DescriptionThe Section Manager is responsible for the managerial direction, leadership, and performance of the Innovation Technology section and its resources. This role leads developers and innovation professionals, establishes team priorities, manages capacity and financial performance, and ensures high-quality delivery across the innovation portfolio. The Section Manager applies strong discovery, process-analysis, facilitation, and project-management skills to guide the intake and evaluation of new opportunities, align solutions with business needs, and move approved initiatives through adoption.
Section Leadership and Business Performance - Provide leadership to the section; direct and coordinate work assignments, coach team members, and review performance to ensure efficient, cost-effective utilization of developers and innovation staff.
- Drive profitable growth of the section by aligning staffing levels, staff loading, capabilities, and assignments with project and portfolio requirements while maintaining billable and utilization goals.
- Implement, apply, and support company, global practice, regional office, and Innovation Team programs and initiatives; thoughtfully lead the section through organizational, process, and technology change.
- Provide expert-level technical, innovation, process-analysis, and solution-design guidance and support to the team, project leaders, and stakeholders.
- Achieve stated targets and standards for financial, operational, delivery, and team performance.
- Manage the section budget and the responsible expenditure of funds, including investments in tools, platforms, pilots, training, and vendor services.
- Prepare and present workload, capacity, portfolio, and monthly financial reports to global practice or regional management and applicable project managers.
- Collaborate with business development managers, business line leads, project managers, and proposal production staff on proposals and pursuits that secure meaningful work for the section.
Innovation Intake and Portfolio Delivery - Own the intake process for new innovation requests and project opportunities; clarify the problem, intended users, urgency, strategic alignment, dependencies, risks, and expected value before work is accepted.
- Lead discovery with business leaders, project teams, and end users to document current-state processes, identify pain points and root causes, and define improved future-state workflows.
- Translate business needs into well-defined project charters, requirements, user stories or use cases, acceptance criteria, success measures, delivery plans, and prioritized backlogs.
- Evaluate and prioritize the innovation portfolio using transparent criteria such as business value, client impact, feasibility, risk, capacity, cost, time to value, scalability, and alignment with strategy.
- Lead the design and execution of proposed solutions, which may include software, hardware, custom development, data and analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, or redesigned business processes.
- Direct project delivery from discovery through implementation, coordinating scope, schedule, budget, resources, decisions, risks, dependencies, communications, and stakeholder expectations.
- Quality-review proofs of concept and pilots, including validation of technical viability, user fit, estimated savings, benefits, adoption readiness, and measurable process improvements.
- Build or review business cases for significant investments, partnerships, and new ventures; provide clear recommendations and executive-ready presentation and launch materials.
- Lead technology solutions through implementation, change management, training, stakeholder adoption, benefits realization, and transition to sustainable operational ownership.
Technology Strategy, Collaboration and Growth - Advise internal teams and clients on emerging technologies, innovative delivery approaches, and practical opportunities to improve project execution, client deliverables, workflow, and efficiency.
- Review the viability, security, integration needs, scalability, and commercial potential of technology products, solutions, and services that may improve margins or create new revenue streams.
- Partner with IT, Strategic Initiatives, business lines, project teams, and other internal stakeholders to build holistic, cohesive, supportable solutions.
- Develop and maintain productive client and vendor relationships; evaluate vendor solutions, lead demonstrations and due diligence, and identify key pursuits and strategic partnerships.
- Represent the Innovation Team in leadership meetings, workshops, client conversations, conferences, and industry forums; communicate trends, recommendations, project status, and outcomes to audiences of varied technical depth.
- Train, mentor, and develop staff; strengthen discovery, requirements analysis, facilitation, project-management, and technology-delivery capabilities across the section.
- Maintain adherence to applicable QA/QC processes, data governance, cybersecurity expectations, company policies, and site safety requirements.
Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in engineering, technology, information systems, business, construction, architecture, or a related field from an accredited program and at least five years of relevant professional experience. Seven years of relevant experience is preferred.
- Consulting-industry experience is preferred.
- Demonstrated leadership or people-management experience, including the ability to build high-performing teams, manage performance, allocate resources, and lead change.
- Strong project and program management skills, sound financial judgment, and a strategic perspective; experience managing a portfolio of concurrent initiatives is preferred.
- Demonstrated business-analysis capability, including facilitation, process mapping, requirements definition, prioritization, business-case development, and benefits measurement.
- Excellent oral, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex business and technical information clearly to employees, leadership, clients, and vendors.
- Strong analytical, critical-thinking, organizational, collaboration, team-building, and problem-solving skills, with careful attention to detail.
- Ability to learn advanced concepts quickly and apply them to practical, scalable deliverables in a quantitative problem-solving environment.
- Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; familiarity with collaboration, portfolio-management, analytics, automation, data, development, CAD, GIS, or related technology platforms is beneficial.
- Knowledge of computer logic, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and modern product or software delivery practices is preferred.
- PMP, CBAP, EIT, product-management, agile, cloud, data, or other relevant professional certification is preferred.
This job posting will remain open a minimum of 72 hours and on an ongoing basis until filled.
Job Engineering
Primary Location US-MO-Kansas City
Schedule: Full-time
Travel: Yes, 25 % of the Time
Req ID: 263408
Job Hire Type Experienced #LI-JNH #T&D
