Lochner is looking for a Director of Operations. Lochner leads in providing planning, environmental, design, construction engineering and inspection, and right-of-way services for surface transportation, rail, transit, and aviation clients across the United States. Our civil and structural engineers, planners, environmental specialists, inspectors, and support professionals are devoted to providing valuable professional services that enhance people’s lives through sustainable infrastructure.

Expectations:

Client-focused: We are collaborative and attentive to the unique needs and goals of each project.
Performance-Driven: We are problem solvers dedicated to transforming transportation infrastructure challenges into opportunities for innovation.
Community-Minded: We are vested in the work we do as stewards of public funds used to improve the communities we serve.
Socially Responsible: We give back to our communities by supporting various charitable organizations and causes.
Growth-oriented: We invest in programs to attract, retain, and develop employees so Lochner becomes a long-term home for top talent.

Our goals and strategies promote a diverse and inclusive workforce that feels empowered to make a difference in the world. Our vision is to create healthy and sustainable communities both within and outside of our organization where current and future generations can thrive.

Responsibilities:

This person is responsible for building and leading the team, ensuring that communication and guidelines are aligned with Lochner’s broader objectives, and incorporating corporate policies into the office operations and culture. They will also work in tandem with the NAM to implement enterprise or region-wide changes locally, including strategies, programs, and other initiatives.

Responsible for business development and pursuing new opportunities, within the context of an ambitious growth plan, will position and differentiate the Lochner team in the region to win more projects and increase the company’s market share, working with city, state and regional transportation clients and acting as project manager in the delivery and oversight of these projects.

Marketing and Business Development

Develop the commercial vision and support business plans to drive the region's growth, leveraging a strong understanding of the local marketplace, competitive landscape, and opportunities.
Work closely with the Marketing Manager and NAM on the development and implementation of local marketing and growth strategies. Enforce the application of marketing best practices and ensure the office is actively working toward meeting business plan goals and objectives. Stay apprised of key/strategic opportunities for the office and ensure pursuit team compliance with client management, pre-positioning, go/no-go, and pursuit strategy best practices and company guidelines.
Represent the firm at client meetings, industry events, and other business functions. Develop relationships with local leaders from key teaming partner firms and take active leadership roles in professional organizations at the local level. Support office in developing strategic teaming partnerships and subsequent agreements.
Schedule periodic meetings with key client personnel in coordination with PMs and others (NAM, peer OMs, and other staff) as appropriate.
Where necessary, be the face of Lochner in politics, industry, community, and other externally facing activities. Actively engaged in events and industry association meetings locally and were defined by the NAM or CEO. Maintain connectivity to national organizations, representing the firm as a strategic partner.

Business Strategy and Implementation

Support the development of office-level action plans to support the regional business plan and encourage strong debate and analysis for growth in an area or discipline.
Ensure compliance with company expectations for staff utilization and enforce corrective action plans when/where needed. Resolve high-level operational concerns or problems as soon as practicable and take actionable steps to remediate impacts and enhance performance.
Assess and anticipate the organization’s talent needs to best understand current and future leadership gaps and bench strength, and then design and implement a comprehensive leadership development strategy to meet future needs.

Finance and Operations

Ensure the profitability of the regional office and its projects.
Measure and monitor budget and operational performance and communicate key metrics and information regularly to the leadership team / NAM.

Administrative Responsibility

Where possible and in agreement with NAM, the OM will maintain a defined level of chargeability. OMs without a chargeability expectation will be required to assume a greater level of responsibility as approved by the COO. At times, an OM may support an office in a PM role.
Work closely with other Office Managers (OMs) and support teams within their regions.
Maintain client communication in coordination with other offices and ensure satisfactory client experience, project production, and Quality Assurance / Quality Control procedures.
Oversee succession plans and where appropriate, support development of defined successor(s) across the team. Perform honest and candid performance evaluations of direct reports. Recommend salary increases for subordinate staff for approval by NAM.
Ensure the office complies with applicable laws, regulations, and corporate policies/procedures.
Ensure the flow of communication within the office and region, through regular meetings, written communications, and informal communication, to ensure the effective sharing of critical information, efficient decision-making, team engagement, and collaboration.

DESIRED OUTCOMES

Drive the growth of the business regionally to support the attainment of Lochner’s nationwide growth strategies and plans ($1B+).
Leverage an entrepreneurial approach to refresh the local strategy and position the business for success. Contribute to long-term growth in the region by building the technical and commercial capabilities required to secure current business and penetrate new markets.
Stabilize the business and reinvigorate the culture. Engage and inspire the team, with a focus on sustainable growth through recruitment, retention, and professional development.

Qualifications:

Minimum 15 years of diversified experience in civil engineering, with specific expertise in transportation infrastructure.
Bachelor’s degree required, with technical education in civil engineering or planning preferred but not required. Professional registration is preferred.
Has led and delivered significant projects of scale through effective team and budget management.
Experienced in relevant facets of planning, design, and construction services for roads, highways, and bridges.
Demonstrated track record of positioning and scaling a business and team for growth. Ensures effective governance, at the project and business level.
Ability to develop effective and trustworthy long-term relationships with clients, colleagues, and other stakeholders in the transportation industry. Ideally brings an established network locally, with relevant partners: TDOT, etc.
Adept at leveraging communications skills both externally (business development, writing proposals, community engagements, stakeholder and partnership development, leading client presentations/meetings) and internally, to drive the development and engagement of strong teams.