Our People
Meet James Chae
Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
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Driven by a passion for environmental stewardship, James Chae has dedicated his more-than-30-year career to making the planet a cleaner and better place to live.
His commitment to sustainability and improving wastewater systems reflects his deep-seated values and desire to contribute positively to the world.
As the Director of Operations for the Northwest Water and Cities & Places business at Jacobs, James is passionate about people and identifying growth opportunities for the talented individuals within the team. This involves evaluating the skills and potential of employees and creating strategies to develop their careers and focusing on succession planning – all while identifying growth opportunities for the talented teams under his leadership, ensuring a bright future for his staff.
His diverse experience has equipped him with a deep understanding of the industry and the ability to effectively manage complex assignments and projects. James began his journey at Sverdrup in 1994, which later became part of Jacobs in 1999. His technical expertise in wastewater conveyance has propelled him into project manager roles for both design and construction management. He has also held various leadership roles, including group leader, manager of projects, national conveyance technical practice leader, and water market leader, showcasing his versatility and openness to new challenges.
“I’m proud to be part of a company that has so many different ways where we can truly change our world, and the communities that we live in.”
James Chae
Get to know James
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30
years of experience in the industry
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1999
year he joined Jacobs after the acquisition of Sverdrup
As you reflect on your 30-year career, what has been your best experience?
So many great memories, but I would have to say my best experience has been growing up together at Jacobs and seeing the fruitful careers of all those that I started with as entry level engineers in the mid-90s and beyond.
What sparked your passion for working in this industry?
I wanted to play a part in being a good steward of our planet and making it a cleaner and better place to live.
What motivates you to stay at Jacobs?
So many things – Jacobs is a company that exhibits integrity, “walks the talk” in terms of our values, is forward-thinking, and has limitless ways to learn and grow.
What’s your favorite part of your role?
I love team building, identifying leaders, and growing the many different parts of our Americas’ Northwest business.
When you aren’t working, what are we most likely to find you doing?
Spending time with my family and friends, serving at my church, and enjoying the outdoors whenever I can.
What excites you about the future of this industry?
I think there has been more change in the past ten years in our industry as compared to the previous 100 years. It’s exciting to be part of how new technologies are transforming how we do business and solving our challenges in more efficient and impactful ways.
Can you share a piece of advice for future generations?
Never limit yourself! Try new things, find out what you like, challenge yourself, be excellent at whatever is before you, build your own adventure and pay it forward!
What is the biggest challenge in your market?
Finding enough talent to deliver for our clients. Remedying this challenge, will require having continued and increased focus on taking care of our staff, finding and integrating local talent, and partnering with our vast global workforce.
What do you enjoy most about being part of #OurJacobs?
I’m proud to be part of a company that has so many ways where we can truly change our world, and the communities that we live in.