Waterfront Grants Manager

Foth is a 100% member-owned science and engineering consulting firm headquartered in Wisconsin, with over 85 years of success. Our 750 members across 33 locations are dedicated to solving our clients’ toughest science and engineering challenges. Consistently ranked by Engineering News Record in the top 150 firms, we offer a values-based, collaborative, and flexible work environment with professional growth opportunities. If you thrive working alongside a smart and caring team, Foth may be the place for you.
Join our team and experience the Foth difference that contributes to our impressive 92+% member retention rate! Learn more at foth.com/careers.

Foth is seeking a Waterfront Grants Manager to help coastal and waterfront clients connect long-range infrastructure priorities with regulatory requirements and realistic funding strategies. This position can be based in any Midwest Foth office and requires limited travel.

The ideal candidate combines port or transportation planning experience with knowledge of environmental review, infrastructure policy, and public funding programs. This self-starter can work across technical, planning, policy, and client teams, exercise independent judgment, and clearly advise when a project is or is not a strong fit for a funding program.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Advise ports, municipalities, and transportation agencies on long-range infrastructure, capital improvement, and funding strategies
• Evaluate port, freight, rail, roadway, waterway, and multimodal needs to help clients prioritize investments and connect projects to broader transportation plans
• Assess project eligibility, readiness, and competitiveness for federal, state, and private funding programs; recommend alternative funding or project approaches when alignment is weak
• Develop, review, and submit competitive grant applications and supporting documentation in compliance with sponsor requirements
• Manage grant administration through award and post-award reporting, including milestones, deliverables, deadlines, and program metrics
• Monitor transportation and maritime policy, regulatory requirements, industry trends, and funding programs to identify client impacts and opportunities
• Build relationships with clients, agencies, funding organizations, government officials, and other stakeholders while coordinating multidisciplinary teams
• Prepare implementation plans, presentations, reports, RFQ/RFP responses, and other client-facing materials

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Transportation Planning, Urban or Regional Planning, Public Policy, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science or Policy, Natural Resources, Maritime Studies, or a related field
Minimum 7 years of experience in port, freight, transportation, or infrastructure planning; environmental permitting; regulatory compliance; grant development; or related consulting
Experience translating client priorities into infrastructure, project, policy, or funding strategies
Demonstrated experience evaluating or pursuing federal, state, or local infrastructure funding opportunities
Experience coordinating regulatory reviews, environmental compliance, or public-sector planning processes
Strong project coordination, technical writing, stakeholder engagement, and independent decision-making skills

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience supporting ports, coastal or waterfront infrastructure, freight systems, or multimodal transportation projects
Experience with port master planning, capital improvement planning, freight planning, or infrastructure investment strategies
Familiarity with federal transportation, maritime, infrastructure, and environmental policy and grant programs
Experience reviewing engineering, architectural, or construction documents and coordinating multidisciplinary project teams
Established relationships with port authorities, transportation agencies, regulatory agencies, funding organizations, or other public-sector stakeholders
Lead environmental permitting and regulatory compliance for coastal and waterfront projects, including local, state, and federal approvals
Conduct or oversee environmental documentation, including NEPA reviews, Environmental Impact Statements, Environmental Assessments, Biological Assessments, and technical reports