Water Business Group Professional Services Director

Reporting directly to the Water Business Group (WBG) President, the WBG Professional Services Director serves as a key member of the WBG Business Group leadership team, providing executive leadership for technical quality, project delivery excellence, and professional practice. The position aligns technical practice groups across the matrix organization, strengthens delivery capabilities, and advances consistent standards, processes, and best practices that enhance project performance, quality and client outcomes, to support high-quality project outcomes.

The Professional Services Director partners closely with business group operations, market sector, and technical leaders to advance technical excellence, strengthen professional communities, develop future leaders, and foster collaboration across disciplines and regions. Through leadership of quality, risk management, and delivery improvement initiatives, this role drives continuous improvement, supports alternative delivery strategies, and helps position HDR as a leader in the global architecture marketplace.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead and monitor the development and training of business group staff in technical, professional, business, and service delivery competencies.
2. Develop appropriate approaches to new or developing technologies, digital delivery methods, and service areas in support of business group and related company initiatives, including emerging delivery models.
3. Lead the evaluation, implementation, and adoption of professional services technologies, digital delivery tools, and enabling systems that improve quality, efficiency, consistency, and risk management across the business group, including systems supporting program and project delivery.
4. Coordinate and monitor staff training in company policies and processes including technical, business, ethical, safety, human resources, risk management, technology, quality, and service delivery program areas.
5. Lead and monitor activities for continuous improvement, including the development and use of technical standards, procedures, best practices, lessons learned, and technology-enabled and delivery-focused processes.
6. Support business group practice groups, professional discipline groups, project and program teams, and company initiatives related to productivity, organizational improvements, policy alignment, technology integration, and service delivery effectiveness.
7. Partner with project and program delivery services, including program management, project management, construction management, owner's advisor services, and alternative and collaborative delivery programs.
8. Lead and coordinate the development of technical and delivery approaches, risk management practices, and problem-solving efforts for strategic initiatives, key pursuits, complex programs, projects, and critical services.
9. Lead quality assurance efforts to implement QA and QC Program activities that provide confidence the business group is fulfilling quality and delivery requirements and striving for continuous improvement.
10. Monitor product and delivery QC review activities, including the assignment of experienced and qualified reviewers and effective resolution of project issues.
11. Facilitate the effective use of Professional Associates in project and program delivery, QA and QC activities, development of best practices, lessons learned, mentoring, training, and technology adoption.
12. Support business group activities related to recruiting, hiring, retaining, and developing key staff; workload and resource balancing; qualified staffing of project and program teams; involvement in technical and professional associations; publishing; community and client engagement; technology advancement; service delivery growth; and risk management.
13. Support communication, coordination, and collaboration within the business group and across other business groups, including coordination with operations, cross sectors, marketing, corporate Professional Services, and technology leadership to advance delivery strategies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Maintains a professional engineering registration with extensive related technical expertise.
• Extensive experience in the leadership and management of professional services, program management, project delivery, construction management, owner's advisor, or alternative and collaborative delivery services on complex or large-scale programs and projects.
• Demonstrated success leading, mentoring, and developing diverse technical, professional, and service delivery teams.
• Proven ability to work cooperatively with company leadership, operations managers, business class directors, technical directors, and marketing leaders on professional services and delivery-related initiatives.
• Strong understanding of quality assurance, quality control, risk management, and continuous improvement practices related to professional and service delivery.
• Executive presence with strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to engage effectively with technical and non-technical audiences, clients, and partners.
• Demonstrated commitment to quality, continuous improvement, professional responsibility, and HDR values.