actions.

• Drive continuous improvement in project management processes and delivery methods to improve business efficiency and client satisfaction.

• Work collaboratively with resource managers and business leaders to ensure projects are appropriately staffed and supported.

• Maintain strong client relationships throughout the project lifecycle and identify opportunities to expand existing relationships and support future business growth.

• Ensure appropriate safety processes, procedures, and resources are in place and actively promote a strong health and safety culture.

Project Performance & Financial Management

• Establish and monitor project success criteria, including cash flow, margin, health and safety, quality, schedule, and client satisfaction.

• Manage project scope, schedule, budget, resources, and financial performance.

• Monitor contract requirements and project commitments, escalating potential issues and implementing corrective actions as necessary.

• Maintain effective project cost controls and proactively identify opportunities to improve project and business performance.

• Review project performance throughout delivery and implement improvements when established targets are not being achieved.

• Support effective resource utilization and overall business performance.

Leadership & People Management

• Provide clear direction to project team members regarding scope, budget, schedule, responsibilities, and performance expectations.

• Build and maintain strong relationships across project teams, clients, contractors, and operational leadership.

• Foster an inclusive, collaborative work environment where team members can contribute effectively and develop professionally.

• Manage and develop project team members by establishing clear performance expectations and providing ongoing feedback.

• Promote professional growth and development through regular coaching and performance discussions.

• Lead with integrity, accountability, openness, and professionalism while maintaining high ethical standards.

• Provide support and guidance to help project teams achieve successful delivery outcomes.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.

• 20+ years experience leading complex, large-scale projects or programs with responsibility for scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality, and client outcomes.

• Strong knowledge of contractual requirements, commercial principles, and project delivery practices.

• Demonstrated ability to successfully manage multidisciplinary teams and deliver complex projects from planning through completion.

• Strong leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and decision-making skills.

• Demonstrated experience managing project financial performance, including budgets, margins, cash flow, forecasts, and cost controls.

• Strong understanding of risk management and the ability to develop and implement effective mitigation strategies.

• Demonstrated ability to build trusted client relationships while balancing client expectations with project and business objectives.

• Experience working collaboratively across technical disciplines and organizational boundaries.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional registration or certification relevant to the position, such as Professional Engineer (PE), Registered Architect (RA), Project Management Professional (PMP), or Certified Construction Manager (CCM).

• Significant experience delivering major infrastructure, transportation, buildings, environmental, or other complex technical projects.

• Experience leading large multidisciplinary teams and coordinating across multiple business functions.

• Strong commercial acumen and experience with contract negotiations, change management, and issue resolution.

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We are an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Arcadis offers benefits for full time and part time positions. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision, EAP, 401K, STD, LTD, AD&D, life insurance, paid parental leave, reward & recognition program and optional benefits including wellbeing benefits, adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement. We offer nine paid holidays and 15 days PTO that accrue per year. The salary range for this position is $212,000 - $318,000. Actual salaries will vary and are based on several factors, such as experience, education, budget, internal equity, project and location.