Principal Engineer

About the role

We are SLR Consulting (US), a 500+ coast-to-coast team of advisory, environmental/engineering, and regulatory professionals. We deliver environmental and sustainability services to our clients through the integration of over 30 advisory, technical environmental, and engineering disciplines to help clients address some of their most complex challenges around sustainability. We are Making Sustainability Happen.

As our new Principal Scientist/Engineer/Geologist - Growth & Practice Leadership, you will play an important role on a team whose work is essential to achieving this goal.

Role

Many talented professionals reach a point in their careers where they're ready to lead-but don't yet have the platform, visibility, or autonomy to do so.

This role is designed for that next step.

We are seeking a principal-level environmental professional (Scientist, Engineer, or Geologist) to join and help grow our Bothell, WA Land Quality & Remediation (LQR) practice. This is an opportunity to:

• Step into immediate leadership responsibility
• Work with an existing base of projects and clients
• Build and expand your own client relationships over time
• Lead a small, high-performing, collaborative team
• Help shape the future direction of the practice

You will not be one layer among many. Your contributions will be visible, valued, and impactful.

What You'll Do

• Practice & Client Development
• Grow and expand a portfolio of work-leveraging both existing SLR clients and your own emerging relationships
• Build and deepen client relationships over time, supported by leadership, marketing resources, and established accounts
• Lead proposals, scopes, and pricing strategies with increasing autonomy
• Identify new opportunities, markets, and service offerings
• Technical Leadership
• Serve as Principal-in-Charge or senior technical lead on complex environmental projects
• Provide high-level oversight of investigation, remediation, and regulatory strategy
• Review and guide technical deliverables (work plans, RI/RA reports, remedy design, etc.)
• Support innovative and practical solutions across MTCA, VCP, and PLIA projects
• Team Leadership
• Lead and mentor a small, dedicated team of staff across experience levels
• Provide coaching, development, and day-to-day direction
• Help shape team culture, priorities, and growth
• Business & Operations
• Operate in a seller-doer capacity, with flexibility based on your strengths and career goals
• Manage project budgets, schedules, and staffing
• Contribute to hiring, team growth, and practice strategy

Why This Role is Different

• Immediate leadership - Step into a team leadership role now, not years from now
• Platform to grow - Inherit active work while building your own book at your pace
• High visibility - Your impact directly shapes the practice
• Entrepreneurial environment - Help define strategy, services, and growth
• Support without heavy bureaucracy - Access national resources with local autonomy
• Real career acceleration - Grow into a larger leadership role as the practice expands

Working @ SLR

• With us, there is no doubt you'll grow your subject-matter expertise and industry knowledge.
• We care about investing in our employees for the long-run, and if you ask our team, they'll tell you that's just one of the many benefits of working here.
• We want to be a place where you can experience career growth and satisfaction for many years.

Here's what else you'll enjoy as part of our team

• Competitive total compensation package including medical, dental, orthodontia, vision, FSA/HSA, generous PTO accrual, 10 paid holidays, 401(k) retirement account with company matching program, company paid life insurance, short & long term disability insurance, and employee assistance program.
• The salary range for this position is $130,000 - $160,000. Final agreed upon compensation will be commensurate with individual education, professional designation, experience, internal parity, and location.
• Full-time, permanent role with opportunities for professional growth and advancement

You'll be part of a tight-knit Bothell team where collaboration, trust, and quality matter. We value:

• Accessible leadership
• Practical decision-making
• Giving people room to grow into their potential

At SLR, you'll benefit from both local team culture and global resources.

Qualifications/Education/Memberships

• Typically, 10-15 years of experience in environmental consulting, including time operating at or near the principal level
• Strong technical background in site investigation and remediation (soil, groundwater, vapor, sediment)
• Familiarity with Washington regulatory programs (MTCA, VCP, PLIA)
• Demonstrated ability to build client relationships and contribute to business development
• An emerging or developing network of clients-even if relationships are still early-stage
• Experience supporting or leading proposals and client engagements
• Entrepreneurial mindset and desire to help grow a practice
• Interest in taking on greater leadership responsibility and mentoring others
• Strong communication, project management, and collaboration skills

Preferred

• WA PE, LG, or LHG
• Existing connections in industrial, real estate, energy, municipal, or redevelopment sectors
• Experience with vapor intrusion, sediment, or emerging contaminants
• Background working in larger firms or matrixed organizations

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are at the core of who we are and want to be.

At SLR, we embrace diverse cultures, perspectives, skills, and experiences within and outside our organization. We respect and celebrate differences and want to ensure that we continuously strive to build a place where everyone feels included and is encouraged to be their authentic self.