Utilities & Energy Engineering Design Operations Leader

Take Your Delivery Management Career to the Next Level 

Do you have a passion for managing budgets, meeting deadlines, and exceeding client expectations? Our delivery management professionals are involved in project delivery from initiation and planning to execution, monitoring, and closeout. Each phase requires strong attention to detail while communicating with internal and external stakeholders. Do you have a proven track record in managing goals and objectives? Consider joining our team and working with peers who have vast industry knowledge and experience solving complex problems. 

Step Into Your New Role

Kleinfelder is seeking a highly qualified Utilities & Energy Engineering Design Operations Leader to manage our Operations in the Mid-Atlantic area (Maryland, Virginia, and DC). This position can be hybrid.  The ideal candidate will thrive as a vital part of a resourceful and collaborative group of utility and energy professionals across the East Division.

You will have full support of Kleinfelder’s East Division Private Market Lead, Key & Growth Account Leads, and our established Environmental Planning & Permitting Discipline Leads to further advance these services across geographies. You will lead and mentor a team of engineering design professionals, helping to design and execute high-impact projects that shape the infrastructure of our communities. This is an exciting opportunity to make a lasting impact on the growth of our firm.

The Utility Department includes Gas and Electrical distribution design, including new business, residential development, and capital enhancement projects. The Utility Department Manager will be responsible for the overall profit and loss of the Department, including all aspects of the operations including business development, client relations, partnering with other firms, proposal preparation with our marketing department, overseeing technical services, scheduling, coordination with other departments/ offices, delivering high quality services, hiring talented people, and profitable growth.

 The Utility Department Manager should have experience leading the development and growth of client contracts with Investor-Owned Utilities, teaming partners, and other local utilities.  The Utility Department Manager must be highly motivated, promote a team approach, have good interpersonal skills (high emotional intelligence), and excellent communication skills (verbal and written).

The right leader will be someone who can envision the future, stay up to date on the latest technologies, and set internal design and project standards that ensure seamless project delivery.  The Utility Department Manager will be responsible for developing and executing a long-term strategy for growth, including the development of the utility one- three- and five-year strategic plans inclusive of markets and clients. By providing oversight and leadership for the utility business, this person will lead the group's expansion from strategy to execution, ensuring that the right people are engaged, and the right clients and projects are pursued. The responsibility includes client satisfaction and performance evaluation.

Specific Duties include:

• Provide oversight and leadership for the Utility Department throughout Maryland, DC and Virginia.  Lead the Utilities operations and provide project managers with business planning, hours/revenue planning, and forecasting, workshare, and staff balancing training needed for success.
• Plan, recruit and develop the talent needed to support the technical, managerial, and supervisory skills necessary for the growth of the department.  The Utility Department Manager will have complete control of internal resources, marketing budget, and complete support from the MD/VA/DC Area Manager.
• Lead the growth of the group through the pursuit of Utility related lines of work including electrical distribution design, gas distribution design, and capital enhancement projects.
• Develop a Center of Excellence Utility Design Practice to support the growth of these services across the East Division and in other Divisions of Kleinfelder.
• Responsible for maintaining and enhancing relationships with current clients to ensure high-quality and compliant design services, projects, and all other deliverables are delivered.
• Establish and maintain standards, processes, and procedures that ensure a high level of project quality and targeted profitability is maintained on utility projects.
• Conduct portfolio review of Utilities project operations and ensure accountability for metrics related to profitability, AR, DSO, NRM, WIP, Gross & Net Revenue.

Specific Skills/ Experience/ Education

• 15+ years of utility experience plus 7+ years in a leadership role.
• BS in Engineering is preferred.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to lead, and grow, teams.
• Solid understating of Financials including but not limited to KPl's; Revenue, Sales, DSO, CMbA, Estimate to Complete, WIP, and AR on projects.
• Professional approach appropriate to represent the company in all settings.
• Solid professional relationships with key regional clients and teaming partners.
• Demonstrated success with strategic planning for long-term business plans, including setting/measuring goals and leadership of strategic pursuits.
• Successful experience growing revenues in utility markets.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, retain, and develop high-end talent to an organization.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results on challenging projects.

Move Forward with Kleinfelder: Kleinfelder has been connecting great people to the best work since 1961. We are engineers, scientists, and construction professionals providing solutions that improve our clients’ transportation, water, energy, and other private infrastructure. As a responsive, cross-disciplinary team of bright, curious, and innovative problem-solvers, we are dedicated to doing the right thing, every day, on every project from over 110 offices in the US, Canada, and Australia. Connecting great people to the best work is our purpose – together, we deliver.  

Progress with an Employer that Values You 

Kleinfelder is an inclusive organization free from discrimination. We are a stronger organization when we are a diverse workforce and believe that through diversity, equity, and inclusion comes creativity, innovation, and unity. We are proud to offer the following:  

Benefits: Kleinfelder offers excellent compensation and benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) plan, and paid holidays.  

The expected salary range for the position is displayed in accordance with the Maryland Wage Transparency Law.  Final agreed upon compensation is based upon individual qualifications and experience. Salary range: $140,006 -$235,000 per year. 

Career Development: We are committed to investing in the professional development of our staff, offering each employee every opportunity to grow, develop, and take control of their career paths. We support these efforts through reimbursements for continuing education as well as many of the expenses associated with trainings and certifications, and opportunities for career development through our internal Mentoring Program.  

Equal Opportunity: Kleinfelder is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Minorities/Women/Disabled/Veterans. (Compliant with the new VEVRAA and Section 503 rules) .

NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES   

Please note that Kleinfelder does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Recruitment Fee Agreement, Kleinfelder will not consider or agree to payment for any referral compensation or recruiter fee. In the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement, Kleinfelder explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resume, including those submitted to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of Kleinfelder.