Strategic Advisory Innovative Project Delivery Practice Leader

This Opportunity

WSP is currently initiating a search for a Senior Vice President to lead our Strategic Advisory for Innovative Project Delivery Practice within our Advisory & Planning business line. The right individual can be based at any major city in the United States. 

Your Impact

The Strategic Advisory Innovative Project Delivery Practice Leader will develop a robust practice area focusing on delivery of traditional strategic advisory services supporting complex infrastructure projects through innovative delivery. This practice will support multiple sectors including transportation, water, energy and social infrastructure. 

Establishment and Leadership of the Practice

The Strategic Advisory Innovative Project Delivery Practice Leader will lead the establishment of a new practice area and a team of subject matter experts, including bringing up future leaders:

• Working with the Transaction and Delivery Strategy leadership team, design and implement the structure, operating model, and governance of the practice.

• Integrate existing advisory disciplines into a unified team, establishing shared goals, aligned processes, and clear accountability.

• Develop and communicate a compelling vision and strategy for the practice aligned with the wider Transaction and Delivery Strategy objectives and goals of the Advisory & Planning Business Line.

• Deliver against the agreed financial and commercial targets for the practice, including monitoring and reporting on performance and resource allocation.

• Ensure service delivery excellence, quality control, and compliance with WSP best practices.

• Drive effective resource management including resource pooling and other mechanisms that support agility.

• Manage project economics, including collections, work-in-progress (WIP) status, revenue forecasting, invoicing, and related financial oversight.

• Provide leadership and support to junior team members, and supervise the performance of junior team members, providing clear directions and regular monitoring and feedback on performance; ensure the on-going learning and development of junior team members

Growth and Market Development

The Strategic Advisory Innovative Project Delivery Practice Leader will build trusted, revenue-generating client relationships and develop a portfolio of projects:

• Identify and pursue new growth opportunities including targeting new sectors.
• Identify opportunities to grow existing sub-disciplines through expanded service offerings and new geographies.
• Drive collaborative business development strategies to increase market awareness of the services offered.
• Engage with governments, regulators and private-sector stakeholders to understand their requirements and develop our pipeline of qualifying infrastructure projects.
• Lead a diverse, multidisciplinary team of experts across multiple Advisory services offerings including but not limited to digital transformation, organizational transformation, investor advisory and due diligence, and finance and funding.
• Foster collaboration between teams to deliver integrated solutions to clients.
• Champion a culture of innovation, teamwork, and excellence across all disciplines.
• Collaboratively support the wider advisory services to identify new opportunities consistent with the Advisory & Planning Business Line growth strategies.
• Planning and analysis: Guide major capital projects from business case development, develop financing and funding models, develop asset management strategies; coordinate the development of pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, value-for-money analysis, public-private comparators, risk assessment and mitigation matrices, procurement models and evaluation criteria; prepare bidding documents for market issuance.
• Commercial advisory: lead the commercial assessment and viability of proposed transactions to ensure viability including market assessments, benchmarking, demand and revenue analysis, business model and contract reviews; evaluate delivery method options and procurement strategy; advise on contract terms and risk allocation; negotiate and manage changes and claims; manage project risks.
• Investor advisory and due diligence: develop strategies for technical, commercial and financial due diligence, implementing due diligence reviews resulting in recommendations on impacts of investments in infrastructure projects and assets; lifecycle planning, capacity assessments, Capex forecasting, and future-proofing strategies; asset condition assessments, operational performance analysis, optimization strategies, and Opex evaluations; facilitate and / or manage relationships with banks and financial institutions; oversee due diligence, risk analysis, and financial structuring activities for P3 projects.
• Governance and project delivery: develop strategies for timely and effective decision-making frameworks; advise and implement procedures and processes for project management; review, analyze, and recommend improvements to construction management processes and internal controls; facilitate partnering programs.
• Organizational development: evaluate and implement organizational structures, roles and responsibilities, and other processes that support implementation of infrastructure programs.
• Compliance: develop programs to ensure regulatory compliance and contract compliance, oversee and administer contracts and agreements.
• Deliverables: prepare, edit, proofread narrative reports and presentations of observations and recommendations as well as review datasets, identify insights, and develop presentation materials using analytics and visualization tools.

Cross-Discipline Leadership and Collaboration

The Strategic Advisory Innovative Project Delivery Practice Leader will collaborate across Business Lines and within the Advisory & Planning Business Line:

Areas of Focus

The Strategic Advisory Innovative Project Delivery Practice Leader will develop and lead Advisory support across the full project lifecycle, including strategy development, business case preparation, commercial structuring, and, where required, post–commercial-close support:

• Collaboration: collaborating in a teaming environment with other members of project teams for the successful planning, procurement and delivery of projects, including interacting with, and providing appropriate technical advice to engineers, investment bankers, financial analysts, legal counsel, and internal-client procurement teams.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Infrastructure advisory experience with a minimum of 15+ years in the field; relevant experience in the fields of infrastructure project development, structuring, project finance.
• Proven leadership & Change Delivery: 8+ years of senior leadership roles within management consultancy or other professional services firms, and experience leading consulting teams involved in large-scale transformational projects. Demonstrated ability to set strategic direction and successfully deliver multi-dimensional initiatives (spanning people, process, technology) with tangible business benefits. 
• Strategic & Influential Communicator: Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience working directly with C-suite and senior executives. Able to influence at all levels, shape executive decisions, and serve as a trusted advisor on change initiatives.
• Expertise in Change & Project Management: Deep knowledge of change management methodologies (e.g. Lean Change) and project/program management best practices. Proven ability to integrate multiple workstreams and disciplines (PMO, HR, IT, Communications, etc.) into a cohesive delivery approach. Familiarity with agile project management and Lean process improvement is essential.
• Global Mindset & HR Domain Knowledge: Experience working in or with diverse regions/cultures, with sensitivity to different regulatory and cultural contexts. Strong understanding of core HR functions and M&A integration processes (e.g. org design, cultural integration, HRIS/benefits/payroll alignment) to anticipate and address function-specific challenges.
• Analytical & Outcome-Oriented: Data-driven decision-making skills – capable of defining and tracking KPIs for change initiatives (e.g. adoption rates, cost savings, time-to-value) to measure team impact. Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple strategic priorities and “connect the dots” across concurrent projects and stakeholders.
• Business Development: Demonstrated ability to develop strategies to win new and repeatable work and to build a new, profitable practice area.
• Deep understanding of commercial strategy, business development, and stakeholder management in complex, multi-sector environments.
• Experience in large-scale transformation, digital, or operational improvement initiatives.
• Bachelor’s or equivalent degree in relevant field.
• Success in managing people and teams.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Deep expertise in an industry (e.g. energy, infrastructure), including active engagement in relevant industry organizations.
• Authorization to immediately work in the United States.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in relevant field (M.S., J.D., M.B.A., Ph. D)
• Existing client base and book of business 
• Experience using various project management tools like Procore, E-Builder, Primavera Enterprise©, Prolog©, and other toolsets
• Certifications: PMP (Project Management Professional), PE (Professional Engineer), or Certified Construction Manager (CCM)

WSP Benefits: 

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings. 

Compensation:

Expected Salary (all locations): $182,400 - $367,200

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

Expected Salary (Colorado only): $182,400 - $344,600

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and/or offer for this position within the state of Colorado, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

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