Vice President, Rail Transit Project Manager

This Opportunity

WSP is currently initiating a search for a full‑time Vice President, Rail Transit Project Manager. This position will sit within the Northwest Pacific Major Projects Team. It has been created to support recent rail transit project wins and ongoing pursuits in the Seattle and larger Northwest Pacific transit and transportation market. The role works closely with our Transportation & Infrastructure Team to help clients advance complex transit initiatives and solve their most pressing mobility challenges.

• Advance client goals and industry innovation through leadership in transit rail planning, design, and delivery.
• Collaborate with local offices and national transit experts to provide clients with forward‑looking, integrated solutions.
• Support transit rail business development efforts, strategy development, client engagement, and pursuits across Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington.
• Provide guidance and leadership with pursuit/initiation activities for projects meeting defined criteria or risk profile; including “Go / No-Go” decisions, contract reviews, risk mitigation strategies, pricing reviews, etc.
• Serve as key staff on pursuits in roles such as project manager, deputy project manager, design lead, advisor, or subject matter expert.
• Oversee and provide guidance on procurement of contracts with preferred sub‑consultants and contractors for transit and multimodal transportation projects.
• Engage with clients to develop new business leads and project opportunities.
• Build strategic alliances and partnerships to secure new transit rail work.
• Represent WSP in the market through participation in client and industry events, committees, and associations.

• Lead the delivery of transit rail projects and programs for agencies throughout the Northwest Pacific District, focused on transit clients in the Seattle area.
• Serve as Project Manager, Senior Lead, or in other leadership roles on key transit initiatives, ensuring contributors know what they are required to do and by when, preparing and overseeing relevant project budgets, forecasts, margins and KPIs, monitoring external events and risk contingencies, tracking hours and expenses, ensuring QA/QC and satisfactory performance, and managing contractual obligations to deliver the project or assigned portfolio.
• Foster effective and proactive strategies to engage project stakeholders at all levels, maintain relationships, and report on project progress.
• Participate in the technical aspects of contract negotiation, presentations, and meetings.
• Ensure updates occur with system and process documentation including:
  Risk (/RMP), Project Management Plan (PMP), Project Quality Plan (QP), Project Safety (PSP), and Communications Plan where applicable.
• Guide staff and support project management responsibilities, including oversight of financial performance, adherence to project management and quality control plans, and risk management.
• Ensure high‑quality project deliverables, including PS&E packages, engineering reports, technical memorandums, and related documentation.
• Lead problem‑project and project management discipline meetings, addressing root‑cause issues and potential solutions, leveraging opportunities for improvement and providing updates to staff.
• Lead the development of project recovery plans, including team input for correcting project budget and overrun issues with the client.
• Ensure regular project reporting and updates are provided to clients, technical areas, and business unit managers, identifying any emergent issues with scope, risk, and/or budget.
• Ensure completion of all formal project closeout activities, along with facilitation and documentation of a lessons‑learned meeting with key project staff.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision‑making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project‑specific needs (less than 20%).

• Support the management, growth, and…