Sector Operations Leader - Mission Critical

About the role

The Sector Operations Leader serves as a matrixed operational strategist and partner across an HED national sector, guiding project management performance, operations excellence, and resource integration to ensure consistent delivery of high-quality, client-focused design outcomes.

Essential Functions

• Collaborate with Business and Sector Leaders to manage and improve operational workflows, resource planning, and project execution across a national portfolio.
• Partner with project managers to develop sound work plans, align budgets, and ensure delivery of quality documents within agreed-upon scopes, schedules, and fees.
• Provide guidance and feedback to Discipline Leaders, including input on performance evaluations, salary adjustments, and professional development.
• Oversee and support implementation of HED’s design process and quality control milestones across sector projects.
• Lead weekly sector staffing and operations meetings to facilitate resource sharing, workload balancing, and timely escalation of operational concerns.
• Monitor project financial health and proactively support corrective action with PMs and finance teams when performance does not align with goals.
• Assist in developing project proposals, evaluating scope, risk, and fee structures to protect firm interests.
• Cook up with legal, finance, and HR to review agreements and manage operational risks.
• Support recruitment and development of qualified project team members with deep sector knowledge and leadership capability.
• Partner with other Operations Leaders, Practice Technology Leaders, Sustainable Design Leaders, and the Operations Practice Discipline Leader to align sector-level execution with firmwide strategic and technological goals.
• Serve as a firm representative in the professional community and act as project executive, principal-in-charge, or project manager on selected projects as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, or related field.
• Professional licensure required.
• Minimum 15 years of professional experience, with at least 5 years in project management within an A/E environment.
• Strong understanding of architecture and engineering design process, technical coordination, and full project lifecycle management.
• Demonstrated business acumen including budgeting, risk management, contract review, and resource planning.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and thrive in a matrix leadership model.
• Skilled in cross-functional collaboration, written/verbal communication, and strategic decision-making.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to effectively communicate in writing and verbally via phone, video conferencing, and in-person.
• Visual acuity to perform responsibilities.
• Ability to travel to other HED offices and project sites for observation, evaluation, or collaboration purposes.
• Ability to use digital tools and equipment for documentation and communication.