Alternative Delivery Practice Leader in Houston, Texas at Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN)

The Alternative Delivery Practice Leader establishes and leads the firm’s alternative project delivery strategy, supporting profitable growth and successful project execution across transportation, municipal infrastructure, water/wastewater, and flood control markets.

Working with business group leaders, Operations, Marketing, Legal, and executive leadership, this individual develops strategic contractor and owner relationships, guides opportunity selection and pursuit strategy, and establishes consistent practices for commercial evaluation, design management, and project delivery. The leader ensures that alternative delivery commitments align with the firm’s capabilities, capacity, financial objectives, and professional responsibilities.

The role supports Design-Build and Progressive Design-Build opportunities, along with CMAR/CMGC and P3 opportunities where aligned with the firm’s strategy.

Responsibilities

Practice Strategy and Growth

• Develop and implement the firmwide alternative delivery strategy in collaboration with business group and executive leadership.
• With the business group leaders to establish annual business plans, priority markets and clients, growth targets, and strategic initiatives.
• With the business group leaders, maintain a coordinated pipeline of opportunities, assessing project timing, competitive positioning, staffing needs, and anticipated pursuit investment.
• Track practice performance and contractor and client satisfaction.

Contractor Relationships and Teaming Strategy

• Establish and maintain executive-level relationships with contractors, construction managers, owners, and other strategic partners.
• Lead evaluation of potential teaming partners based on relevant experience, market alignment, operational compatibility, financial capacity, and performance history.
• Guide teaming strategy, including partner roles, workshare, exclusivity, pursuit responsibilities, and commercial expectations.
• Coordinate relationships and teaming decisions across business groups to align commitments and resources.

Opportunity Evaluation and Pursuit Leadership

• Lead the alternative delivery opportunity review process, engaging business group leadership, Operations, Legal, and executive leadership early and before teaming commitments are made.
• Perform go/no-go recommendations addressing strategic fit, partner selection, scope, staffing, schedule, pursuit investment, commercial terms, and project risk.
• Guide capture planning, proposal strategy, interview preparation, and coordination with contractor partners and owners.
• Oversee development of technical differentiators, Alternative Technical Concepts where applicable, and value propositions.
• Guide development of design scopes, fees, schedules, and staffing plans, including compensation for pursuit-phase services.

Commercial and Risk Management

• Provide practice leadership on delivery models, commercial structures, and design-related risk, working closely with Legal and risk management.
• Support evaluation and negotiation of teaming agreements, professional services agreements, and subconsultant agreements.
• Identify and escalate provisions that could create obligations inconsistent with the firm’s professional standard of care, insurance coverage, or approved risk tolerance.
• Establish project-specific risk mitigation plans and communicate key commitments and assumptions to project teams.
• Route contractual exceptions and significant commercial commitments through the firm’s established approval process.

Design Management and Project Performance

• Establish consistent design management practices for alternative delivery projects, including clear roles, decision-making authority, communication protocols, and design package requirements.
• Support selection and development of qualified design managers and project teams in coordination with business group leaders.
• Champion constructability reviews, value engineering, design-to-budget practices, and phased design delivery.
• Promote coordination among design, estimating, scheduling, BIM and construction teams.
• Monitor major projects with project and business group leaders, addressing design progress, quality, staffing, financial performance, scope changes, and emerging risks.
• Lead effective transition from pursuit to execution, including documentation of scope, budget, schedule, contractual commitments, and outstanding decisions.

Construction Phase Support and Practice Development

• Establish standards for RFIs, submittal reviews, design changes, delegated design interfaces, and field engineering support.
• Promote timely collaboration with contractors while maintaining clear responsibility for construction means, methods, sequencing, and safety.
• Reinforce quality assurance and quality control requirements throughout design and construction.
• Develop training, tools, and guidance for pursuit leaders, project managers, and design managers.
• Capture lessons learned and apply them to future partner selection, contracts, pursuits, and project delivery.

Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related discipline and an active Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• At least 15 years of engineering and/or construction management experience, including substantial leadership experience on alternative delivery pursuits and projects.
• Demonstrated success as a Design Manager, Project Manager, Pursuit Leader, or Practice Leader on complex Alternative Delivery projects.
• Demonstrated ability to grow client and contractor relationships and convert opportunities into successful projects.
• Strong understanding of alternative delivery commercial structures, professional services agreements, design scope and fee development, and risk allocation.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and coordinating design with construction estimating, scheduling, procurement, and field activities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage project financial performance, scope changes, quality, and schedule commitments.
• Ability to lead across business groups and influence decisions.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills.

Preferred

• DBIA certification.
• Experience in multiple firm markets, particularly water/wastewater, transportation, municipal infrastructure, or flood control.
• Experience with CMAR/CMGC or P3 projects.
• Experience establishing or expanding a firmwide alternative delivery practice.

Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, status, or local laws and to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on any of these factors. Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc., is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity, including providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with a disability. Applicants with a physical or mental disability who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process may contact the Human Resources Department at 713-266-6900 or by email using peopleoperations@leoadaly.com . For more information about your rights under the law, see: Know Your Rights