South Central Historic Preservation Program Lead

Taleo Social Sourcing•Austin, TX

13h

About The Position

HDR is seeking a South Central Historic Preservation Program Lead to serve as a senior project manager and lead historic preservation, architectural history, and preservation planning work across its South Central Cultural Resources practice. The role combines program development, business development, project delivery, technical leadership, and staff mentorship. The lead will build a practical preservation services platform that complements cultural resources management and integrates with HDR’s archaeology, environmental planning, transportation, water, power, industrial, municipal, and development-related work. The position leads preservation projects from inception through completion, overseeing scopes, schedules, budgets, staffing, deliverables, quality reviews, client communications, and corrective actions. It supports existing and develops new services, including historic resource surveys, National Register of Historic Places work, preservation planning, adaptive reuse, maintenance guidance, grant assistance, economic development, training, and community research and storytelling. The lead also coordinates regulatory and public-facing preservation processes, authors and reviews technical documents, and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams and clients. The role requires effective communication and the ability to work independently or with minimal supervision. Travel to client sites, community meetings, project locations, and HDR offices is anticipated at approximately 10–20%. Work outside standard 8 a.m.–5 p.m. hours may be required, including occasional evenings, weekends, public meetings, or client and community events. A valid driver’s license and ability to operate a vehicle during the day or night are required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
At least 7 years of experience.
Strong communication and listening skills.
Ability to handle multiple assignments.
Good leadership and organizational skills.
Commitment to active participation in HDR’s employee-owned culture.
A professional registration, license, or certification may be required based on the role.
Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, and by email.
Ability to work effectively in minimally supervised or unsupervised environments.
Valid driver’s license and ability to operate a vehicle during the day or night.
Ability to travel to client sites, community meetings, project locations, and HDR offices as needed.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in historic preservation, architectural history, architecture, planning, public history, anthropology, archaeology, or a closely related field.
Meets or can demonstrate alignment with the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards in architectural history, history, historic architecture, or a related preservation discipline, as applicable to assigned work.
Experience managing historic preservation projects involving architectural history, archaeology coordination, municipal planning, stakeholder engagement, grant assistance, adaptive reuse, or community-facing interpretation.
Experience with Section 106 coordination, National Register eligibility and effects documentation, SHPO/THPO consultation support, local preservation ordinances, or preservation-sensitive planning and development review.
Experience working with city, county, nonprofit, Main Street, economic development, transportation, water, power, or municipal clients.
Demonstrated ability to develop service offerings, build templates and delivery processes, train or mentor staff, and turn market opportunities into executable project scopes.
Professional certification, registration, or affiliation relevant to historic preservation, planning, architecture, project management, or cultural resources consulting.

Responsibilities

Serve as the South Central Historic Preservation Program Lead and senior project manager for historic preservation, architectural history, and preservation planning work.
Grow historic preservation business by identifying target clients, developing relationships, supporting pursuits, preparing scopes and cost estimates, and participating in client meetings and marketing activities.
Collaborate with marketing and business development leadership to promote HDR’s historic preservation services to current and prospective clients.
Build and implement a historic preservation service platform that complements cultural resources management and integrates with related HDR practices and markets.
Lead preservation projects from inception through completion, managing schedules, budgets, scopes, staffing plans, deliverables, quality reviews, client communications, and corrective actions.
Expand and deliver preservation and cultural resources services, including preservation expertise, historic resource surveys, National Register evaluation and nomination support, local historic district development, area plans, and research and storytelling.
Develop and deliver new preservation services, such as code enforcement support, maintenance plans and guidebooks, adaptive reuse planning, implementation schedules, National Register use plans, Certified Local Government guidance, grant assistance, economic development, and training.
Support clients with preservation programs, rapid population growth, new National Register designations or plans, infill and redevelopment opportunities, grants, and preservation-sensitive project needs.
Mentor and support architectural historians, historians, preservation specialists, and museum collections personnel.
Author or co-author technical reports, memoranda, inventories, planning documents, and client-facing deliverables related to historic preservation, architectural history, and cultural resources.
Manage administrative and technical aspects of projects under the National Historic Preservation Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Antiquities Code of Texas, and other applicable regulations.
Coordinate Section 106, SHPO/THPO, municipal, stakeholder, and public-facing preservation processes with HDR technical leads, project managers, and client teams.
Collaborate with archaeologists, historians, planners, GIS specialists, environmental staff, reviewers, and cross-business-group personnel to plan and deliver multidisciplinary cultural resources projects.
Provide technical direction, mentoring, and quality oversight, including review of reports, resource documentation, National Register materials, preservation plans, and related deliverables.
Maintain project records and information in HDR project management systems and tools, and participate in project reviews with accounting, project management, and technical leadership.
Represent HDR professionally in client meetings, interviews, community discussions, public-facing preservation settings, conferences, and business development activities.
Perform other duties as needed.