Senior Project Management Technical Director

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking an experienced and strategic-minded Senior Project Management Technical Director to lead, and grow the SWCA Project Management (PM) Ecosystem, including developing and growing the technical skills and proficiency of our 550+ (and increasing number of) PMs and project controls specialists. PMs are the driving force behind the successful execution of project work and supported by project controls they drive financial success and health of SWCA. PMs are responsible for understanding client needs, translating those into project approaches, and successfully executing those projects, on time and on budget.

To support our growing business and to meet the needs of our clients, SWCA is seeking a visionary technical leader and project management expert whose focus will be on leading SWCA's Project Management Ecosystem (PME), which is currently in its second year. The PME provides resources, tools and training to SWCA PMs and our project controls teams. This leader will also be responsible for overseeing and championing PME -related initiatives in collaboration with the Chief Delivery Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Vice Presidents of Scientific and Technical Services and Senior Quality Director.

The successful candidate will be energized by leading by influence, listening to feedback and translating that into relevant strategies and actionable follow-up, and driving meaningful and important change for SWCA's PM and project controls teams. The ideal candidate will supervise and collaborate closely with the three regional project controls managers to develop and implement consistent, company-wide standards and practices. This individual will be responsible for creating a structure to support a high-functioning department that ensures accuracy, transparency, and efficiency across project scheduling, budgeting, risk management, and performance reporting.

The selected individual will translate companywide strategic goals for project management, project controls, and delivery into measurable objectives as well as tools and training. The Senior Project Management Technical Director will report to one of SWCA's Scientific and Technical Services Vice Presidents.

This is a full time, regular-status position, eligibleto work in any of our offices, or 100% distributed in the domestic U.S.

A letter of interest and resume are required for this application.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until June 13th, 2025.

As a Senior Director, you will:

• Be an enterprise-level PM practice leader, who develops, maintains, and implements a suite of PM standards, best practices, processes, tools, and templates. The goal will always be to innovate and ensure creative solutions for PMs and clients.
• Work with the VPs of Scientific and Technical Services and other Technical Directors as well as operational leaders to identify and implement strategic PM specific technical initiatives and drive PM consistency across offices and regions.
• Stay at the forefront of Project Management best practices within the A/E/C industry and beyond to bring the best processes and systems to SWCA.
• Develop the functional structure to lead and support a cohesive and high-performing Project Controls team.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and transparency of project performance.
• Champion cross-departmental communication to ensure new tools, standards, and processes are understood, accepted, and successfully adopted.

Training & Development:

• Train and develop SWCA's PMs, ensuring learning opportunities match development needs through a PM's career advancement. Development opportunities may include:
• Structured training for PMs and others (internal or recommended external training)
• Internal certification support
• Development of career paths for PMs
• Coaching in daily project work
• Lead PM practice group to share lessons learned, best practices and more

Project Execution:

• Be a resource and partner for SWCA's PMs as they care and deliver for our more complex, high-demand, key clients.
• Identify and help track KPIs related to successful project management.
• Work with senior leadership to assess and interpret Project Manager performance to identify top priorities for PM support.
• Engage with SWCA clients to understand PM behaviors which are disproportionately powerful drivers of client satisfaction.
• Oversee large and complex multidisciplinary projects as a project, client, or contract manager, including a goal of 40% productivity.
• Develop and implement company-wide project control systems and standards in collaboration with project controls managers and operations leaders.
• Enhance predictive analytics and proactive decision-making through robust performance tracking tools.
• Strengthen cross-departmental collaboration, connecting project management and project controls seamlessly with finance, operations, and client-facing teams.

Strategic Hiring & Staffing:

• Assist Operations leaders with the recruitment of strong PMs and Program Managers by providing solid job requisition language, helping interview candidates, etc.

PM Tools & Resources:

• Participate in cross-departmental collaboration to identify and develop business processes that align with best practices for project management, and build a structure using various tools and resources, including a new ERP, to support an efficient and effective project management workflow.
• Track Project Management Plans as required and help PMs with development and use as needed.
• Partner with internal specialists (e.g., Power BI experts) to develop tools that would provide meaningful visibility into project status for PMs, operational leads, and others.
• Collaborate in decision making around future technology tool and application purchases and development.
• Lead change management efforts related to the rollout of project management practices and tools, focusing on engagement, communication, and user adoption across business units.

Relevant Competencies:

• Communicates Effectively
• Manages Complexity
• Instills Trust

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Ten (10) years of progressive experience in project management or project controls.
• Five (5) years in a leadership role within a consulting or professional services firm.
• Proven experience developing and implementing project management standards and practices across a distributed organization.
• Consistent track record of communicating technical concepts to a variety of stakeholder groups. Is able to communicate effectively to a widevariety of audiencesat all organizationallevels.
• Demonstrated ability to direct high-quality, complex, technical and project work.
• Proven track record of influencing the delivery of results, even in areas without direct authority.
• Expertise in project scheduling, budgeting, forecasting, and risk management methodologies.
• Ability to travel to leadership meetings as well as for operational engagement. Expected travel is 1-2 times/quarter.

Preferred qualifications:

• Project management, project controls, and/or scientific background and/or technical knowledgeof environmental consulting, project management, biological sciences, or cultural resources

Key Skills & Attributes:

• Demonstrated ability to develop positive relationships with staff, PMs and leaders across the company.
• Flexibility, strong interpersonal skills, and a commitment to engagement and teamwork.
• Possesses strong employee-facing skills (e.g., communication, relationship building, problem
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and establish or shift priorities under tight deadlines.
• Exceptional organizational skills and ability to balance ever-changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Recognized mentor of others in the context of sting broader organizational goals and succession efforts.

Why Work at SWCA:

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record's Top 200 Environmental Firms. We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, a Science and Leadership Program, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

If you need assistance accessing SWCA's website, completing the online application, or require accommodations at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; other inquiries will not receive a response.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this US-based position can expect an annual salary of $144,144.00 - $190,008.00. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA's Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive Benefits package, forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA's continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.

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