Environment Practice Operation Leader - Remediation Focus - US West Region

AECOM•Houston, TX

8h•$150,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Practice Operations Lead (POL) who will report to the Director of Operations (DOO) and share responsibility with the Practice Lead (PL) and DOO for the profit & loss (P&L) and overall operational performance of the Environmental Remediation business unit. The business unit oversees environmental remediation work for oil, gas, chemical, industrial, public and private-sector clients, including state/local, commercial markets for our US West Region. The POL partners with stakeholders to deliver the annual operating plan, with clear expectations for hiring and labor volume, project performance, discretionary G&A spend, business development investment, billing and collections, and utilization. The POL plays a key role in continuously strengthening commercial acumen and project management capabilities across the Practice, supporting the nomination, development, and training of new PMs and deputy PMs. This role also supervises portfolio delivery leads (PDLs) and recruits PDL talent from across the business.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Environmental Sciences, or a comparable technical, business, or professional discipline AND 10+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of skills and experience, including 2 years of leadership experience OR a demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education.
Successful candidate will have to pass a background check.
Due to the nature of the position, sponsorship is not available at this time or in the future for this role. Candidates need to be a US Citizen or a permanent resident.

Nice To Haves

Strong project management skills with a track record of successful delivery and demonstrated improvement of operational KPIs at scale (margin, utilization, cash flow, schedule adherence, quality, safety).
Business development experience, including client service and proposal preparation.
Demonstrated change enabler who promotes best practice and coaches/mentors staff.
Strong, positive communication style when navigating challenging issues, differences of opinion, and mitigation planning.
Strong financial and commercial acumen (budgeting, forecasting, revenue recognition, T&Cs, pricing/change orders).
Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, workshop facilitation, and decision-making skills.
PMP certification preferred but not required.
Experience managing the operational performance of an Environmental Remediation portfolio; experience spanning state/local and/or commercial programs is advantageous.

Responsibilities

Drive monthly, quarterly, and annual performance; own processes for financial forecasting (monthly, quarterly, and annual cycles).
Analyze and present performance to department leaders, tracking KPIs against goals and initiating corrective actions as needed.
Serve as a point of escalation for project issues (e.g., resourcing gaps, technical challenges, invoicing and cash collection, subconsultant/vendor concerns).
Drive strong working capital performance by actively monitoring Unbilled, Billed AR, and DSO, and meeting billing and collections targets.
Improve working capital (monitor Unbilled, Billed AR, DSO; billing timeliness/accuracy; collections) and protect margin through disciplined change orders and rate strategies.
Review and approve pursuit strategies and proposals; support pricing and governance requirements.
Strengthen contract governance (T&Cs, insurance, tax, workshare) and manage commercial risk across unit rate, T&M, fixed price, and design build remediation.
Ensure PDLs leverage project reviews to monitor client satisfaction, resourcing, forecast, schedule, risk, and quality management.
Ensure PDLs require bottoms-up ETCs from PMs as needed to support financial tracking and forecasting accuracy.
Attend high-risk project reviews and support at-risk projects with mitigation plans and recovery actions.
Drive consistent project management practices aligned with AECOM’s Project Delivery System (PDS) and Quality Management System (QMS).
Balance workload across the Environmental Remediation Practice and, where appropriate, the broader enterprise to optimize capacity and capability.
Approve G&A expenditures and/or support department leadership with assessment and approvals to optimize ROI.
Ensure the accuracy and integrity of the Practice’s R18 data and output reports; proactively address data quality and reporting gaps.
Balance onshore/offshore and workshare models; oversee onboarding to accelerate chargeability and quality for new staff and transfers.
Build an inclusive, high performance culture; recognize excellence and address performance gaps promptly.
Coach PMs, Construction Managers, and Field Leads; sponsor capability uplift in remedial design, CQA/CQC, and field safety.
Role model our values and ethics; promote psychological safety and continuous learning.