Florida Transportation Leader
About the role
The Transportation Leader – Florida role is designed for a senior transportation professional who can operate as a practice builder, client relationship leader, project delivery advisor, and business leader.
Responsibilities
Develop and execute a Florida transportation market strategy aligned with Pape-Dawson’s growth objectives.
Identify priority clients, geographies, service lines, and project opportunities across Florida.
Build and expand Pape-Dawson’s transportation presence in key Florida markets.
Lead business planning efforts for the Florida transportation practice, including sales goals, revenue targets, backlog growth, and staffing needs.
Monitor transportation funding, state work programs, municipal capital improvement plans, regional mobility priorities, and market trends.
Position Pape-Dawson for long-term growth in transportation planning & design, traffic operations, and related infrastructure services.
Represent Pape-Dawson at industry events, conferences, client meetings, professional associations, and community forums.
Leverage, maintain, and grow trusted relationships with transportation clients and partners across Florida.
Serve as a senior relationship lead for state, municipal, county, MPO, and public infrastructure clients.
Develop client account plans for strategic transportation clients.
Identify client needs early and position Pape-Dawson with practical, responsive, and technically credible solutions.
Lead senior-level client meetings, pursuit positioning discussions, and relationship development efforts.
Support client satisfaction by ensuring clear communication, quality delivery, responsiveness, and follow-through.
Provide senior-level technical guidance and project delivery oversight for transportation projects.
Ensure projects are delivered with quality, on schedule, within budget, and to the client’s satisfaction.
Support project risk reviews, scope development, staffing plans, schedules, quality control, and client communication.
Promote technical excellence, practical solutions, and strong interdisciplinary coordination.
Support revenue, sales, backlog, utilization, and project performance goals for the Florida transportation practice.
Participate in business planning, forecasting, staffing, and workload management.
Help build and manage a sustainable transportation operation.
Partner with regional and operational leadership to monitor project performance, resource needs, and financial trends.
Support office or practice-level management activities, including staffing plans, operational efficiency, client service, and financial accountability.
Help integrate transportation work across Florida offices and other Pape-Dawson regions.
Recruit, mentor, coach, and develop transportation staff, project managers, technical specialists, and emerging leaders.
Create a collaborative team environment focused on accountability, responsiveness, technical excellence, and client service.
Partner with Talent Acquisition to identify priority hires, market talent, and develop recruiting strategies for hard-to-fill transportation roles.
Lead with integrity, professionalism, humility, and sound judgment.
Model Pape-Dawson’s values in client relationships, team leadership, project delivery, and business decisions.
Communicate clearly, respectfully, and proactively.
Make decisions that support long-term relationships, technical excellence, and sustainable growth.
Create a team environment where employees feel supported, challenged, and proud of their work.
Serve as a visible culture carrier for Pape-Dawson.
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
Licensed Professional Engineer in Florida.
Typically 20 years of progressive transportation engineering, planning, design, or infrastructure consulting experience.
Strong Florida transportation market experience.
Demonstrated success developing client relationships and winning transportation work.
Experience working with or for FDOT, counties, municipalities, MPOs, tolling agencies, transit agencies, or other public infrastructure clients.
Experience with transportation services such as: Roadway design, Drainage design, PS&E, Transportation planning, Corridor studies, IT, Traffic operations, Traffic engineering, Final design, Safety and mobility improvements, Multimodal and intermodal planning.
Proven ability to manage or support complex transportation projects.
Experience leading or developing teams, groups, offices, or practice areas.
Strong business development, marketing, proposal, and interview experience.
Strong understanding of project delivery, quality expectations, budgets, schedules, and client satisfaction.
Excellent verbal, written, presentation, and executive communication skills.
Ability to lead collaboratively across offices, disciplines, and regions.
Preferred Qualifications
20+ years of transportation experience in Florida.
Established relationships with FDOT, Florida municipalities, counties, MPOs, or regional transportation clients.
Prior experience as a Transportation Practice Builder, Office Leader, Group Director, Program Manager, Market Leader, or similar senior leadership role.
Experience managing roadway and drainage design projects, PD&E studies, planning studies, ITS, and traffic operations projects.
Experience leading office or practice-level business planning, sales, revenue growth, and profit/loss performance.
Experience growing a transportation office, group, or practice.
Experience managing award-winning transportation planning, ITS, or final design projects.
Active involvement in professional organizations such as ACEC, ASCE, ITE, FES, APWA, WTS, or related transportation organizations.
Involvement in community based leadership roles.
Strong reputation for technical excellence, client service, integrity, and team development.