Operations Manager - Rapid City, SD Reports to: Operations Director Deadline to Apply: Monday, March 30, 2026 – 8:00am CST.
If you are seeking a rewarding career, join our growing firm now! The Rapid City, SD Operations Manager will work closely with team members in Rapid City and Spearfish to ensure income-earning activities are successfully managed and executed. The Operations Manager is responsible for the overall management of staff, business development, and operations within their assigned geographies.
The Operations Manager plays a key role in guiding teams, managing resources, and ensuring operational excellence in their assigned geography. This position is responsible for fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and growth while balancing project delivery, client relationships, and business performance. The Operations Manager partners closely with technical and client-focused leaders to ensure that projects are delivered successfully, employees are supported and developed, and the business continues to grow sustainably.
Responsibilities
Leadership
- Champion AE2S’s mission, vision, and values by cultivating a positive, high-performing team culture.
- Lead, organize, and motivate team members to achieve shared goals while modeling integrity, professionalism, and trust.
- Encourage innovation and maximize employee potential through mentorship, communication, and empowerment.
- Balance the dynamic needs of project execution and business development, recognizing when adjustments are needed to maintain alignment.
- Set clear expectations, provide constructive feedback, and celebrate accomplishments that advance company and individual goals.
Project and Workload Management
- Work closely with the Operations Director and other Operations Managers to align staffing and workload management across offices and disciplines.
- Ensure that projects are efficiently managed, aligned with client expectations, and completed to AE2S’s standards of quality and excellence.
- Remain technically engaged by dedicating approximately 50% of time to billable work, maintaining expertise in engineering practice and project management.
Financial Management
- Review financial metrics and take appropriate actions to support financial success for the office.
- Monitor key financial controls (billings, write-offs, accounts receivable, project profits, project variance, etc.) and assist the Project Managers in developing solutions to issues.
- Develop and manage annual budgets in alignment with guidance from Operations Director, company goals and operational priorities.
Staffing and Employee Development
- Ensure appropriate staffing levels to meet client, project, and internal needs.
- Analyze workload metrics to maintain appropriate staffing-to-workload ratios.
- Monitor utilization and direct labor ratios to ensure alignment with business goals.
- Manage assigned direct reports including performance evaluations, compensation reviews, performance management, and employment decisions
- Recommend employment actions (hiring, termination, promotion, bonuses, etc.) for direct reports and others within span of control.
- Participate in recruitment and hiring, including interviewing and selection of direct reports.
Client Management
- Strengthen and maintain relationships with existing and potential clients within the assigned geography.
- Partner with Client Program Leaders to drive business development efforts, supporting revenue growth and long-term success.
Operations and Safety
- Oversee daily office operations including workspace organization, maintenance, and safety.
- Ensure compliance with all health, safety, and security protocols both in-office and on job sites.
- Lead by example in promoting a safe, productive, and supportive work environment.
Basic Requirements
- Associate degree in engineering, engineering technology, business or related field and 7 years of experience in civil engineering OR
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, engineering technology, business or related field and 5 years of experience in civil engineering.
- Strong leadership and communication skills with the ability to foster teamwork and accountability
- Ability to travel as required for operations, projects, and client engagements.
Preferred
- Registration as a Professional Engineer (PE), or the ability to obtain within 6 months.
- Demonstrated experience in leading teams
- Financial and budgeting acumen with experience managing operational performance
- Proven ability to balance multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
Physical Qualifications
- Ability to walk up to 3-miles on uneven terrain.
- Ability to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time.
- Occasionally climb, stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist.
- Occasionally lift, carry, push, and pull light to moderate amounts of weight.
- May require lifting and carrying up to 20 pounds, with rare lifting of up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to inspect equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
- May be required to wear Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) including but not limited to, flame resistant clothing, hard hat, and protective footwear.
- May require occasional evenings and weekends with overtime expectations varying with workload.
- May be required to travel to off-site locations including occasional overnight stays out of town.
Elevate Your Career with AE2S – Award-Winning Culture and Unmatched Benefits
Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services (AE2S) is an award-winning, specialized civil/environmental engineering consulting firm that provides professional services and a unique brand of extreme client service. Our work environment is consistently recognized both locally and nationally for our great culture and values, proven recognition programs, and social atmosphere.
- Great Culture and Spirit where Creativity is Fostered
- Significant Opportunities to Grow and Advance
- 100-percent Employee Owned
- Core Values which Speak to the Heart of AE2S and its Employees
- Large, Diverse, and Challenging Projects with the Latest Technology
- Family-Friendly with Flexibility and Work-Life Balance
AE2S offers more than just competitive compensation and a best-in-class insurance package to our employees and families; our benefit plan is one of the richest plans currently in the marketplace today!
- 100-percent paid Family Health Insurance
- 100-percent paid Employee Dental, Short- & Long-Term Disability, and Vision Insurance
- Discretionary Bonus Plan
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
- Matching 401(k) Contributions with Discretionary Profit Sharing Contributions
- Paid Time Off (PTO) Credits for Past Experience
- Paid Parental Leave
- Wellness Program
AE2S is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action / Disability Employer
