Senior Federal Pursuits Lead

HDR•Ottawa, ON

77d

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. Are you driven by complex pursuits, strategic positioning, and winning work in the federal marketplace? HDR is seeking a Senior Federal Pursuits Lead to play a central role in supporting our federal growth strategy across Canada. This senior role is responsible for leading high-value, multi-disciplinary federal pursuits from early strategy through submission, working closely with various business group leaders, market sector leads, and technical leadership across Canada. The successful candidate brings deep experience in federal procurement environments, a strong command of pursuit strategy, and the ability to drive disciplined, high-quality proposal execution under compressed timelines. Success in this role requires strategic thinking, leadership, and a focus on win probability, supported by exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple concurrent pursuits. Key responsibilities are outlined below.

Requirements

A minimum of 10 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

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience supporting federal or national public-sector procurements
Advanced proficiency in managing complex compliance-driven submissions
Experience coordinating multi-disciplinary, multi-office pursuit teams
Strong command of structured win strategy and capture planning techniques
Experience supporting proposal processes involving heightened governance or review requirements

Responsibilities

Lead pursuit teams in creating and implementing effective win strategies, including capture planning
Lead the coordination of the planning, development, and production of proposals and submittals in accordance with submission requirements, with experience supporting public-sector and federal procurements
Plan and facilitate pursuit meetings, establish proposal schedules, assignment matrices, compliance matrices, and proposal templates
Lead proposal kick-off meetings, ensuring alignment on requirements, roles, and deadlines
Coordinate the development of narrative, graphics, fees, and other necessary materials from internal staff and sub-consultants, as applicable
Actively manage pursuit execution by communicating with proposal participants, tracking tasks, and addressing schedule or content risks
Monitor progress of the proposal process, with timely follow-up, to ensure internal deadlines and quality standards are met
Contribute to the development and implementation of client and pursuit plans, including longer-term positioning strategies, as assigned
Research project background, client priorities, and anticipated procurement timelines
Outline, write, format, and edit proposal content to ensure clarity, compliance, and a unified voice
Support the development and application of proposal best practices and industry standards, identifying opportunities for process improvement
Lead end-to-end proposal development for smaller-scale pursuits, including oversight of document layout and submission production
Support the development of benefit statements, project profiles, and standard materials for use in proposals and qualification submittals
Maintain proposal content libraries using enterprise systems while adhering to information lifecycle governance requirements
Facilitate pursuit debriefs to identify improvement opportunities and assess overall competitiveness
Recognize and celebrate pursuit successes and milestones
Assist in the development and preparation of interview materials, including slide decks, leave-behinds, Q&A preparation, rehearsals, and supporting technology
Lead proposal quality efforts, review proposals and presentations, and participate in formal reviews as required
Maintain a strong understanding of market trends and drivers impacting client pursuits
Support select pursuits across other business sectors, applying consistent pursuit discipline and best practices
Lead or collaborate on transportation-related pursuits, particularly where public-sector or federal experience adds value
Partner with the marketing communications team to prepare company-wide qualifications and marketing collateral in compliance with branding and writing standards and aligned with strategic objectives