Job Description
Overview
Operations Leader - Land Service Line
Locations: Any WI, IA, IL, or MN office location
Type: Full‑Time | Salaried
MSA has an opportunity for an Operations Leader, a key leadership position responsible for the overall project delivery and outcomes within the Land Service Line via translating service line direction into coordinated execution by aligning leaders, teams, resources, and performance across a defined geographic region or practice area. MSA is open to candidates from any of our 17 Midwest office locations. The Land Service Line is primarily comprised of Agricultural Engineering, Environmental Services, GIS, Land Surveying, Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Waterfronts/Recreational Development personnel and projects.
In addition to driving project delivery and shaping meaningful outcomes, the Operations Leader also serves as a dynamic leader who inspires, mentors, and manages a high-performing group of Team Leaders, empowering them to excel in their roles. Alongside the Service Line Leader, this position leads efforts of MSA internally as well as with clients, agencies, and industry connections relative to Land operations.
MSA specializes in the sustainable development of communities and is proud to be 100% employee owned. With roots reaching back to 1919, MSA has grown from a rural land survey company into a multidisciplinary network of nearly 550 engineers, architects, planners, funding experts, surveyors, GIS experts, environmental scientists, and more who are committed to making communities better places to live, work, and play.
Come join the ownership team here!
Employee Testimonial:
"As an employee-owned company (100% ESOP), working at MSA is not just a job. We're genuine co-owners, and this ESOP setup promotes a culture of collaboration and engagement throughout MSA because we all have a direct financial interest as owners." -Project Engineer - Transportation, Cedar Rapids Office
Responsibilities
The work you may do
Client Experience, Growth & Market Presence
- Supports growth and client experience across the assigned area with disciplined pursuit decisions, coordinated resource engagement, and effective Client Liaison development.
- Maintains visibility into key client relationships, major commitments, and pre-project positioning; brings discipline and informed judgment to pursuit decisions based on strategy, capacity, and likelihood of success.
- Activates internal expertise and external partners as needed to ensure the right capabilities are engaged in pursuits and project commitments to deliver a consistent client experience and mitigate project risk.
Operational Performance & Profitability
- Owns operational performance across the assigned area in alignment with service line targets, coordinating performance across teams rather than individual teams or projects.
- Helps set expectations for assigned area KPIs and is accountable to the SLL for results, including revenue, profitability, utilization, backlog, and project delivery performance.
- Reviews performance at the Team Leader, Project Manager, and sub-service line levels; drives follow-up and corrective action through TLs where needed.
People Leadership, Culture & Development
- Reinforces culture and encourages development across the assigned area in alignment with service line goals and direction, leadership expectations, and core values.
- Fosters a culture of accountability, engagement, and performance among Team Leaders to support consistent leadership and Project Manager success.
- Builds leadership capability through constructive coaching of Team Leaders, clear cascading of direction, and creation of development opportunities for future leaders.
Operational Excellence, Quality, Systems & Risk
- Advances operational standards and systems across the assigned area in alignment with service line and firm-wide expectations.
- Drives consistency in project delivery, resource management, and quality through project reviews, staffing discipline, and compliance spot-checks.
- Promptly identifies and addresses operational issues, project and people risks, and improvement needs, escalating to the SLL as appropriate.
- Risk management
Workforce Planning, Talent Pipeline & Resource Coordination
- Leads workforce planning and resource coordination for the assigned area to support project delivery, growth, and long-term capability goals.
- Coordinates staffing and workload across teams and sub-service lines to balance utilization, engage appropriate experts, and support staff development priorities.
- Identifies talent needs, defines hiring priorities, structures supervisory responsibilities, and develops the pipeline of future Project Managers and Team Leaders.
Other Duties:
- Support the Service Line Leader in the development of business strategies and plans, including collaboration for the annual financial plan
- Responsible for knowing, communicating, and connecting people to the standards, capabilities, and resources at MSA
- Travel to other MSA offices, trade shows, and industry conferences is expected approximately 20-50% of the time, some overnight travel is expected
Qualifications
What you bring
Skills & Knowledge / Education & Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in a related field is required
- Valid drivers license required
- Professional License required (PE, PLS, AICP)
- 10+ years of experience in consulting engineering required
- 10+ years of managing direct reports preferred
- Prior experience managing similar Land-portfolio projects required
- Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and the management of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) required.
- This position requires you to have authorization to work in the United States for any employer. We will not provide sponsorship for this position
Why MSA
- 100% employee‑owned firm with 100+ years of community impact
- Collaborative culture with in-house experts for all disciplines across the firm
- Flexible work‑life integration
- Ongoing learning and professional growth opportunities for all positions
- Commitment to fostering a work environment where employees have a strong sense of inclusion and belonging
- Included on the "ENR Top 500 Design Firms" for over 27 straight years
Pay & Benefits*
- Compensation Range: $123,756–$204,198 (commensurate with experience)
- ESOP: Receive MSA stock shares annually, at no cost to the employee
- Medical, dental & vision insurance for you, spouse, domestic partner, and eligible dependents
- 17+ days PTO (potentially higher pending experience) + 8 paid holidays
- Paid parental leave regardless of birth parent
- 401(k) plan with company matching
- Short‑term incentive program for annual bonus opportunities
- Company‑paid life & disability insurance
*Full eligibility requirements for listed benefits will be discussed during the hiring process
MSA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. At MSA, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce, and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws.
If you are unable to submit your application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at [email protected]
Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer