US Director, Project Governance & Execution

WSP • Tampa, NY

3d

About The Position

This Opportunity The US Director, Project Governance & Execution is the senior leader responsible for strengthening project delivery governance, execution discipline, commercial performance, project management, technical quality, and delivery capability across all US business lines. The role exists to help the US business deliver projects safely, profitably, on schedule, at high quality, and with satisfied clients, consistent with the mission reflected in the US project delivery organization design. This leader establishes standards, tools, governance routines, and execution practices to enable consistent project performance across a complex, multi-business-line organization. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and serving as part of the US Leadership Team, this role works closely with the regional, functional and global teams, in addition to leaders within each of the Business Lines in WSP US. The successful candidate will bring demonstrated operational results, commercial acumen and discipline, enterprise influence, and the ability to move key business priorities across a matrixed organization. This role requires a leader who can set the bar, build alignment, enhance collaboration, make high-stakes decisions, hold accountabilities, and drive practical execution across policy, process, people, tools, and governance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, construction management, finance, or a related field.
• 17+ years of experience in project delivery, operations, commercial management, risk management, project controls, or enterprise delivery leadership.
• Demonstrated experience leading project delivery governance across a large, complex, matrixed organization.
• Strong understanding of project economics, including revenue, margin, pricing, risk, EAC, forecasting, earned value, and delivery performance.
• Experience working across multiple business lines, geographies, functions, and stakeholder groups.
• Strong commercial judgment, including experience with contract review, risk allocation, change management, claims, disputes, contingency, and Work at Risk decisions.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment within a global operating model.
• Proven ability to lead enterprise change, communicate clearly, and convert strategy into practical execution.
• Sound judgment in ambiguous, high-risk, and high-stakes situations.
• Strong executive presence, credibility, and relationship-building skills.

Nice To Haves

• Professional Engineer license, PMP, or equivalent project delivery credential.
• Experience in engineering, consulting, construction, infrastructure, environmental, buildings, energy, transportation, program management, or related professional services.
• Experience leading or participating in global delivery governance, project controls, quality, risk, or commercial management forums.
• Background in quality systems, technical assurance, or enterprise QA/QC governance.
• Experience integrating acquired businesses into enterprise project delivery standards, tools, and operating rhythms.
• Familiarity with ERP-enabled project delivery processes, including Horizon or similar platforms.
• Experience developing delivery dashboards, performance reporting, and governance.

Responsibilities

• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve policies, procedures, guidelines, tools, best practices, lessons learned, and practical how-to guidance across all US business lines.
• Drive commercial excellence, pricing discipline, contract review governance, risk identification and mitigation, contingency management, subconsultant oversight, change management, claims and dispute resolution, commercial terms negotiation support, RDOA approval governance, and Work at Risk review.
• Oversee QA/QC frameworks, technical standards, design reviews, technical audits, lessons learned, client expectation processes, and client satisfaction feedback mechanisms.
• Develop and evolve project delivery processes and procedures, including integration with ERP and Horizon, cost management, pricing development, scheduling, forecasting, EAC, earned value, and project performance reporting.
• Stay at the forefront of project management technology tools, including -enabled capabilities, and lead their practical adoption to improve project delivery insight, consistency, efficiency, and decision-making.
• Strengthen project manager and project director onboarding, ongoing development, WSP best practices training, project leadership training, and coordination with global project leadership programs.
• Lead the project delivery component of acquisition integration, including gap analysis, project analysis, ERP transition support, training, and continued support.
• Represent the US region in global project delivery forums and ensure the US execution model aligns with global initiatives while remaining practical for US business needs.
• Set and maintain the US project delivery governance framework across all business lines.
• Establish clear standards for project planning, readiness reviews, project reviews, delivery controls, issue escalation, and recovery planning.
• Ensure governance practices are practical, business-focused, scalable, and consistently applied.
• Serve as the senior US decision maker on project delivery governance matters.
• Represent project delivery in US and global leadership forums.
• Participate in go/no-go governance for pursuits that meet defined size, risk, complexity, commercial, contract, or delivery-risk thresholds.
• Drive commercial excellence and standards across the US business.
• Strengthen pricing discipline, rate development, and commercial decision-making in partnership with Finance, Legal, Sales, Procurement, and business line leadership.
• Enable contract review and compliance processes for high-risk opportunities and projects in conjunction with the Legal team and enforce good risk management practices resulting from that process in line with WSP’s approach.
• Oversee change management, contingency management, subconsultant management, and provide direct engagement on claims, dispute resolution and commercial terms negotiation.
• Support Legal function in RDOA approval governance.
• Lead Work at Risk governance, and high-risk project/pursuit reviews.
• Establish and oversee US Technical quality frameworks, technical standards, and technical assurance processes.
• Ensure consistent use of independent technical reviews, design reviews, technical audits, and lessons learned.
• Monitor client expectations and client satisfaction feedback to identify improvement opportunities.
• Partner with business line, geographic, sector, and quality leaders to improve project performance and reduce delivery risk.
• Oversee US project delivery tools, dashboards, and performance reporting.
• Support consistent practices for cost management, scheduling, forecasting, EAC, earned value, pricing development, and project performance reporting.
• Partner with Finance, BI & Analytics, IT, and Global teams to improve data quality, reporting discipline, and adoption of tools including Horizon.
• Ensure project controls are used to drive action, not simply reporting.
• Lead the development and execution of project delivery training, onboarding, and ongoing development for project managers and project directors.
• Maintain a US project manager and project director qualifications roster, including certification status, and demonstrated delivery experience.
• Promote WSP best practices and project leadership expectations across business lines.
• Build and lead a stronger project delivery community with clear expectations, practical tools, and regular communication.
• Co-sponsor relevant global project leadership programs where applicable.
• Lead the project delivery component of acquisition integration.
• Conduct delivery gap assessments and support project portfolio reviews for acquired firms.
• Drive integration of WSP delivery practices, tools, governance, training, and ERP-related transitions.
• Ensure acquired teams are supported through the transition while delivery risk is actively managed.
• Establish a clear communication cadence to the business on delivery expectations, governance changes, tools, training, and performance trends.
• Translate enterprise priorities into practical guidance for business line and project delivery teams.
• Lead change with clarity, consistency, and empathy, recognizing that adoption requires both discipline and support.
• Convene the extended project delivery team through regular working sessions and periodic in-person collaboration.

Benefits

• Coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life
• Retirement savings
• Paid sick leave
• Paid vacation (or other personal time)
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director