Director of Surface Transportation

Ulteig

About The Position

Ulteig is seeking a bold, strategic, and execution-oriented Director of Surface Transportation to help lead the next chapter of our Transportation Lifeline Sector. This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for a seasoned leader ready to shape the direction, performance, and growth of a nationally recognized transportation organization. The Director of Surface Transportation will be responsible for driving performance, advancing operational excellence, and leading the continued evolution of the Surface Transportation organization to meet the evolving needs of the market and align with enterprise-wide and organizational strategic vision. This role plays a critical part in translating strategy into results while building a strong, accountable leadership team, and will report directly to the General Manager and Vice President of Transportation and Water. This position is ideal for a leader who thrives in complex environments, brings clarity and focus, and consistently converts strategic intent into disciplined execution. You will lead managers and multidisciplinary engineering, technical, and construction teams serving state DOTs, counties, municipalities, and delivery partners across our national footprint. You will be accountable for performance against the Annual Operating Plan, delivery excellence, backlog growth in partnership with market leadership, and the development of future leaders. As a member of Ulteig’s Leadership Team, you will collaborate closely with executive leadership and peers across the enterprise to align Surface Transportation with broader company strategy, including digital transformation, integrated delivery, and long-term growth. This is a leadership opportunity to build, lead, and make a lasting impact.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an ABET-accredited institution or equivalent.
15 or more years of progressive experience in transportation engineering or related disciplines.
Minimum of 7 years of experience leading managers and teams.
Demonstrated experience managing operating plans, budgets, and performance metrics.
Strong understanding of Surface Transportation markets, clients, and delivery models.
Proven ability to lead through complexity, ambiguity, and change.
Strong business acumen with the ability to connect strategy to execution.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to build trust and alignment across diverse stakeholders; comfort with presenting to a wide variety of audiences, from graduate engineers to the Board of Directors.
Willingness to travel approximately 25 percent of the time.
Demonstrates openness to innovation by embracing and applying evolving technology and AI tools to enhance workflows, solve problems, and drive continuous improvement.
Must have authorization to work permanently in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

Professional Engineer registration preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the Surface Transportation organization through its next phase of growth, digital transformation, and execution excellence.
Own performance to the Annual Operating Plan, including revenue, profitability, backlog health, utilization, and indirect expense management.
Establish clear operating cadence, accountability, and leadership presence across the department.
Partner closely with the Market Director and Market Leaders to prioritize pursuits, strengthen positioning, and rebuild backlog with discipline and focus.
Translate enterprise and sector strategy into clear priorities and executable plans for delivery teams.
Serve as a visible leader internally and externally with clients, partners, and industry stakeholders.
Ensure consistent, high-quality delivery of services that meet client expectations and strengthen Ulteig’s reputation in Surface Transportation.
Provide executive oversight of project execution, risk management, quality control, and client satisfaction.
Ensure managers are effectively overseeing engineering, technical, and construction activities across all phases of work.
Drive consistent use of tools, processes, and performance data to manage delivery predictably.
Evaluate capacity, skill sets, and deployment of resources to align with demand and strategic priorities.
Collaborate with Finance, Operations, and the Project Management Center of Excellence to improve forecasting, reporting, and operational rigor.
Champion continuous improvement and practical innovation that improves outcomes, not just activity.
Build a strong, accountable leadership team with clear roles, expectations, and development paths.
Coach and develop managers to lead with clarity, consistency, and confidence.
Foster a culture of trust, inclusion, accountability, and engagement.
Ensure leaders are visible, accessible, and actively engaged with their teams.
Lead talent planning, succession planning, performance management, and retention efforts.
Reinforce leadership behaviors that align with Ulteig’s values and leadership compass.
Maintain and strengthen key client relationships in partnership with market leadership.
Support proposal strategy, positioning, and execution on priority pursuits.
Collaborate across Ulteig’s Lifeline Sectors, Sales, Operations, Innovation and Technology, Finance, and HR to drive integrated solutions and enterprise alignment.
Represent Surface Transportation in enterprise-level discussions related to growth, strategy, and investment.