Sector Leader - Mission Critical

HED is looking to add an experienced team member with a background in architecture and/or engineering who will be accountable for leading the Mission Critical sector, with a focus on data center projects, ensuring that the health of the entire project portfolio for the sector is in excellent condition. Also responsible for understanding and representing client requirements to the project teams.

About HED

We are a team that is full of ideas, experience, creativity, passionate opinions, insatiable curiosity, uncompromising integrity, commitment, and skill. Our culture is about aspiration, embracing change and challenges, listening to (and learning from) each other, encouraging continual learning, and inspiring collective growth. As an inclusive, integrated architecture and engineering practice, we value the diversity of perspectives, experiences, abilities, and expertise that advance both the work we do, and the world we share.

Typical Duties

• Be the client advocate and bridge to the project team on projects to ensure that all requirements are represented.
• Assist project managers with up-front planning aimed at providing quality documents within established hourly budgets and supporting them to meet performance objectives.
• Ensure that project managers are following the HED design process with completion of the appropriate quality review milestones.
• Monitor financial performance of the sector projects. Provide guidance to project managers when project financial goals are not being met.
• Evaluate sector workload, staff assignments, project planning and quality assurance. Identify and coordinate with business leader and operations leader for sharing of project workload and staffing resources across sectors.
• Responsible, in partnership with the business leader, as the sector representative for jobsite and client related emergencies.
• Mentoring project managers and team members as needed.
• Oversee sector business activities in coordination with other sector leaders, including client and project commitments.
• Facilitate efforts, both in pursuing and processing work, to further the sector’s growth and development with the goal of establishing and maintaining a strong presence for the sector across locations. Such efforts are to be within the established firm policies, procedures, and workflows.
• In coordination with the sector business leader, oversee principal-in-charge project activities, including development, negotiation, and implementation of the professional services proposal/contract process; establishment of project service delivery requirements, hour allocations, team structure and project schedule commitments; and projection of profit goals consistent with the company’s established policies, procedures, and resource capabilities.
• Serve as one of the company’s main participants and spokespersons with prospective clients, professional organizations, and the public, playing a lead role in the marketing of the company’s professional services.
• Assist the sector’s business leader and operations leader, to help identify a core team of experts within each technical discipline (as appropriate to the size and geographic reach of the sector) to service clients and provide technical expertise specific to the sector.
• Represent the company as principal-in-charge on select projects, when requested or required, and provide other direct billable services as appropriate to meet the company’s overall chargeability goals.

Skills, Knowledge, Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in architecture or engineering is required.
• Professional licensure or board approved certification is required.
• Minimum 15 years of professional experience with a minimum of five years of Data Center design experience.
• LEED accreditation is preferred.
• Understanding of data center sector, client relationship skills and strong business skills.
• Extensive knowledge of all aspects of professional services from marketing through project close-out, including design and technical expertise.
• Ability to motivate others and develop teamwork; excellent writing and speaking skills, and strong organizational skills.
• Ability to work well with others under deadline situations.
• Detail-oriented, self-motivated, enthusiastic, and flexible.
• Strong business acumen.
• Professionalism, assertiveness, decisiveness, integrity, and the ability to lead and influence, as appropriate for a senior level position that is highly visible to clients and staff.
• Ability to interact appropriately in various business and social settings with all types of people.
• Models HED’s core values.
• Capable of performing all the duties of a project manager is required.
• Computer literate.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of computer use and active participation in collaborative sessions.
• Frequent engagement in verbal, virtual, and written communication.
• Regular travel for client meetings, project reviews, and industry events.

Work Environment

We embrace a hybrid model that promotes both autonomy and collaboration. In-office presence supports mentoring, creative dialogue, and collective innovation. Sector Leaders are expected to actively contribute to firm culture and thought leadership through in-person engagement.

Other Duties

This description outlines primary responsibilities but is not exhaustive. Responsibilities may evolve with changing sector goals, project needs, and firm-wide priorities.

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