Discipline Leader - Utility Design Engineering

Overview

Colliers Engineering & Design is seeking a senior consulting leader to guide, grow, and strengthen our Utility Design Engineering (UDE) discipline in Tennessee. This role is built for a high-level industry professional with technical credibility, established client relationships, strong operational discipline, and the ability to expand fiber design services in existing and new markets. Candidates must be located within a commutable distance to one of our Tennessee offices.

Are you energized by building teams, winning work, strengthening client relationships, and shaping a growing practice? As the Discipline Leader, you will help drive the strategy, performance, and continued expansion of Colliers Engineering & Design’s fiber utility design practice across existing and emerging markets.

This is an opportunity for a proven consulting leader with technical credibility, strong operational instincts, and established industry relationships to make a meaningful impact. You will work closely with clients, partners, industry groups, and internal leaders to build trust, pursue new opportunities, and position Colliers Engineering & Design as a go-to provider for fiber and utility design solutions.

This role goes well beyond technical oversight. It is a chance to lead a scalable business, mentor managers and technical staff, drive project delivery and financial performance, and help define the next chapter of growth for a discipline that supports the infrastructure powering communities for years to come.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Discipline Growth

• Lead the UDE fiber discipline with overall accountability for financial performance, quality, client satisfaction, productivity, operational consistency, and long-term growth.
• Develop and execute a clear growth strategy for fiber utility design services in existing markets while identifying and opening new geographic and client markets.
• Establish the vision, priorities, standards, and leadership structure needed to scale the discipline across multiple offices and regions.

Business Development and Market Expansion

• Serve as a senior seller-doer and visible industry leader for UDE fiber services.
• Develop, maintain, and expand relationships with broadband providers, utilities, municipalities, public agencies, developers, contractors, and strategic teaming partners.
• Identify and pursue opportunities in fiber design, FTTx, middle mile, OSP & ISP fiber design, utility coordination, road moves, make-ready, permitting, GIS-supported workflows, and related infrastructure services.
• Represent CED at industry conferences, client meetings, association events, and regional market development activities.
• Coordinate with internal business development, marketing, and technical leaders to help execute UDE growth.

Technical and Project Delivery Leadership

• Provide senior-level oversight and practical technical leadership for fiber utility design projects.
• Ensure design delivery aligns with client requirements, jurisdictional standards, permitting requirements, project budgets, schedules, scope expectations, and quality standards.
• Support teams delivering FTTx, middle mile, OSP fiber design, utility coordination, road move, make-ready, permitting, GIS-based design support, and related infrastructure services.
• Establish and maintain technical standards, QA/QC expectations, project initiation practices, documentation requirements, project handoff packages, and change management practices.
• Provide senior review and guidance on scope, fee, schedule, staffing, contract, and delivery risk before issues impact profitability or client satisfaction.
• Collaborate with internal groups to deliver complete fiber infrastructure solutions.

Operational and Financial Management

• Drive discipline performance through strong financial management, project controls, utilization oversight, revenue forecasting, backlog review, billing discipline, and collections awareness.
• Monitor project performance, profitability, budget adherence, work in progress, aged unbilled revenue, accounts receivable, write-offs, staffing levels, and resource allocation.

Team Development and Leadership

• Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain high-performing UDE fiber professionals across multiple offices and markets.
• Develop and support all UDE staff.
• Build scalable training, cross-training, role progression, and succession planning programs that support growth and retention.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, technical excellence, safety, business awareness, and consistent communication.

Collaboration, Compliance, and Safety

• Ensure discipline compliance with company policies, procedures, health and safety requirements, contract review procedures, and standard operating practices.
• Partner with safety leadership and the Discipline Safety Coordinator to reinforce safe work practices for office and field activities.
• Travel regularly to CED offices, client locations, project sites, and industry events to support leadership, business development, staff engagement, and client growth.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, construction management, planning, GIS, telecommunications infrastructure, or a related technical field.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in fiber utility design, utility infrastructure, broadband, OSP, FTTx, middle mile, permitting, make-ready, utility relocation, or related consulting services.
• Significant leadership experience within an engineering, utility, broadband, infrastructure, or multidisciplinary consulting firm.
• Demonstrated success leading teams across multiple offices, geographies, or service lines.
• Established reputation and relationships within the broadband, fiber, utility, municipal, contractor, or infrastructure design markets.
• Strong business development background with the ability to build relationships, win work, expand accounts, and enter new markets.
• Proven understanding of project financials, utilization, backlog, billing, collections, forecasting, proposal development, contracts, and profitability.
• Experience developing scalable processes, technical standards, QA/QC practices, project delivery workflows, and staff development programs.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Willingness to travel regularly to Colliers Engineering & Design offices, client/project locations, and industry events.
• Ability to read, write, and understand English for purposes of comprehending written job-related communications and verbal instructions and interactions.

Preferred

• Professional Engineer (PE) license or other relevant professional credential.
• Experience leading a fiber design practice, utility design group, or related infrastructure service line.
• Experience with public and private broadband programs, municipal utility coordination, grant-funded broadband work, public agency permitting, DOT and railroad permitting, and utility relocation programs.
• Familiarity with GIS-based design and delivery workflows, project tracking systems, workload dashboards, design standards, and scalable documentation tools.
• Ability to support growth across multiple regions, including established and new geographic markets.
• Experience evaluating client and project profitability, renegotiating scope or pricing, and improving underperforming workstreams.
• Experience recruiting, mentoring, training, and developing all staff.

What We Offer

At Colliers Engineering & Design, our people are our most important resource. That’s why we are committed to providing all our employees with a safe, comfortable work environment, potential for career advancement, and the ability to impact society through their projects as well as Company sponsored activities.

This dedication begins with supporting a work life balance through a generous compensation package that includes: company paid medical, dental, and vision coverage; paid pregnancy disability leave; short- and long-term disability insurance; life insurance; a company-matched 401(k)/Roth; paid time off that includes parental and military leave; employee referral and professional license bonuses and a straight time policy that compensates exempt employees for billable hours worked in excess of 40 billable hours within a work week.

We have also created an internal culture that provides the resources and technology needed to encourage personal and professional growth opportunities through reimbursement for education; a free in-house resource for hundreds of educational and self-enrichment courses; mentorship program; wellness program; Women’s Organization and ongoing philanthropic opportunities.

Apply today to learn how you can join our team of professionals, so we can help you Accelerate Your Success !