Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Underground Utility Director

🎯 Role Definition

The Underground Utility Director is a senior public works/municipal or private-sector leader responsible for the strategic direction, fiscal management, technical oversight and operational performance of underground utility programs. This role leads multi-discipline teams and external consultants/contractors to plan, design, construct, rehabilitate and maintain water, sewer, stormwater, and other subsurface infrastructure while ensuring compliance with federal, state and local regulations, implementing asset management, and coordinating with utilities, developers, contractors and the public.

Primary SEO keywords: Underground Utility Director, utility construction, capital improvement program (CIP), water distribution, sanitary sewer, stormwater, asset management, GIS mapping, contract administration, utility coordination.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Utilities/Project Manager (Public Works or Private Utility)
Civil Engineering Manager / Utilities Engineering Lead
Construction Manager with heavy underground utilities experience

Advancement To:

Director of Public Works / Utilities
Chief Operating Officer (construction/utility firm)
VP of Infrastructure / Regional Utilities Director

Lateral Moves:

Capital Projects Director
Asset Management Director
Environmental Services Director

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the development, implementation and continuous improvement of the underground utilities Capital Improvement Program (CIP), including multi-year prioritization, lifecycle cost analysis, funding strategies, and schedule management to deliver water, sewer and stormwater projects on time and within budget.
Direct all phases of utility projects from feasibility and concept planning through design, permitting, procurement, construction and final closeout, ensuring quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) and adherence to scope, schedule and budget.
Prepare, justify and manage annual operating and capital budgets for the utilities program; monitor expenditures, revenue projections, grant funding, and provide detailed financial reports to executive leadership and elected officials.
Oversee the selection, negotiation and management of consultant contracts and construction contracts (RFP/RFQ, bid evaluation, negotiations, award, change order control), ensuring contract compliance and performance against deliverables.
Provide technical leadership and engineering oversight for complex underground utility systems (water distribution, sanitary sewer collection, stormwater conveyance, pump stations, force mains, telemetry), reviewing designs and construction methods for constructability and long-term operability.
Lead and enforce a comprehensive safety and compliance program across utility operations and construction activities; ensure contractor and staff compliance with OSHA, EPA, state DOT, NPDES, AWWA and local regulatory standards.
Maintain, improve and champion the utility asset management program including asset inventory, condition assessment, rehabilitation prioritization, remaining useful life modeling and capital renewal planning; integrate CMMS and GIS for data-driven decision making.
Manage utility locating and abandonment programs, oversight of One-Call / 811 coordination, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), and conflict resolution to minimize service disruptions and damage to existing infrastructure.
Serve as the primary liaison with federal, state, and local agencies, adjacent municipalities, utility companies (electric, gas, telecom), developers, and franchise utilities to coordinate design, permitting, easements and right-of-way acquisitions.
Direct field inspection and quality assurance programs for construction and rehabilitation projects, enforce as-built documentation and verify contractor compliance with design and specifications prior to acceptance.
Implement trenchless and rehabilitation technologies (CIPP, pipe bursting, sliplining, directional drilling) where appropriate to reduce cost, community impact and environmental disturbance.
Establish performance metrics, KPIs and reporting mechanisms for utility operations, capital delivery, customer response times, and regulatory compliance; present program performance to senior leadership and governing bodies.
Oversee emergency response planning and execution for utility incidents (breaks, sewer overflows, sinkholes), including on-call rotations, mutual aid agreements, damage assessment and rapid restoration of service.
Lead workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, development, performance management and succession planning for utility engineering, inspection and maintenance staff; promote continuous training on safety, standards and best practices.
Direct the development and maintenance of construction standards, specifications, standard details, materials lists and approved vendor lists to promote uniformity and reduce risk across projects.
Manage permitting efforts and environmental reviews for utility projects, including coordination with environmental permitting authorities, wetlands, stormwater management and cultural/archaeological reviews.
Evaluate, pilot and implement emerging technologies and data systems (GIS, IoT telemetry, SCADA, condition assessment tools, digital twins) to increase reliability, reduce costs and improve operational visibility.
Administer grant programs, loans and alternative funding mechanisms (state revolving funds, FEMA, federal grants), prepare grant applications, manage compliance and reporting.
Provide high-level customer service and community relations—respond to public inquiries and complaints, attend public meetings, and coordinate public outreach to minimize disruption during project delivery.
Establish and manage interdepartmental agreements and service level agreements (SLAs) for shared responsibilities such as street restoration, traffic control, permitting and inspection coordination.
Ensure accurate record drawings and transition of completed projects into maintenance programs, including verification of as-built information, GIS updates and CMMS asset entries.
Develop and implement risk management and contingency plans for capital and operations programs including financial risk mitigation, contractor performance risk and regulatory compliance risk.

Secondary Functions

Support development of policies, ordinances and standards related to underground utilities, developer extensions, and franchise agreements; recommend updates to the governing body as needed.
Coordinate real estate and easement acquisition activities required for utility projects, including preparation of legal descriptions and representation in negotiations.
Provide technical review and approval of private developer utility plans, ensuring compliance with municipal standards and integration into public systems.
Lead stakeholder engagement and community outreach programs for high-impact projects, including public hearings, informational materials and project hotlines to maintain trust and transparency.
Mentor emerging leaders and technical staff by providing coaching, training opportunities and cross-functional project assignments to strengthen department bench depth.
Collaborate with IT and data teams to support integration of asset data into enterprise systems, support ad-hoc reporting needs, and implement data governance practices for utility records.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Civil or related discipline preferred; equivalent combination of education and experience considered.
Demonstrated expertise in utility design and construction standards for water distribution, sanitary sewer, stormwater and related underground infrastructure.
Proven experience managing multi-million dollar capital programs (CIP) including budgeting, forecasting, procurement, and project controls.
Contract procurement and administration skills including RFP/RFQ development, bid evaluation, negotiation, change order control and claims management.
Strong knowledge of federal/state/local regulations and permitting requirements: EPA, NPDES, AWWA standards, OSHA construction safety, state DOT specs and local codes.
Experience with GIS-based mapping and utility locating tools; proficiency in GIS data management and integration to CMMS or asset management systems.
Familiarity with design tools and deliverables: AutoCAD/Civil 3D, hydraulic modeling (EPANET, InfoWater), pipe network modeling and hydraulic analysis.
Experience with trenchless technologies and rehabilitation methods (CIPP, sliplining, pipe bursting, HDD) and condition assessment techniques (closed-circuit TV inspection).
Experience implementing and using CMMS/asset management platforms (Cityworks, Infor EAM, Maximo) and understanding of data requirements for lifecycle planning.
Knowledge of construction inspection practices, QA/QC protocols, materials testing, and as-built documentation processes.
Financial acumen including capital funding options, grants management, cost estimating, and lifecycle cost analysis.
Experience with emergency response coordination, mutual aid agreements, and incident command structures.
Proficient in Microsoft Office, project management tools (Primavera, MS Project) and reporting dashboards; comfortable interpreting and presenting technical data to non-technical stakeholders.

Soft Skills

Strategic leader with demonstrated ability to set program direction, motivate cross-functional teams and drive results in a politically sensitive environment.
Excellent communication skills: clear public speaking, persuasive writing for staff reports, grant applications and board presentations.
Strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills for contractor disputes, interagency coordination and developer agreements.
High emotional intelligence and stakeholder management—able to build trust with elected officials, community members, utilities and staff.
Analytical and data-driven decision making with the ability to translate technical analysis into actionable recommendations.
Effective change management skills to modernize processes, adopt new technology and improve service delivery.
Proven mentorship and team development capabilities; commitment to building a safety-first culture.
Customer service orientation and responsiveness to internal and external service requests and service level expectations.
Political acuity and ability to navigate municipal governance, public scrutiny and elected official interactions.
Time management and prioritization skills to simultaneously manage multi-project portfolios and emergency response needs.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Environmental Engineering, Public Administration or closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Civil Engineering, Public Administration (MPA), Business Administration (MBA) or related advanced degree.
Active Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Civil Engineering
Environmental/Water Resources Engineering
Construction Management
Public Administration
Infrastructure Asset Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8 to 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in underground utilities, public works, or heavy civil construction with at least 5 years in a supervisory or management role.

Preferred:

10+ years leading municipal or utility underground programs, including direct responsibility for capital program delivery, contract administration, permitting and regulatory compliance.
Demonstrated experience managing teams of engineers, field inspectors, and maintenance personnel; experience in both private sector contractors and public agencies is advantageous.