Energy Practice Leader, Infrastructure
Woolpert
$139,200 - $208,800 / year
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Description
We seek to move the world forward through innovative thinking.
Woolpert is an award-winning, global leader in architecture, engineering, and geospatial services. We blend design excellence with cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional client value. Our team is passionate about their work and committed to building the next generation of industry leaders, and as a certified Great Place to Work®, Woolpert embraces progress and innovation to create limitless opportunities for career growth.
Position Summary
The Practice Leader is responsible for providing strategic, operational, and business leadership for Woolpert's Energy Practice. This role drives the vision, growth, profitability, and market position of the practice while ensuring exceptional client satisfaction, employee engagement, and project delivery performance.
The Practice Leader develops and executes strategic growth initiatives, oversees practice operations, leads business development efforts, and builds high-performing teams. The position serves as the primary leader and advocate for the Energy Practice, collaborating across markets, disciplines, and service lines to accelerate growth and deliver innovative solutions to clients.
Primary Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Establish and execute the Energy Practice vision, strategy, and annual business plan in concert with the Water and Energy Utilities Market Director.
- Develop growth initiatives aligned with Woolpert's corporate objectives.
- Identify emerging market opportunities, technologies, and industry trends.
- Evaluate opportunities for geographic expansion, new services, and strategic partnerships.
- Serve as an executive advocate for the Energy Practice across the organization.
Business Development & Market Growth
- Own practice revenue, backlog, and profitability objectives.
- Lead strategic client development efforts and executive-level client relationships.
- Partner with Program Directors and Client Service Leaders to drive sales growth.
- Participate in major pursuits, proposal strategies, interviews, and contract negotiations.
- Expand Woolpert's market presence throughout utility, renewable energy, transmission, distribution, pipeline, and energy infrastructure sectors.
Operational Leadership
- Monitor practice performance against sales, net revenue, utilization, backlog, and EBITDA targets.
- Ensure consistent project delivery excellence across the practice.
- Lead resource planning and workforce forecasting efforts.
- Identify and mitigate operational and business risks.
- Promote continuous improvement initiatives.
Leadership & Talent Development
- Provide leadership, coaching, and accountability for Program Directors and senior staff.
- Develop succession plans for critical leadership positions.
- Partner with Talent Acquisition and HR to recruit top industry talent.
- Foster an engaging, collaborative, and high-performance culture.
- Support employee development, retention, and leadership growth.
Technical & Industry Leadership
- Serve as a recognized industry leader within the Energy sector.
- Promote innovation, thought leadership, and technical differentiation.
- Maintain awareness of industry regulations, technologies, and market drivers.
- Represent Woolpert at conferences, client forums, and professional organizations.
- Strengthen Woolpert's brand through publications, presentations, and industry involvement.
Financial Accountability
The Practice Leader is accountable for:
- Revenue growth
- Net revenue performance
- EBITDA performance
- Backlog growth
- Utilization performance
- Hiring and staffing plans
- Client satisfaction metrics
- Practice employee retention and engagement
Required Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Construction Management, Business, or related discipline.
Experience
- 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in the energy, utility, or infrastructure consulting industry.
- Demonstrated success leading large-scale business units, service lines, or practices.
- Proven experience managing P&L performance.
- Demonstrated success developing strategic client relationships and growing revenue.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams across multiple offices.
Preferred
- Professional Engineer (PE) or other industry-recognized credential.
- Executive leadership experience within an engineering, consulting, utility, or infrastructure organization.
- Experience leading organizations with annual revenues exceeding $10M+.
- Existing network within electric utility, renewable energy, power delivery, or energy infrastructure markets.
Success Measures
- Revenue and net revenue growth
- EBITDA achievement
- Strategic account growth
- Backlog growth
- Employee engagement and retention
- Leadership development and succession planning
- Market share expansion
- Cross-selling performance
- Client satisfaction
LI-CA1
Base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
Find out more about what Woolpert has to offer here: http://woolpert.com/about-us/
Woolpert is an equal-opportunity employer. Woolpert is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals. We recruit, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. You may view more about EEO on our website: Equal-Employment-Opportunity-The-Law.pdf and EEO is the Law Poster Supplement.
Applicants who require an accommodation throughout the application and interview process should request this in advance by contacting your Recruiter
To all agencies: Please, no phone calls or emails to any employee of Woolpert or any of our subsidiaries about this requisition. All resumes submitted by search firms/employment agencies to any employee at Woolpert via email, the internet, or in any form and/or method will be deemed the sole property of Woolpert, unless such search firms/employment agencies were engaged by Woolpert's Talent Acquisition Team for this requisition and a valid agreement is in place. In the event a candidate who was submitted outside of Woolpert's applicant process is hired, no fee or payment of any kind will be paid.
About this role
Leading Woolpert's Energy Practice requires someone ready to own both strategy and execution across a fast-moving infrastructure sector. This contract role in Columbus puts you at the helm of a practice spanning utility, renewable energy, transmission, and pipeline markets—accountable for revenue growth, profitability, backlog, and the teams delivering projects. You'll develop the practice's vision and growth roadmap, lead major client pursuits and executive relationships, oversee operations against financial targets, and build the leadership bench beneath you.
The ideal candidate brings 15+ years in energy, utility, or infrastructure consulting with a track record scaling business units and managing P&L. You've led multidisciplinary teams across multiple offices, developed strategic client relationships that drove revenue, and ideally have a PE license or equivalent credential. An existing network in electric utilities, renewable energy, or power delivery sectors is valuable, as is prior experience running organizations with $10M+ annual revenue. This role demands someone equally comfortable with financial accountability and people leadership—you'll be measured on revenue and EBITDA growth, client satisfaction, employee retention, and your ability to develop future leaders.
Compensation ranges from $139,200 to $208,800 depending on experience. This is an in-office position requiring presence in Columbus.
How this employer is doing
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- Leadership Change
In the news
Woolpert appoints David Martin as EVP, global operations, engineering.com
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Pay for this role
$139,200 to $208,800 per year
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