Transmission & Distribution Department Manager (Albuquerque)

The Transmission & Distribution (T&D) global practice is seeking a dynamic, accomplished leader to serve as the T&D Department Manager for our Albuquerque office. This critical leadership role is responsible for the overall managerial direction, strategic growth, and operational success of all T&D personnel across all business lines, rather than a single technical specialty.

The Department Manager will cultivate a high-performance, collaborative team encompassing substations, transmission lines, and project services. The selected candidate will drive business development, recruit and retain top-tier talent, and direct department operations in a dynamic and profitable manner. This role centers on the firm’s core values of safety, client satisfaction, integrity, and outstanding service.

Key Responsibilities

People Leadership, Culture & Development

• Lead by example and foster a dynamic department with a focus on creating an atmosphere and environment for all.

• Actively embody and foster a culture based on MacCulture principles, quality, diversity and inclusion, team cohesion, camaraderie, ownership, innovation, and teamwork.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of engineers and designers through effective recruitment, coaching, performance management, and regular check-ins.

• Provide leadership within the ABQ office as well as within the SWR footprint, ensuring consistency, collaboration, equitable support, and in-person intra-departmental coordination.

• Serve as a mentor and coach to the team you directly manage, advocate for staff, and support individualized career development and growth plans.

• Identify training needs, assist in the development of training, and support execution of training and mentorship programs that strengthen technical excellence and EPC delivery skills.

• Organize, lead, and conduct the annual performance appraisal process, and work with Human Resources to prepare, communicate, and monitor performance improvement plans as needed.

Recruiting, Interviewing, Hiring, Onboarding & Retention

• Proactively recruit top college graduates and experienced engineers and designers through coordinated efforts with Human Resources, staff referrals, universities, and industry networks.

• Interview with intention, assess and hire prospective candidates while remaining diligent to uncover and combat unconscious bias throughout the interview process.

• Oversee onboarding for interns, new graduates, experienced hires, transfers, and converted contract employees transitioning into the business line.

• Support Human Resources on educational partnerships and internship programs and establish measures that increase staff retention.

Project Execution & Technical Excellence

• Serve as a senior technical advisor on projects across the region and support QA/QC processes as needed to advance department staff and maintain delivery excellence.\

• Monitor project performance and take corrective actions to ensure targets for quality, schedule, and budget are met.

• Support compliance with the T&D Quality Management System and advocate for safety within the T&D business lines, driving a culture focused on safety and compliance with company and site safety policies.

• Encourage an innovation culture that challenges the norm and utilizes tools, technology, and processes to drive continuous improvement, engineering outcomes, and project efficiency.

• Collaborate with Burns & McDonnell India and cross-regional leadership to optimize resource planning and technical direction.

Strategic Planning, Business Growth & Collaboration

• Set policies, procedures, and strategic goals for the department and contribute to the development and execution of the business plan, including SWOT analysis and vision setting.

• Be proactive in thought leadership to enhance profitability and growth and actively participate in conferences and related activities to promote the firm’s capabilities.

• Partner with Marketing, Projects Director, Account Management, Project Managers, and other key leadership to pursue opportunities, support sales strategies, strengthen client relationships, and evaluate alignment with regional priorities.

• Proactively share information with the local team, regional partners, national business line leadership, and other department managers to share best practices and continue process improvements.

• Collaborate on shared client work with other T&D departments and regional offices to reinforce One Burns & McDonnell.

Operational, Resource & Financial Oversight

• Establish and proactively communicate the vision, expectations, requirements, processes, and guidelines needed to meet department, global practice, and company objectives.

• Regularly review staff utilization to ensure employees have a clear development path, are supported appropriately, and are leveraged to their strengths and skill sets.

• Lead coordination of work in the department, including making assignments and reviewing performance to ensure efficient, cost-effective utilization of staff.

• Ensure profitable and sustainable growth of the department through effective staffing, workload balance, chargeability oversight, overhead labor investment, and project performance monitoring.

• Lead continuous improvement efforts in delivery efficiency, processes, organizational consistency, and implementation of project management systems and specialized market offerings, including EPC and program management solutions.

Quality & Safety

• Serve as the primary advocate for safety within the branch office, fostering a proactive safety culture.

• Champion quality control initiatives by coordinating technical reviews and verifying compliance with corporate policies.

• Provide high-level technical advisory and quality oversight on complex, multi-discipline projects.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, construction management, or a related technical discipline from an accredited program.

• Minimum seven (7) years of professional experience in transmission, distribution, substation, or project management.

• Demonstrated success in leading multi-discipline teams, managing budgets, and executing complex T&D projects.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with a proven ability to present complex information clearly to clients and executive leadership.

• Strong interpersonal, project management, and strategic thinking skills, along with the ability to manage change.

• Professional Engineer (PE) license is highly preferred.