Senior Project Manager - Growth Specialist

Ayres is seeking a dynamic engineering leader to grow our national dam safety practice out of our Fort Collins, Colorado office. This role combines staff supervision, project management, and technical delivery across a multidisciplinary team of engineering and geological experts. The ideal candidate will bring 8+ years of dam engineering experience, a PE license, and a passion for mentoring, client engagement, and business development. You’ll work with public and private clients, regulatory agencies, and internal Ayres service lines to deliver innovative, safety-focused solutions. This position will require up to 20% travel to other Ayres offices, project site visits and client meetings.

Join Ayres – a USA TODAY Top Workplace recognized in both 2025 and 2026 – where people-first leadership, collaboration, and professional growth create an environment where great teams do their best work. That people‑first culture is further reinforced by our recognition as a 2026 Colorado Top Workplace by The Denver Post.

On any given day, you’ll:

• Mentor a team of engineers and staff professionals to help grow internal design capabilities, market services to safety-focused clients, and oversee construction of impactful solutions.


• Demonstrate excellent written and oral communication.


• Confirm your team’s deliverables meet contract requirements, conform with Ayres’ quality standards, and meet the current industry standard of practice.


• Build respectful working relationships with other discipline leads and company leadership.


• Actively engage in professional organizations dedicated to improving dam safety.

Required Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in civil, geotechnical, geological, structural, hydraulic or related engineering field from an accredited university is the minimum requirement.  A master’s degree is preferred.


• Registered professional engineer (PE) in a US state with ability to become licensed by comity in Colorado, Wyoming, and other western states. 


• A minimum of eight years of experience in the field of dam engineering.  Previous experience in submitting approved analyses and designs to regulatory agencies for review is required.


• Proven ability to independently manage projects with engineering budgets of 500 to 5,000 hours.


• Competency for standard US design standards for engineering of dams and dam structures.


• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).


• A valid driver’s license and good driving record. 

Desired Skills and Experiences:

• Demonstrated passion for continued life-long learning and mentoring, excitement for expanding Ayres’ market presence, and commitment to improving your local community.


• Experience establishing mutually respectful, collaborative relationships with dam owners, contractors, and regulatory agency personnel is desired.


• Ability to commute to Ayres’ Ft. Collins office ten to twenty days per month (when not traveling or on personal leave).

Not sure you meet every single requirement?

We understand that no candidate is likely to match every qualification listed. If you are passionate about contributing meaningful and innovative solutions, leading impactful projects, and helping clients address complex challenges related to rivers and riverine structures, we encourage you to apply—even if your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every detail in the posting. Your unique perspective and skills could be a great fit for our team and the work we do in our Rivers and Water Resources groups.

Benefits of being part of the Ayres team: 

• Health, dental, and vision Insurance.


• Short and long-term disability and life insurance.


• Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) and 401K with company match.


• PTO, paid holidays including two floating holidays, and a flexible work schedule.


• Professional development opportunities.

Please note, benefits vary depending on job status. To learn more about our great benefits, visit our website at https://www.ayresassociates.com/careers/the-ayres-advantage/

Our good-faith compensation approach is fair and equitable, and takes into consideration only permissible factors including, but not limited to, market data, education, training, skills, and experience, and geographic location where the work is performed. A salary range for this posting is $135000 - $165000. The foregoing salary range represents what the company believes, in good-faith, it will pay for the posted opportunity. The individual selected for this role will be evaluated with the compensation factors in mind and placed appropriately.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer