National Director of Federal Operations and Special Projects

The National Director of Federal Operations and Special Projects provides leadership over the delivery of WPE's federal construction portfolio and its most complex, high-profile projects nationwide. This role establishes and leads Federal Construction Operations as a dedicated function, separate from WPE's regional ESCO and MUSH construction operations, with the specialized processes, compliance controls, and talent that federal work requires.

The National Director oversees federal and special project execution from project development through construction, commissioning, and turnover, including energy savings performance contracts (ESPC), utility energy service contracts (UESC), and other federal contract vehicles. This position ensures projects are delivered safely, on schedule, within budget, and in full compliance with federal acquisition regulations, agency technical requirements, and contract terms, while partnering closely with the regional construction leaders, risk & preconstruction, business development, legal, and finance.

As a key operations leader, this position builds and mentors a high-performing federal delivery team, serves as WPE's operational lead with federal clients and Contracting Officers, and drives continuous improvement in federal project controls, quality, and risk management.

• Establish and execute a clear strategy for Federal Construction Operations aligned with WPE's federal growth plans, business objectives, and long-term vision.
• Build the federal delivery function, including organizational structure, staffing plan, standard procedures, and project controls tailored to federal contracting requirements.
• Define the boundaries and coordination points between Federal and Special Projects and the regional construction groups, sharing resources where it benefits the company.
• Partner with executive leadership and business development to evaluate federal and special project pursuits, delivery capacity, and organizational risk exposure.
• Benchmark industry and federal best practices to continuously improve delivery performance and competitiveness.

• Provide leadership and oversight of all federal construction projects, including ESPC, UESC, and other federal task orders and contract vehicles.
• Ensure project execution complies with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), agency supplements (such as DFARS), and agency-specific technical standards and specifications.
• Ensure all contract changes, modifications, and financial commitments are authorized by the warranted Contracting Officer before work proceeds.
• Oversee delivery in operating federal facilities, such as medical centers, military installations, and correctional facilities, including phasing, site access, security, and continuity of critical operations.
• Ensure compliance with federal labor and site requirements, including prevailing wage (Davis-Bacon) and certified payroll, base access and badging, and applicable safety standards such as EM 385-1-1.
• Coordinate the transition from development through design, construction, commissioning, measurement and verification (M&V), and operations to meet contract guarantees and performance objectives.

• Lead the delivery of special projects that, due to size, complexity, technology, or strategic importance, require dedicated national oversight.
• Oversee complex energy and infrastructure scopes such as central plants, utility-scale and campus photovoltaics, battery energy storage (BESS), microgrids, cogeneration, and campus-wide distribution systems.
• Support alternative delivery models, including design-build, CMAR, and public-private partnerships (P3).
• Lead recovery efforts on troubled or at-risk projects when assigned, restoring schedule, financial, and client performance.

• Establish project controls for federal and special projects, including baseline schedules, look-ahead scheduling, cost forecasting, and monthly project reviews.
• Maintain formal risk registers on every project, with each identified risk mapped to an owner and a mitigation plan.
• Oversee submittal, procurement, and long-lead equipment tracking to prevent material delays and schedule impacts.
• Partner with Risk & Preconstruction to review federal contract terms, flow-down provisions, and subcontract requirements before award and mobilization.
• Manage requests for equitable adjustment (REAs), claims…