Market Sector Leader - Transportation
About the role
Pape-Dawson is seeking a National Transportation Market Leader to lead the strategic growth, market positioning, client development, and national coordination of the firm’s transportation practice.
Responsibilities
Develop and lead a national transportation market strategy aligned with Pape-Dawson’s growth objectives, geographic expansion, and technical capabilities.
Identify priority transportation markets, clients, geographies, service lines, and investment opportunities.
Partner with executive leadership and regional leaders to evaluate where Pape-Dawson should expand, deepen, or reposition its transportation services.
Build a repeatable national growth model that balances local relationships with firmwide transportation expertise.
Monitor transportation funding trends, infrastructure programs, regulatory changes, procurement trends, and market shifts to position the firm for long-term success.
Establish annual transportation market goals, including revenue growth, backlog, client development, pursuit strategy, staffing needs, and strategic partnerships.
Help define the national transportation brand and value proposition for public-sector and infrastructure clients.
Serve as a senior relationship leader for strategic national, state, regional, and local transportation clients.
Develop client account plans for priority transportation clients and markets.
Lead or support executive-level client meetings, relationship reviews, strategic introductions, and pursuit positioning.
Ensure clients experience Pape-Dawson as responsive, technically credible, relationship-driven, and committed to long-term partnership.
Support regional transportation teams in deepening local client relationships while creating national consistency.
Lead strategic transportation pursuits, including go/no-go decisions, capture planning, teaming strategies, proposal positioning, interview preparation, and contract negotiations.
Partner with marketing, operations, project managers, and technical leaders to develop compelling proposals and presentations.
Identify and build relationships with strategic teaming partners, including engineering firms, contractors, program managers, specialty consultants, and DBE/HUB partners.
Support alternative delivery, GEC/program management, CEI, roadway, bridge, traffic, ITS, corridor, complete streets, and major infrastructure pursuits.
Maintain visibility into national transportation pipeline, hit rates, client feedback, backlog, and pursuit lessons learned.
Career development and retention of transportation leaders and project managers.
Success in this role will be measured by growth of national transportation revenue and backlog, expansion of strategic transportation client relationships, increased win rate on priority pursuits, strength of national transportation pipeline and market visibility, successful cross-office and cross-region collaboration, improved consistency in transportation pursuit strategy and delivery standards, and financial performance of transportation-related work.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
Licensed Professional Engineer; multi-state licensure preferred or ability to obtain additional licensure as needed.
Typically 20+ years of progressive transportation engineering, infrastructure, program management, or public-sector consulting experience.
Demonstrated success leading transportation market growth across multiple geographies.
Established relationships with DOTs, toll authorities, municipalities, counties, MPOs, transit agencies, aviation/airport clients, or major public infrastructure clients.
Proven track record winning and supporting major transportation pursuits.
Experience with transportation services such as roadway design, highway/freeway design, corridor planning, traffic engineering, ITS, signalization, CEI, program management, transportation planning, bridge/structures coordination, drainage, utility coordination, complete streets, pedestrian/bicycle facilities, or ADA transition planning.
Experience leading multidisciplinary teams across offices, markets, and service lines.
Strong understanding of public-sector procurement, qualifications-based selection, alternative delivery, contract negotiation, and client account planning.
Demonstrated ability to mentor leaders, develop teams, and build scalable market infrastructure.
Strong financial and operational acumen, including revenue growth, backlog, utilization, profitability, risk management, and project performance.
Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and executive communication skills.
Strong alignment with Pape-Dawson’s mission, culture, and values.
Preferred Qualifications
National or multi-state transportation leadership experience.
Prior role as Transportation Market Leader, National Practice Leader, DOT Client Account Manager, Program Manager, Regional Transportation Director, or similar senior leadership position.
Experience leading large transportation programs, GEC contracts, CEI programs, corridor programs, design-build pursuits, toll projects, or major DOT initiatives.
Existing relationships in Pape-Dawson growth markets.
Experience integrating transportation practices across acquisitions, new offices, or multi-region teams.
Active involvement in professional organizations such as ACEC, ASCE, ITE, WTS, APWA, TRB, AASHTO-related committees, or state transportation associations.
Experience with major infrastructure funding programs and public-sector capital planning.
Strong reputation for ethical leadership, technical quality, client trust, and collaborative delivery.