Senior Program Manager- Transportation

Join our team of globally connected specialists to help solve complex transport challenges and experience groundbreaking projects from idea to delivery, and beyond.

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GHD is looking for a Senior Transportation Program Manager to join our growing Atlanta, Georgia team. This leader will direct complex transportation infrastructure and capital improvement programs in the Atlanta market, providing senior-level oversight across the full program lifecycle, including planning, design, procurement, construction, and closeout. The role is accountable for safe, timely, and cost-effective delivery while serving as a key liaison among transportation agencies, regulatory partners, consultants, contractors, and internal GHD teams. This leader will guide program strategy, governance, stakeholder coordination, risk management, and executive reporting for major transportation initiatives.

This position offers the opportunity to strengthen and grow GHD’s transportation practice in Atlanta by building trusted client relationships, supporting strategic pursuits, mentoring multidisciplinary teams, and shaping delivery approaches for high-profile infrastructure programs. The ideal candidate will bring deep experience managing major transportation capital programs, strong knowledge of transportation planning, design, funding, delivery, and operational requirements, and a proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and engage clients at the executive level. A background in civil engineering, planning, construction management, business administration, or a related discipline is preferred, with advanced education, PMP certification, and experience delivering large, complex transportation programs considered strong differentiators.

• Client & Customer Management (External): Manage key client and customer relationships. Likely to involve using account teams to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Community of Practice Management: Contribute strongly on a strategically significant area to a community of practice in a defined area of expertise or consulting or lead on an area of expertise or consulting practice, to contribute to thought leadership and to develop innovative practice among colleagues.
• Engineering Solutions Design: Design complex and/or innovative engineering solutions and the associated validation process to enable the realization of a design brief (for example, in terms of functionality, performance, aesthetics, and cost) that conform to organizational and/or regulatory standards.
• Engineering Standards Specification: Provide leadership on the design and development of engineering standards and specifications for a business-critical area that must be adhered to by the organization and/or its suppliers, contractors, and consultants to ensure engineering work of the required quality is delivered and to manage the risks associated with engineering programs.
• Feasibility Studies: Conduct the most-complex feasibility studies from a technological and organizational perspective and document findings to complete cost-benefit analysis on implementing changes to business processes, products, or business unit structure.
• Health, Safety, and Environment: Ensure that business activities and individuals (e.g., employees, contractors, and visitors) within the area of responsibility adhere to the organization's health, safety, and environment (HSE) policies, procedures, and mandatory instructions, to safeguard the environment, protect the well-being of individuals, and minimize business risk.
• Improvement/Innovation: Initiate, formulate, and implement new business practices within a specific discipline while managing the development and/or delivery of a significant element of the organization's change management program.
• Knowledge Management: Manage the development of policies and processes for knowledge management to ensure the creation of best practices and the setup of case studies and internal knowledge-sharing sessions; manage, capture, and share knowledge among colleagues on project/program outcomes and innovative practices across a large area to support the practice.
• Organizational Capability Building: Evaluate the capabilities of staff within the department to identify gaps and prioritize development activities. Implement the organization's formal development frameworks within the area of responsibility. Coach and mentor others to support the development of the organization's talent pool.
• Product and Solution Development: Take responsibility for managing the definition, development, and delivery of a significant product or service within the product development and engineering program, ensuring alignment with customer requirements.
• Project Management: Manage a portfolio of major projects in line with overall project management strategy.
• Request for Bid Solicitation/Proposal/Tender Response: Gather information and resources and draft and complete proposals in response to the most-complex bid solicitations, request for proposal, and request for tender to create the best chance of being awarded the contract. May lead a team to develop tenders/proposals and fulfill all process requirements (in terms of deadlines, documentation, etc.) in response to bid solicitations, request for proposal, and request for tender.

• →Minimum requirement of a Bachelor of Science in Civil or Mechanical Engineering. Master’s degree preferred in Engineering, Planning, Business Administration or related discipline.
• →PMP certification or equivalent preferred. 
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  Proven experience delivering major transportation programs, including preconstruction and construction phases, across roadway, bridge, transit, traffic, and multimodal infrastructure; experience managing large, complex capital programs in active operating environments is strongly preferred.

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  Strong understanding of GDOT policies and procedures, the Plan Development Process (PDP), Local Administered Projects (LAP), federal funding requirements, environmental compliance, and procurement processes.

• →Demonstrated ability to lead large cross-functional teams and manage client relationships at the executive level. Strong communication, negotiation, organizational and issue-resolution skills.
• →Experience with program controls systems, dashboards, risk registers, cost forecasts, schedule reporting and project performance metrics.

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