Principal, Pursuit Operations

HDR•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world? Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story' Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world. The Principal, Pursuit Operations leads the execution engine of AMS, driving consistent, high-quality pursuit delivery through strong team leadership, standardized processes, and operational rigor. This role is accountable for building and developing a high-performing team, optimizing workflows, and delivering pursuit excellence across all sectors. Success in this role requires a proven track record of leading high-performing teams, executing complex pursuits as a pursuit specialist, contributing to broader team success, and advancing efficiency in pursuit execution and workload management.

Requirements

A minimum of 15 years relevant industry experience
Demonstrated "self-starter" with a history of completing projects with limited oversight
Deep knowledge of the A/E/C industry's standard approach to procurement of professional services
Demonstrated ability to motivate and inspire others
Maintain a professional or engineering registration or certificate or have related technical experience
Experience in sales and developing effective win strategies
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Ability and desire to travel and engage with others in-person
Demonstrated experience in writing compelling content based on information from technical staff
Strong financial acumen and negotiation skills

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience in winning high-value contracts in the A/E/C industry
Ability to travel up to 20%25
Work on pursuit deadlines for any sector up to 15%25
Cover letter and focused resume to job description

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, and mentor a multidisciplinary team of pursuit managers, specialists, and designers across sectors.
Supervise direct reports and oversee broader team performance, workload balancing, and professional development.
Recruit, hire, onboard, and train new team members to strengthen capacity and capability.
Foster a collaborative, inclusive team culture that supports innovation, engagement, and growth.
Establish, manage, and continuously improve pursuit processes, tools, and standards to ensure consistency and efficiency.
Maintain and evolve the AMS Pursuit Manual, templates, and portal resources.
Oversee pursuit resourcing, workload management, and capacity planning across all sectors.
Support go/no-go (GNG) processes and approvals, ensuring timely and consistent execution.
Monitor and manage pursuit budgets and level of effort.
Facilitate debriefs to identify improvement opportunities and to measure overall competitiveness
Lead or support pursuit execution, ensuring excellence in messaging, content, and graphic presentation.
Enforce brand standards and quality expectations across all deliverables.
Guide teams on best practices, production workflows, and submission readiness.
Ensure proper utilization of marketing content, tools, and communications resources.
Develop and deliver training programs (e.g., webinars, onboarding, “Basics”) to strengthen team capabilities.
Provide timely feedback to staff and partners.
Promote knowledge sharing and continuous improvement across AMS.
Serve as a resource for marketing and pursuit-related inquiries firmwide.
Partner with leadership on department reporting, budgeting, staffing strategies, and operational initiatives.
Support cross-functional collaboration with communications, graphic designers, and sector teams.
Represent AMS in internal initiatives, technology adoption, and operational improvements.