Assistant Department Manager - Substation (DC Office) en Burns & McDonnell

This position is responsible for the managerial direction, leadership, and training of interns, assistant/staff level engineers and designers/detailers within the Substation Department of the Transmission & Distribution (T&D) Global Practice in the assigned office location. We are seeking a candidate with strong substation technical depth, while project‑management proficiency will be considered a strong plus. Specific areas of responsibility for this position include the following, with other duties assigned as needed: 

 Fostering Culture: 

• Advocate for safety within the business line and drive a culture focused on safety and compliance with company and site safety policies.
• Actively foster a culture based on our MacCulture principles, quality, diversity and inclusion, and team cohesion and camaraderie.
• Develop and foster an innovative culture that challenges the norm and utilizes tools, technology, and processes to drive continuous improvement and efficiency.
• Lead with a focus and purpose on creating a welcoming atmosphere and environment.

Technology & Innovation:

• Establish and maintain a culture of innovation and challenge and inspire staff to think in innovative ways.
• Use new and existing software to improve workflows for improved collaboration
• Audit and benchmark current tools and processes across Burns & McDonnell to identify best‑in‑class practices.
• Work with project teams and other Section / Department managers to identify and implement new solutions to improve efficiency and quality of deliverables.
• Attend industry events to identify emerging industry trends and technologies.
• Initiate and execute innovative initiatives to drive quality, efficiency, and profitability.

Technical/Execution/Production:

• Demonstrate creativity, foresight and mature judgment in anticipating and solving problems; champion, advance, and develop department tools and workflows to increase efficiency of designs, specification development, and project execution.
• Advocate for quality and ensure that the corporate and T&D quality initiatives are implemented, including coordinating with the appropriate teams to assign quality control reviewers. Review quality system data for direct report substation staff and report lessons learned, root cause analysis, and areas for improvement to T&D leadership. On occasion, perform quality reviews for projects.
• Coordinate shared client work with T&D MAR leadership.
• Serve as a technical advisor providing engineering input and evaluation on Substation Engineering projects.
• Proactively work through corrective actions where deficiencies are identified.
• Support development of specialized market offerings, including EPC and program management solutions.

Collaboration:

• Proactively share information with the department through MacCentral and department meetings and continually look for ways to better disseminate the information.
• Make intentional efforts to maintain personal technical proficiency and connection to the core business line and various segments.
• Regularly coordinate and collaborate with business line management, segments lead, and other leads to build cohesion and tie the needs of our people to the needs of our business.
• Identify training needs and support training programs in collaboration with the business line management.
• Interpret and establish policies, procedures, and strategic goals for the department in collaboration with the business line management.
• Develop and maintain a strong relationship with PMs and other key leadership to support the development of our people. 

Recruiting, Interviewing, Hiring, Onboarding and Retention:

• Work in various recruiting channels including, but not limited to, HR Recruiting team, staffing agencies, staff referrals, and direct communication to proactively recruit the best experienced engineers and designers available and ensure the candidates align with the MacCulture principles, department needs, growth strategies and business objectives.
• Purposely interview, assess and hire prospective candidates; remaining diligent to uncover and combat unconscious bias throughout the entire interview process.
• Responsible for the onboarding process for all the employee owners transitioning into Substation.
• Support Human Resources on educational partnerships and internship programs.
• Proactively establish and employ staff retention measures.
• Work with DM and ADMs to develop annual transition plans as staff promotes from assistant to staff, and staff to senior.  

Career Development and Performance Management: 

• Continuously educate the department about the various career paths offered within T&D, and work with employee owners to help them develop the knowledge, skills, abilities, and opportunities to pursue their desired career path.
• Serve as a mentor and coach to all the employee owners you directly manage
• Advocate for staff by meeting regularly, listening to their goals and providing guidance, direction, and facilitation of opportunities to meet those goals.
• Organize, lead and conduct the annual performance appraisal process for department staff.
• Work with Human Resources and staff to identify, prepare, communicate, and monitor performance plans for employees with areas of needed improvement.
• Comply with all policies and standards. 

Cross-Regional & Organizational Alignment:

• Coordinate with other regional and national leaders to share best practices and align on standards, tools, and key initiatives.
• Support the integration of global engineering resources to ensure consistent delivery across the firm.
• Collaborate on shared client work with other T&D departments and regional offices to reinforce One Burns & McDonnell.

Resource Management:

• Establish and proactively communicate to staff the vision, expectations, requirements, processes, and guidelines to meet department, global practice, and company objectives.
• Regularly review team utilization of staff to make sure employees have a clear path of development and support and are adequately leveraged and empowered to their strengths and skillsets.
• Oversight and management of chargeability and proper investment of overhead labor and costs.
• Leading the coordination of work in the department which includes making assignments and reviewing performance to ensure the efficient, cost-effective utilization of staff. 

Business Line Support: 

• Assist business line with achieving Objectives and Key Results.
• Support in the development and execution of the department business plan.
• Promote and support key initiatives in coordination with senior management.
• Assisting with and leading proposal and pursuit efforts.
• Serve in key project support roles for identified clients and/or new clients where required, and where new business is being developed.
• Ensure that client diversity goals and initiatives are met. 

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture, construction or related field from an accredited program. Minimum 5 years related professional experience. Other qualifications include: 
• Substation High voltage substation design, program and/or construction experience.  
• Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and analytical and problem-solving skills.  

Strong preference for the following: 

• Professional Engineering license.
• Experience with project management activities (estimating, scope/schedule/budget/quality management, scheduling software, earned‑value management) and/or PMP certification.
• Experience with recruiting.
• Experience working on Engineer, Procure, Construct (EPC) projects.
• Ability to clearly and effectively present complex information to all levels of employees, management, and clients
• Experience giving and receiving performance feedback for those they work with.
• Familiarity with tools/technology such as Pivot Tables, Data Models, Office 365 apps, and other efficiency/data tracking tools.  

• Ability to influence, lead, and manage change thoughtfully and positively.

   

   

  EEO/Disabled/Veterans