West Tunnel Practice Lead

Join to apply for the Central / West Tunnel Practice Lead role at HDR

At HDR, our employee‑owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. We foster a culture of inclusion and constantly ask ourselves: what is our impact on the world? Watch our story:

Each role makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Water is more than a resource; it’s a shared responsibility. As part of our Water Business Group, you’ll help shape how communities manage water for generations to come. Your work will support public health, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure resilience.

This is a key leadership role that functions in partnership with some of the best and brightest water professionals in the industry. The person will lead some of the largest and most significant infrastructure projects in the Central and West Regions, focusing on hydraulic tunnel engineering.

The Central/West Tunnel Practice Lead is a professional well versed in all aspects of services for trenchless projects. You will support design teams, oversee trenchless discipline, maintain client relations, participate in project development, and coordinate with HDR’s national Business Class Director and the Tunnel Practice Lead.

You will participate in the technical advancement and corporate management of HDR’s tunnel/trenchless program and support overall risk awareness and management of the WBG tunneling portfolio.

• Direct involvement and oversight on select projects to manage tunnel related services
• Advising on and review of alternatives analyses and feasibility studies related to tunnels
• Risk Management and risk awareness of the WBG tunneling portfolio
• Subconsultant vetting and working with teams for subconsultant risk management including required QA activities and scope provisions
• Assessment and enhancement of HDR’s capabilities regarding tunnel construction and trenchless technologies including expertise with SEM and NATM
• Collaboration with HDR’s WBG Tunnel Practice Lead and the Geotechnical Cross Sector
• Verify qualifications and training of field staff assigned to construction phase services related to tunnels

• Cost Engineering support
• Skills and bench‑depth management for tunnel instrumentation, mechanical, civil, and consulting and design support for projects
• Assessing terrestrial and marine construction capabilities
• Numerical modeling to support tunnel projects including modeling of ground/structure interaction and underpinning of buildings and utilities
• Technologies for coordination/production of design (calculations), design products, and contract documents
• Site characterization and geotechnical evaluations
• Construction Engineering support
• Inspections and Condition Assessments
• Resiliency, operations, and emergency response issues

• Master’s degree
• Ability to communicate and coordinate work within an integrated multidisciplinary team
• Applicable experience in U.S. focused tunneling design and construction
• Leading the design and construction of tunnels and underground facilities for major projects
• Rock mechanics, soil mechanics, and geotechnical engineering
• Wide varieties of ground conditions
• Application of various approaches and technologies such as SEM, NATM, SCL, EPBM, and cut‑and‑cover techniques
• Track record of industry‑facing publication and presentation of technical papers and active participation in professional organizations
• Ph.D. in engineering or related field
• Previous experience managing staff, clients and contracts, and hiring staff for an engineering consulting firm
• Excellent marketing and business development skills with contacts/relationships in respective business class discipline
• Experience in numerical analysis such as FLAC, UDEC, PHASES2, PLAXIS, MIDAS, MODFLOW, etc.
• Ground‑structure‑interaction modelling (FEM or similar)
• Experience in large scale underground projects, urban tunneling, and tunnel rehabilitation
• Prior working experience in construction or working for a contractor
• Robust…