Water Projects Manager

Job Type: Full-time exempt

Community Water Center acts as a catalyst for community-driven water solutions through organizing, education, and advocacy. CWC has offices in Visalia, Watsonville, and Sacramento, CA. We seek to build and enhance leadership capacity and local community power around water issues, create regional movements for water justice in California, and enable every community to have access to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water.

At CWC, we believe that safe, clean, and affordable water is a human right, not a privilege. Our organizing and advocacy work, community collaborations, and organizational culture all reflect a concern for equity, mutual respect, appreciation for diversity, and environmental and social justice. We are looking for candidates who share our values, who bring a willingness to contribute to our mission and to the growth of a new organization, and who are open to developing their skills. 

Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to lead and manage drinking water infrastructure projects. The ideal candidate will have a relevant background with a focus on public works and project management and a strong commitment to social and environmental justice.

Position Description

The Water Projects Manager position is a full-time exempt position that will be responsible for proactively managing and expediting drinking water projects from inception to completion and ensuring that information about drinking water problems and potential solutions is communicated effectively to impacted residents and that projects are responsive to community needs. This position will shape rural water projects while bridging technical solutions, advocacy, and community organizing. This role requires an individual who can navigate the California central valley water and political landscape and can effectively coordinate with community residents, government agencies, contracted consultants, and affliate organizations. This position will report to the Water Projects Director and will be based in the San Joaquin Valley office in Visalia. All employees at CWC are “at will."

Major Responsibilities

(To be carried out directly and/or by guiding supervisees.)

• Manage multiple water infrastructure projects to ensure long-term access to safe and affordable drinking water.
• Track and manage staff, timelines, budgets, consultants and other program components and resources to most effectively advance ongoing long term water solutions projects.
• Proactively advance projects by urging key actors to take timely action and provide the necessary urgency to slow moving government processes.
• Help strategically develop and lead future community solutions work.
• Identify and address barriers related to access to safe and affordable drinking water and specific project delivery.
• Track and manage grant and project funding to ensure project success.
• Develop funding applications, including scopes of work and budgets.
• Support the development, tracking, and reporting of project outcomes and performance metrics.
• Identify funding gaps for projects and lead the pursuit of additional sources of funding where needed.
• Assist communities in understanding their drinking water quality and connect them to short-term drinking water resources such as bottled water and hauled water.
• Develop technical analysis, informational materials, and other resources that are accessible to a non-technical audience on topics relevant to water quality and projects.
• Support CWC’s organizing and advocacy efforts by:
• Participating in community meetings and one-on-one outreach to provide updates on project progress.
• Strategizing with staff and community partners to advocate for and advance projects and overcome political or bureaucratic barriers.
• Support CWC’s policy advocacy efforts by:
• Identifying areas where policy changes are necessary to address project barriers
• Providing technical support such as review of State Water Board policy documents plans relevant to protecting community drinking water supplies
• Supervise water projects staff members.

General Duties

• Foster an environment that promotes trust, respect and cooperation amongst staff, management, community members, and affliate organizations.
• Actively participate in staff, management, planning, and program meetings; reporting processes; and staff retreats.
• Actively participate in CWC activities such as advocacy events and fundraising events.
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director, Supervisor and other Directors.

Note: Nothing in this position description restricts CWC’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities at any time.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's in Civil Engineering, Environmental Science, Community Development, Environmental Planning, Resource Management or a related field
• Minimum of 5 years relevant experience (Master’s degree can count towards experience)
• Project management experience, including oversight of project contractors (e.g. consultants working on specific technical aspects of a larger environmental project), and scope, budget and schedule development and tracking.
• Experience managing other staff as a direct supervisor and/or as the lead of a project team.
• Experience reviewing technical analyses and information preferably related to drinking water, wastewater, the environment, health, or social justice; and synthesizing technical information for non-technical audiences
• Strong interpersonal skills (tact/diplomacy, persuasion, cooperation, ability to identify issues and move forward with shared solutions, ability to motivate others) and ability to e?ectively interact with colleagues, governmental agencies, consultants, and the public
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Outstanding organizational skills, including the ability to make progress on multiple projects concurrently.
• Fluency in English

Preferred Qualifications

• Fluency in Spanish
• Engineer in Training (EIT) Certificate or Professional Engineer (PE) license
• Experience managing grant-funded projects
• Experience applying for grant funding and packaging multiple funding sources to complete projects.
• Experience managing and analyzing data, including geospatial data.
• Knowledge of drinking water quality and treatment, piped drinking water systems, drinking water wells, wastewater collection and treatment, and groundwater quality and management.
• Experience working in the San Joaquin Valley or familiarity with key environmental justice issues facing these regions
• Experience working with low-income communities and/or communities of color

Physical and Travel Requirements

• This position requires a valid CA drivers license, the ability to drive on highways, the ability to travel within California and participate in outreach activities as needed, and the ability to work some evenings and weekends. The role may involve periods of sitting, standing, walking, or carrying materials of up to 50 lbs.

Starting Date: Open until filled

Salary Range: $90,000- $115,000 per year (based on experience and qualifications)

Application: To apply, email resume and cover letter to View email address on thenonprofitnetwork.org

Benefits: We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package which includes: medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; retirement contributions; generous vacation, family and sick leave and holiday policies; hybrid (remote and in-person) work location policy; work from home reimbursements; flex-time; professional development opportunities and more.(Benefits guidelines and eligibility vary based on tenure and employment status, among other factors.)

Community Water Center is a 501(c)(3) organization. As such employees may be able to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. To learn more about the Community Water Center, visit our website at