General Description
Chief of Engineering
Toho is looking for a senior engineering leader capable of operating effectively within a complex utility, infrastructure, or public-sector organization.
We are seeking demonstrated capability — whether developed in a directly comparable role or through related experience — in the following areas:
- Leading large-scale engineering and construction functions within a capital-intensive environment.
- Delivering complex, multi-year capital programs with accountability for scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risk.
- Establishing technical credibility across treatment facilities and linear infrastructure systems.
- Leading senior leaders and building organizational capability at scale.
- Aligning capital delivery with regulatory requirements, financial capacity, and long-range infrastructure strategy.
- Contributing meaningfully to capital budgeting, multi-year financial planning, and investment prioritization.
- Partnering effectively with procurement professionals to execute major engineering and construction contracts.
- Exercising sound judgment in determining when to engage deeply in technical matters and when to empower staff and consulting partners to execute within defined systems and expectations.
- Strengthening systems, controls, and performance frameworks in partnership with project management or program delivery organizations.
- Improving performance with urgency while maintaining trust, engagement, and organizational stability.
- Communicating effectively with Boards, regulators, elected officials, developers, contractors, technical professionals, and field teams.
- Demonstrating a leadership style that integrates performance accountability with genuine care for people.
The successful candidate will be disciplined, collaborative, and decisive. They will bring urgency without disruption, accountability without micromanagement, and technical rigor without ego. Most importantly, they will strengthen both the people and the systems required to deliver infrastructure at the scale and pace Toho demands.
General Overview
The Chief Engineering Officer is one of the most senior executives at Toho Water Authority and is the top-level engineering role within Toho (Sr. Vice President or Sr. Director may be comparable titles at other organizations). The position reports directly to the CEO / Executive Director and serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Team.
This is a people-first leadership role with high performance expectations. The Chief Engineering Officer is responsible for building strong teams, strengthening internal capability, reinforcing Toho’s culture, and developing future leaders — while delivering disciplined, measurable results across a capital program exceeding $1.5 billion over the next five years. Performance and care operate in parallel and are equally expected.
The role provides executive leadership and accountability for all phases of infrastructure delivery from Engineering through Construction. This includes oversight of Treatment Plant Engineering, Linear Asset Engineering and Management, and Construction through Director-level leaders.
Toho operates in a fast-growing and complex environment. Improvement in execution systems, predictability, technical consistency, and risk management must occur with urgency — but in a collaborative manner that brings employees and partners along. The Chief Engineering Officer is expected to build on what is working, address what must improve, and elevate performance quickly while strengthening clarity, engagement, and ownership across the organization.
The position works closely with the Chief Infrastructure Planning and Development Officer and the Director of PMO as peer executive partners. Success depends on strong collaboration, clear role alignment, and shared accountability across the full project lifecycle.
In Addition To The Core Responsibility Of Delivering The Engineering And Construction Capital Improvement Program And Building a High-performing Organization, The Chief Engineering Officer Will
- Provide executive input on regulatory strategy and intergovernmental coordination associated with major infrastructure initiatives, ensuring alignment with compliance requirements and regional growth priorities.
- Engage in capital budgeting, multi-year financial alignment, and investment prioritization discussions to ensure infrastructure delivery aligns with organizational capacity and defined risk tolerance.
- Participate as a key stakeholder in contracting strategy while leading contracting execution in partnership with the Procurement Department to ensure disciplined, transparent delivery of engineering and construction services.
- Work in concert with the Director of PMO as a peer executive partner to strengthen systems, controls, and performance expectations that improve efficiency, quality, predictability, and employee growth across project execution functions.
Technical rigor is essential. However, this role is not intended to replace the technical depth of internal staff or consulting partners. Direct technical engagement is expected where risk, complexity, or strategic exposure warrants executive involvement. A critical capability of this leader is knowing when to engage deeply and when to empower employees and consultants to execute within clearly defined systems and expectations.
This position operates with independence, executive judgment, and a bias toward action — strengthening systems and improving performance at speed while maintaining collaboration and organizational stability.
Essential Functions
- Lead all engineering and construction functions with clear expectations for both people development and performance delivery.
- Oversee Director-level leaders responsible for Treatment Plant Engineering, Linear Asset Engineering and Management, and Construction.
- Deliver Toho’s $1.5B+ multi-year Capital Improvement Program with disciplined execution in scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risk management.
- Build internal capability through succession planning, mentoring, workforce development, and recruitment of high-performing technical professionals.
- Work in concert with the Director of PMO to design and implement systems, controls, and performance frameworks that improve predictability, efficiency, quality, and transparency.
- Establish clear KPIs, accountability mechanisms, and growth pathways for engineering and construction staff.
- Provide executive-level engagement on high-risk, high-visibility, or technically complex projects, validating direction and ensuring alignment with organizational strategy and risk tolerance.
- Participate as a stakeholder in contracting strategy and lead contracting execution in partnership with the Procurement Department for major engineering and construction services.
- Engage in capital budgeting and long-range financial planning to ensure infrastructure investments align with financial capacity and strategic priorities.
- Provide executive input on regulatory coordination and intergovernmental infrastructure initiatives.
- Ensure engineering designs and construction execution support operational efficiency, lifecycle cost effectiveness, maintainability, safety, and regulatory compliance.
- Drive continuous improvement with urgency while maintaining collaboration and alignment across Planning, PMO, Engineering, Construction, Procurement, and Operations.
- Advance strategic initiatives as directed by the CEO.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain that required qualification would be;
- Bachelor's degree, with a focus on Engineering, Project Management, Environmental Science, Business Management or related areas.
- Minimum twelve years of progressively responsible engineering experience, including significant leadership of complex capital programs.
- Any combination of education and experience, which demonstrates ability to perform effectively, may be substituted.
- Must possess and maintain a valid State of Florida Class E Driver's License.
Physical Demands
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and bend, kneel, squat, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
WORKING CONDITIONS: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Environmental factors include indoor, flat surface, noise, sitting with occasionally walking and standing.
Health, Dental, and Vision Medical Insurance
Employee Onsite Wellness Center
401(a) and 457 Retirement Plans
Retirement Match
Group Basic Life Insurance / AD&D
Paid Vacation and Holidays
Paid Sick Time / Sick Bank
Employee Assistance Program
Flexible Spending Account Program
Dependent Care (FSA)
Longevity and Christmas Bonuses
Tuition Reimbursement
