Technical Director, Project Management – Power Generation

WSP; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP is seeking a Technical Director, Project Management – Power Generation to lead risk-enabled delivery on high-value power projects. You will steer complex OE/FEED initiatives, align with business objectives, and drive governance, schedules, and budgets while mentoring teams and collaborating with clients and senior leaders.

This role requires deep knowledge of project management within power and energy sectors, a strategic mindset, and excellent communication to ensure safety, quality, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent in technical field.
• 12+ years of post-education experience in project management in the industry.
• Advanced knowledge of project delivery in A/E/C and large-scale programs.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills with business acumen.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the most complex OE/FEED projects, ensuring budgets, forecasts, margins, KPIs, and risk management are in place.
• Engage stakeholders at all levels, maintain relationships, and report progress.
• Guide pursuit/initiation activities including Go/No-Go decisions, contract reviews, risk mitigation, and pricing considerations.
• Mentor senior professionals and contribute to client advisory services.

Skills

Project management

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Contract negotiation

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's Degree (preferred)

PM certification (PMP/CAP-M)

Tools

MS Project

SharePoint

Visio

Office 365

Job description

This Opportunity

WSP is currently initiating a search for a Technical Director, Project Management – Power Generation to join our Power & Energy team. The candidate will be involved in projects with our Power Generation Team and be a part of a growing organization that meets our client’s objectives and solves their challenges.

This position provides technical and strategic leadership for the risk management function on complex, high-value engineering and infrastructure projects. The role leads the development and application of advanced risk strategies that drive project success and align with strategic business objectives. As a recognized expert in the field, the Technical Director collaborates with senior leaders, program directors, and clients to evaluate risks with significant commercial, technical, and operational implications. This role also contributes to enterprise-level practices and capabilities by advising on policy, training, and continuous improvement of risk management tools and systems.

Your Impact

• Lead the most complex and largest scale OE/FEED projects within the organization, ensuring contributors know what they are required to do and by when, preparing and overseeing relevant project budgets, forecasts, margins and KPIs, monitoring external events and risk contingencies, tracking hours and expenses, ensuring QA/QC and satisfactory performance, and managing the contractual obligations to deliver the project or assigned portfolio of assigned project(s) as defined in the contract.
• Foster effective and proactive strategies to engage project stakeholders at all levels, maintain effective relationships, and report on project progress.
• Provide guidance and leadership with pursuit/initiation activities for projects meeting defined criteria or risk profile; including “Go / No-Go” decisions, contract reviews, risk mitigation strategies, pricing reviews, etc.
• Mentors senior-level professionals in the application of technical risk concepts, data interpretation, and stakeholder engagement.
• Participate in the technical aspects of contract negotiation, presentations, and meetings.
• Accountable for the profitable performance and successful completion of all individual projects within the specified area or portfolio.
• Provide leadership to multi-disciplinary project teams and contribute to providing high level strategic advice to clients.
• Provide performance guidance and proactive leadership to assigned managers and staff.
• Ensure updates occur with system and process documentation including: Risk (REF/RMP), Project Management Plan (PMP), Project Quality Plan (QP), Project Safety (PSP), and Communications Plan where applicable.
• Lead problem project and project management discipline meetings, addressing root cause issues and potential solutions, leveraging opportunities for improvement in area of responsibility, and providing updates and recommendations to staff that ensure all appropriate measures are taken to foster innovation, development, and quality project delivery.
• Lead the development of project recovery plans, including team input for developing strategy for correcting project budget and overrun issues with the client.
• Ensure regular project reporting and updates are provided to clients, technical areas, and business unit managers, identifying any emergent issues with scope, risk, and/or budget.
• Ensure the completion of all formal project closeout activities, along with the facilitation and documentation of a lessons-learned meeting with key project staff.
• Remain current in the latest Project Management techniques and practices (PMAP).
  Collaborate with professionals and leadership from a variety of disciplines to provide “trusted advisor” service and future ready solutions for clients.
• 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.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or a related major, or equivalent experience in a technical or engineering firm.
• 12+ years of relevant post education experience in a project management role within our industry.
• Advanced-level understanding of the project delivery process within the A/E/C industry, and an extensive background and experience in large-scale project management.
• Advanced knowledge and proficiency with analytical and organizational skills, with business acumen to bridge business and project management.
• Strong working knowledge of corporate project management principles, practices, process, delivery, execution, and the business impact upon the organization.
• Demonstrated exceptional ability with establishing, implementing, and managing multiple larger scale/complex projects, programs, documents, systems, and practices.
• Excellent self-leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to manage staff, and effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Strategic lateral thinking and strong analytical skills with attention to detail and prioritization of responsibilities in a pressure work environment.
• Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including senior management, subcontractors, consultants, suppliers, clients, and company-wide staff, including those with whom no formal hierarchical relationship exits.
• Advanced knowledge and proficiency with technical writing, office automation, relevant software, MS Office suite products (e.g., Word, Excel, Visio, Project, SharePoint), technology, spreadsheets, and PM tools.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
• Strong ability to quickly adapt to change and demonstrate flexibility to a variety of schedules and hours to meet business needs.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree.
• Essential project management certification required (e.g., PMP, CAP-M).