Pursuit Leader

WSP in the U.S.; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 91,900 - 163,700; Full time

Job summary

WSP is hiring a Pursuit Leader for the Earth & Environment Federal Sector. The role will collaborate with senior business leaders to position and win federal contracts, including capture planning, proposal development, and interview coaching across the E&E line.

You will drive strategic pursuits, manage cross-functional teams, and leverage AI and InDesign for compelling proposals while ensuring compliance and best practices across the firm.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in marketing, communications, business, journalism, or related A/E/C field.
• 7+ years leading large competitive federal proposals in environmental/compliance/remediation services; SF330 experience required.
• Strong communications skills to articulate complex ideas and persuade stakeholders.
• Proven leadership, accountability, persistence, and goal orientation.
• Strong business acumen and process improvement with client service focus.
• Knowledge of pursuit development from creation to submission.
• Highly organized, detail‑oriented with strong logistics execution.
• Competitive drive with ability to inspire win-focused teams.
• Strategic thinker with ability to drive strategy to achieve objectives.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign), SharePoint.
• Ability to travel as needed.
• Demonstrates ethical decision‑making and adherence to company policies.
• Commitment to safety and compliance with health, safety policies.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end pursuits, including strategy, messaging, content quality, compliance, and debriefs.
• Create schedules and compliance matrices; manage kickoffs and solution sessions.
• Oversee pursuit teams and monitor progress per standards.
• Collaborate with technical staff to craft clear, compliant content.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including capture, legal, pricing, SMEs.
• Utilize AI tools to improve proposal quality and efficiency while ensuring compliance.
• Coordinate with design to produce visuals; proficiency in InDesign required.
• Coach presentations and prepare teams for interviews and Q&A.
• Lead or support post-procurement debriefs.
• Ensure compliance with sales policies and go/no-go processes.
• Facilitate cross-regional collaboration to present a complete WSP offering.
• Support ongoing development of sales procedures.

Skills

Communications

Leadership

Business acumen

Pursuit development

Organization

Strategic thinking

Office & InDesign tools

Travel ability

Ethical decision-making

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in marketing/communications/business/journalism or related A/E/C field

Tools

InDesign

SharePoint

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

This Opportunity

WSP is hiring for a Pursuit Leader role for the Earth & Environment business line, Federal Sector. This role may be based in any U.S. city where WSP has an office, with preferred locations in Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; San Diego, CA; or Raleigh, NC. This role will work closely with senior business leaders in the Earth & Environment (E&E) business line (BL), Federal Sector. This BL collaborates closely with WSP’s other business lines and markets to position, pursue, and secure contracts with federal agencies that include USACE, Air Force, NAVFAC, Civilian agencies, and more.

Job Description

WSP’s Strategic Growth Team (SGT) is a national group of collaborative and innovative problem solvers who frequently work across regions and business lines to advance growth initiatives, secure the win, and leverage the expertise of the broader organization. We are looking for a pursuit leader to bring the best strategies and resources to drive client engagement, pursuits, and business development activities across the E&E business line. This role will facilitate and/or support teams in positioning for major pursuits, including capture planning, proposal development, and interview coaching and debriefs, with an eye for continuous improvement. In addition, they will act as a knowledge manager for the Federal Sector, maintain federal-specific collateral, support marketing communications activity, and improve awareness of federal services to enhance cross-selling opportunities.

Your Impact

Role Overview

• Work with Federal Sector and business line leads (BLL) to align growth priorities and drive successful proposal, pursuit, and federal market strategy initiatives.
• Support teams in positioning for complex pursuits from lead identification through contract award.
• Drive improved pursuit outcomes, including increased win rates, higher-quality submissions, and stronger client positioning across the business line.
• Drive successful client accounts, including gathering and disseminating intelligence, and sales pipeline development activities.
• May participate in professional development activities (e.g., APMP, SMPS, etc.) to enhance business acumen and industry relationships.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Key Responsibilities for Top Opp Pursuits/Proposals

• Lead priority pursuits end-to-end, including strategy development, messaging, content quality, compliance, team coordination, color reviews, interviews, and post-procurement debriefs. Gather and synthesize client and competitor business intelligence to challenge pursuit assumptions and develop, refine, and provide feedback on key sales messages, themes, and differentiators that strengthen WSP’s competitive positioning.
• Produce schedules, compliance matrices with outlines, manage proposal kickoffs, and facilitate technical/management solution sessions.
• Oversee pursuit teams and monitor progress on key pursuits in alignment with WSP standards.
• Collaborate with technical staff to write, review, and edit original content for clarity, compliance, and key messages.
• Collaborate with Capture Manager, Technical Lead/PM, volume/section leads, authors, SMEs, legal, estimating, pricing, and small business leads.
• Leverage WSP AI-enabled tools to improve proposal efficiency, quality, and consistency by supporting content development, compliance checks, research synthesis, draft reviews, and process automation while ensuring outputs are accurate, ethical, client-focused, and aligned with WSP standards.
• Work with graphic design staff to plan, create, and produce graphics to effectively communicate the strategic vision, sales themes and differentiators. Proficiency in InDesign is required.
• Coach and lead presentation teams in prep meetings to develop interview strategy, coach and provide feedback to presenters, and prepare teams for Q&A.
• Lead or support debriefing activities post procurement.
• Ensure compliance with sales and business development policies and procedures, including audit requirements, Go/No-Go engagement, and proposal quality.
• Act as a connector across regional BL teams and cross-business line expertise to ensure we’re positioning and selling a complete WSP offering to clients and partners.
• Assist in the ongoing development and refinement of sales and business development procedures and processes.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, journalism or closely related field or equivalent experience in the A/E/C industry.
• Minimum of 7 years’ experience leading large competitive federal proposals in environmental, compliance, and remediation services in $5M to $500M range. SF330 proposal experience is required.
• Strong communications experience with the ability to articulate complex ideas in a creative manner to influence or persuade others.
• Demonstrated experience of leadership, personal accountability, persistent and goal-oriented.
• Strong business acumen with an aptitude for improving processes with a commitment to internal and external client service.
• Knowledge of the pursuit development process from creation through submission.
• Highly organized; detail oriented; skilled with implementation/logistics.
• Competitive passion for winning and the ability to build that passion in others.
• Strategic thinker that can look at the big picture and drive strategy to achieve tactical objectives.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite (specifically InDesign), SharePoint, and other communications-related software programs.
• Ability to travel, as needed.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.

WSP Benefits

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.

Compensation

Expected Salary (all locations): $91,900.00 - $163,700.00

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

Expected Salary (Colorado only): $91,900.00 - $153,600.00

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and/or offer for this position within the state of Colorado, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

About WSP

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.

www.wsp.com

WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.

At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?

WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.

The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.

NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES

WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.