Highways & Roads Market Sector Director
🔍 United States, Nebraska, Omaha
At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?
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Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.
Highway & Roads Market Sector Director
Primary Responsibilities
Market Sector Directors (MSD) are one part of the HDR matrix management structure that drive our business. At HDR, the Highway & Roads (H&R) market sector is the largest market sector in the company representing nearly $1B in annual revenue globally. The H&R market sector includes clients that own and operate highways, toll roads, city, town and local roads, and bridge structures that carry the same roadways. While HDR looks to bring all professional services to our clients, the primary professional services that comprise the H&R market sector include: bridge and highway design, traffic engineering, transportation planning and tolling services.
An understanding of H&R clients, their funding and revenue streams, and their existence within state, federal, and local governmental structures, is the foundation of this role. The primary responsibilities of the Highway & Roads Market Sector Director are divided into three areas:
- Market leadership and business development (+/- 70%)
- Staff development (20%)
- Support to Operations (10%)
Market Sector Directors serve to set the vision for HDR’s strategy to expand and provide services to clients in the associated market sector. Working in partnership with region and area business group leadership, they support areas to achieve implementation of growth initiatives and develop staff to achieve annual market sector booking, revenue and profit goals. The Market Sector Director will facilitate the development and implementation of business strategies in coordination with business group leadership, operational leadership, client managers, business class directors and practice group leaders. Responsible to the Transportation Business Group (TBG) Market Strategy Director, the Market Sector Director maintains frequent and regular communication with region and area business group leadership to implement the strategic growth plans and operating plans at the market sector level.
In the US, HDR has ongoing contracts and relationships with nearly every state department of transportation as well as with numerous towns, counties and cities within those states. HDR is expanding to have similar contractual relationships in Canada, the UK, parts of the Middle East and Australia. Part of HDR’s strategic plan is to continue and strengthen the growth of the market sector to clients outside the US. Our H&R market sector professionals engage with local area clients and bring expertise in bridge and highway design, traffic and transportation planning and design, as well as construction management and administration. Our H&R market sector professionals also engage with clients to bring all HDR services including advisory, environmental, strategic communications, facilities and more.
The Highway and Roads Market Sector Director is responsible to support area business development and client management while at the same time defining and implementing key initiatives for growth, coordinating best practices and quality professional services, and projecting the HDR brand in the marketplace. Specific attention is required to engage the wide spectrum of employees throughout the Market Sector while at the same time developing and reinforcing the image of HDR across our clients and markets.
Business Development Responsibilities – The Market Sector Director will be the leader responsible for understanding and assessing the marketplace, supporting local areas in determining the best business approach for HDR, and supporting areas to win and secure contracts. The Market Sector Director will be focused in the respective market sector, but a part of business development efforts will include working with our cross-sectors and other TBG market sectors, as well as other market sectors in other business groups. The Market Sector Director will lead an organization that is effective in gaining market share, and that will cooperatively interface with local area client development programs and the area business development leads to:
- Oversee the creation and implementation of strategic vision and direction for the market sector – coordinating the visions of the technical and professional services offered to the clients with the business group and operations leadership across the firm.
- Serve as the Client Manager for selected key clients within the market sector.
- Engage in selected projects as Principal-In-Charge
- Promote the marketing and delivery of all HDR services to clients within the market sector working with our client managers
- Participate as a member of the Transportation Business Group Management Team.
- Work with Regional Business Group Directors (RBG) on development and delivery of area goals and market sector initiatives.
- Work with the client managers and business development leaders to drive client development and pursuit processes based on proven capture techniques.
- Support selected area and strategic pursuits through client relationship development and participation in pursuit activities.
- Participate in industry associations at a leadership level and serve as a company role-model in business and community organizations.
- Identify key investments (acquisitions and technology) that will maintain or drive HDR into industry leadership position.
- Monitor marketing capabilities and ensure the market sector is working with departments to achieve goals.
- Develop relationships with industry counterparts in other consulting organizations.
- Develop and maintain relationships with senior leadership in key client organizations.
- Lead relationships with other firms in the industry that share HDR’s culture, and provide reciprocal synergy based on technical expertise, client relationships and geographic presence. These strategic partnerships may lead to acquisition consideration, which is another part of HDR’s growth strategy.
- Lead HDR’s presence and representation with industry organizations in the US, Canada, EMEA and APAC regions with organizations like AASHTO, WASHTO, MASTO, NASTO, SASHTO, IBTTA and others.
Staff Development Responsibilities – The Market Sector Director will lead an organization that will best perform within the marketplace to support our clients, win new work and to provide opportunities for staff growth and development. The Market Sector Director will also support area leadership with the identification and recruitment of prospective future market sector employees.
- Assume responsibility for Global Market Sector P&L in coordination with local area managers and coordinate support of work-sharing among departments.
- Work with business class directors to drive technical excellence and coordinate technical staff to support the project delivery and marketing efforts.
- Coordinate staffing/recruiting plans for key hires and assist local leadership as necessary with local hires.
- Approve all key/strategic hires in the market sector.
- Participate in Annual Performance Conversations for key market sector leaders
Support to Operations – The Market Sector Director will assist Regional Business Group Directors and area Business Group managers in the delivery of professional services for area projects within the market sector. Key responsibilities include helping to drive client management, monitoring and taking action regarding market sector profit and loss, reviewing staff assignments, encouraging workshare, and ensuring project delivery and supporting the QA/QC program.
Monitor market sector performance indicators:
NFE/NFB/profit/Unbilled revenue/AR/losses/investments; Be aware of staff workload and support/facilitate work sharing within the market sector; promote effective use of company resources and assist in applying key staff/expertise to area projects.
Assist with contract review on key projects to help ensure risk management, proper staffing, quality reviews and resolution of claims.
Promote Quality Assurance/Quality Control; work with business class and regional leadership to assist the local programs with key technical expertise to support marketing and project activities.
Facilitate development and dissemination of “lessons learned”
Preferred Qualifications
- Minimum 20 years experience in planning/engineering in highway design or bridge design
- Professional engineering license or equivalent
*LI-MR1
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering or closely related field
- A minimum of 12 years industry experience including leadership
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Strong skills in client management, client development and a documented history of growing/leading a practice
- Strong business skills; specifically handling budgets, staff and operational issues
- Strong ability to analyze the marketplace and strategically position HDR
- An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must
What We Believe
HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.
Our Commitment
As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.
Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.
