Director of Operations - Structural Forensics

Department: Forensics

 

 

 

Lerch Bates is seeking an experienced leader to oversee and grow our structural forensic engineering team. The Director of Operations will lead business operations, technical project delivery, team development, and client relationships while driving strategic growth initiatives.

This role combines technical expertise, operational leadership, and business strategy. The ideal candidate brings experience leading forensic, rehabilitation, or building consulting teams and is comfortable managing complex projects, mentoring professionals, developing client relationships, and driving business performance.

As a leader within Lerch Bates, you will help shape the future of the practice by guiding team development, strengthening client partnerships, and contributing to long-term growth objectives.

 

 

 

About Lerch Bates:

Lerch Bates (LB) is a global technical consulting firm focused on improving how buildings perform for owners, designers, and the people who use them every day. For more than 75 years we’ve partnered on some of the world’s most complex and high-profile projects. Today we provide Total Building Performance expertise that integrates Building Science and Building Flow into a unified delivery model.

Our work spans design, construction, investigation, repair, rehabilitation, management, and modernization with one consistent goal: helping clients make confident, well-informed decisions in an increasingly complex built environment.

We are 100% employee-owned through our ESOP, which fosters an ownership mindset and accountability in everything we do. At Lerch Bates, your expertise matters, your voice carries weight, and your work directly contributes to our shared success as OneLB. 

 

 

 

What You’ll Do:

The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed in this position. They are not intended to prescribe or restrict the assignments that management may make.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop team members through coaching, technical guidance, and career development opportunities
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, performance discussions, and development planning with direct reports
• Foster a collaborative culture focused on technical excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Support hiring, staffing, succession planning, and team growth initiatives

Operations & Project Delivery

• Oversee project execution across multiple engagements, ensuring quality, schedule, and budget objectives are met
• Coordinate staffing and resource allocation to support utilization goals and business performance objectives
• Review technical deliverables for quality, consistency, and compliance with company standards
• Support proposal development and provide technical guidance on project scope and staffing needs
• Monitor project financial performance including revenue, invoicing, forecasting, and backlog management

Client Relationships & Business Development

• Build and strengthen relationships with existing and prospective clients
• Serve as a trusted advisor for key projects and strategic client engagements
• Identify opportunities for service expansion and business growth
• Support business development efforts through networking, presentations, and industry involvement

Strategic Leadership

• Monitor market trends, client needs, and industry developments to identify opportunities and risks
• Participate in strategic planning activities including forecasting, growth initiatives, staffing plans, and operational goals
• Provide business updates, performance metrics, and operational reporting to leadership teams

 

 

 

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or a related discipline
• PE, SE, AIA, or other relevant professional licensure preferred
• 8+ years of experience in forensic engineering, rehabilitation, building consulting, architecture, engineering, or construction
• 2+ years of leadership experience with responsibility for team management, business operations, and strategic planning
• Strong understanding of building systems, structural systems, design, and construction practices
• Experience managing complex projects, budgets, schedules, and client relationships
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop teams
• Strong business acumen and financial understanding
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and make sound decisions in a fast-paced environment

 

 

 

Why Work with Lerch Bates?

• Competitive compensation
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off (starting at 17 days annually)
• 9 paid holidays
• 401(k) with employer match
• Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP)
• Paid parental leave
• Professional development and tuition reimbursement
• Performance-based incentives and bonuses
• Employee assistance and wellness programs

 

 

 

Be more than just an employee…

 

Lerch Bates is 100% employee-owned! Our employee-owners bring a distinct “we own what we do” brand of technical consulting to every project and partnership. When you work with us, you join a company with an ownership mindset. Expect responsibility, service, and performance in everything we do. So, what does that mean for you? After a certain service time, you are eligible for stock ownership, which essentially works as an additional wealth accumulation and/or retirement account! 

 

 

 

Core Values

Ownership • Community • Integrity • Respect • Optimism

 

 

 

Working Environment:

This role involves both physical and mental demands and may be performed in various settings, including offices, construction sites, and confined spaces like elevator pits. Tasks often require frequent movement in multiple directions. Lerch Bates will provide reasonable accommodations upon request through Human Resources.

 

Physical Demands:

This role requires regular sitting, talking, and hearing in meetings and by phone. Employees must navigate tight spaces, climb ladders, move around construction sites, take measurements, and travel by car, air, or rail. Duties may involve working at heights and in confined spaces, using hands for tasks like typing and operating elevator components, and applying up to 30 lbs. of force. Close visual attention is also required.

 

Mental Demands:

This position requires strong written and verbal communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills. Employees must interpret complex information, apply mathematical and logical reasoning, quickly learn new skills, and manage detailed, multitask workloads under shifting deadlines. Regular interaction with executives, colleagues, clients, and external stakeholders is also expected.

 

 

 

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment background check and drug test. The drug test includes screening for marijuana, regardless of state or local laws permitting its use. A conditional offer of employment will be rescinded if a candidate fails either the background check or the drug test. This requirement is mandated by federal regulations applicable to our government contracting obligations.

 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law.