Strategic Advisory Innovative Project Delivery Practice Leader

WSP • Los Angeles, CA

7d • Remote

About The Position

WSP is seeking a Senior Vice President to lead its Strategic Advisory for Innovative Project Delivery Practice within the Advisory & Planning business line. This role involves establishing and leading a new practice area focused on delivering strategic advisory services for complex infrastructure projects using innovative delivery methods across sectors like transportation, water, energy, and social infrastructure. The leader will build and manage a team of subject matter experts, integrate existing advisory disciplines, and drive the practice's vision and strategy in alignment with WSP's broader objectives. Key responsibilities include achieving financial targets, ensuring service delivery excellence, managing project economics, and fostering the development of junior team members. The role also emphasizes building client relationships, identifying growth opportunities, driving collaborative business development, and leading diverse teams to deliver integrated solutions. The practice leader will provide expertise across the project lifecycle, from strategy development and business case preparation to commercial structuring and post-close support, collaborating with various internal and external stakeholders.

Requirements

• Infrastructure advisory experience with a minimum of 15+ years in the field.
• Relevant experience in infrastructure project development, structuring, and project finance.
• 8+ years of senior leadership roles within management consultancy or other professional services firms.
• Experience leading consulting teams involved in large-scale transformational projects.
• Demonstrated ability to set strategic direction and successfully deliver multi-dimensional initiatives (spanning people, process, technology) with tangible business benefits.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience working directly with C-suite and senior executives.
• Ability to influence at all levels, shape executive decisions, and serve as a trusted advisor on change initiatives.
• Deep knowledge of change management methodologies (e.g. Lean Change) and project/program management best practices.
• Proven ability to integrate multiple workstreams and disciplines (PMO, HR, IT, Communications, etc.) into a cohesive delivery approach.
• Familiarity with agile project management and Lean process improvement is essential.
• Experience working in or with diverse regions/cultures, with sensitivity to different regulatory and cultural contexts.
• Strong understanding of core HR functions and M&A integration processes (e.g. org design, cultural integration, HRIS/benefits/payroll alignment).
• Data-driven decision-making skills – capable of defining and tracking KPIs for change initiatives (e.g. adoption rates, cost savings, time-to-value) to measure team impact.
• Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple strategic priorities and “connect the dots” across concurrent projects and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to develop strategies to win new and repeatable work and to build a new, profitable practice area.
• Deep understanding of commercial strategy, business development, and stakeholder management in complex, multi-sector environments.
• Experience in large-scale transformation, digital, or operational improvement initiatives.
• Bachelor’s or equivalent degree in a relevant field.
• Success in managing people and teams.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Deep expertise in an industry (e.g. energy, infrastructure), including active engagement in relevant industry organizations.
• Authorization to immediately work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree in relevant field (M.S., J.D., M.B.A., Ph. D)
• Existing client base and book of business
• Experience using various project management tools like Procore, E-Builder, Primavera Enterprise©, Prolog©, and other toolsets
• Certifications: PMP (Project Management Professional), PE (Professional Engineer), or Certified Construction Manager (CCM)

Responsibilities

• Lead the establishment of a new practice area and a team of subject matter experts.
• Design and implement the structure, operating model, and governance of the practice.
• Integrate existing advisory disciplines into a unified team, establishing shared goals, aligned processes, and clear accountability.
• Develop and communicate a compelling vision and strategy for the practice aligned with wider objectives.
• Deliver against agreed financial and commercial targets for the practice, including monitoring and reporting on performance and resource allocation.
• Ensure service delivery excellence, quality control, and compliance with WSP best practices.
• Drive effective resource management, including resource pooling and other mechanisms that support agility.
• Manage project economics, including collections, work-in-progress (WIP) status, revenue forecasting, invoicing, and related financial oversight.
• Provide leadership and support to junior team members, supervise their performance, and ensure their ongoing learning and development.
• Build trusted, revenue-generating client relationships and develop a portfolio of projects.
• Identify and pursue new growth opportunities, including targeting new sectors and expanding service offerings.
• Drive collaborative business development strategies to increase market awareness of services offered.
• Engage with governments, regulators, and private-sector stakeholders to understand requirements and develop project pipelines.
• Lead a diverse, multidisciplinary team of experts across multiple Advisory services offerings.
• Foster collaboration between teams to deliver integrated solutions to clients.
• Champion a culture of innovation, teamwork, and excellence.
• Collaboratively support wider advisory services to identify new opportunities.
• Guide major capital projects from business case development, develop financing and funding models, and develop asset management strategies.
• Coordinate the development of pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, value-for-money analysis, public-private comparators, risk assessment and mitigation matrices, procurement models, and evaluation criteria.
• Prepare bidding documents for market issuance.
• Lead the commercial assessment and viability of proposed transactions, including market assessments, benchmarking, demand and revenue analysis, business model and contract reviews.
• Evaluate delivery method options and procurement strategy.
• Advise on contract terms and risk allocation.
• Negotiate and manage changes and claims.
• Manage project risks.
• Develop strategies for technical, commercial, and financial due diligence, implementing reviews resulting in recommendations on impacts of investments.
• Oversee lifecycle planning, capacity assessments, Capex forecasting, and future-proofing strategies.
• Conduct asset condition assessments, operational performance analysis, optimization strategies, and Opex evaluations.
• Facilitate and/or manage relationships with banks and financial institutions.
• Oversee due diligence, risk analysis, and financial structuring activities for P3 projects.
• Develop strategies for timely and effective decision-making frameworks.
• Advise and implement procedures and processes for project management.
• Review, analyze, and recommend improvements to construction management processes and internal controls.
• Facilitate partnering programs.
• Evaluate and implement organizational structures, roles, and responsibilities that support infrastructure program implementation.
• Develop programs to ensure regulatory compliance and contract compliance.
• Oversee and administer contracts and agreements.
• Prepare, edit, and proofread narrative reports and presentations of observations and recommendations.
• Review datasets, identify insights, and develop presentation materials using analytics and visualization tools.
• Collaborate across Business Lines and within the Advisory & Planning Business Line.
• Develop and lead Advisory support across the full project lifecycle, including strategy development, business case preparation, commercial structuring, and post-commercial-close support.
• Collaborate in a teaming environment with other project team members for successful planning, procurement, and delivery of projects.
• Interact with and provide appropriate technical advice to engineers, investment bankers, financial analysts, legal counsel, and internal client procurement teams.

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: Senior