Executive Advisor- Strategy & Commercial

GHD Group Pty Ltd•Irvine, CA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an Executive Advisor – Strategy & Commercial to strengthen GHD Advisory’s market presence and deliver high-value strategic insights to clients. This role is pivotal in shaping infrastructure investment decisions, advising on economic frameworks, and guiding clients through complex commercial and strategic challenges. You will work closely with our clients, senior executives and client leadership teams to provide board-level advisory consulting services, shaping strategic direction while supporting client growth and delivery outcomes. This position can be located at any of our GHD offices across the US This role is pivotal in shaping infrastructure investment decisions, advising on strategic frameworks, and guiding clients through complex commercial and strategic challenges. The role is highly client and market facing, requiring a strong seller–doer mindset. The Executive Advisor will be accountable for originating, winning and delivering work, leading complex advisory engagements across the Americas, and operating across GHD’s priority markets of Energy, Water and Transport. The role combines business development, client leadership and hands-on delivery, with a clear focus on driving growth and achieving commercial outcomes. We’re seeking the curious, those who are stimulated by fresh thinking and a desire to shape our communities in new, positive ways. We’re looking for someone who thrives on fresh thinking, understands global infrastructure trends, and can translate complex economic and strategic concepts into actionable solutions for clients. As part of a truly global team, you’ll lead engagements that influence major investment decisions, and help drive organizational and policy changes. Our Hybrid Work Model: Be part of the dynamic culture! Our workplace thrives on a hybrid model, combining in-office collaboration and flexibility. Join us in the office three days a week to contribute, connect and excel in our vibrant environment.

Requirements

Master's Degree or Equivalent Level
15+ years in infrastructure economics, strategy consulting, or commercial advisory.
Proven track record advising executive leadership and boards on strategic decisions.
Strong understanding of infrastructure markets, regulatory frameworks, and investment drivers.
Exceptional analytical ability, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills; ability to influence at the highest levels.

Responsibilities

Market-facing delivery and growth: Lead and deliver major advisory engagements while actively shaping the pipeline and converting opportunities into revenue. This includes taking ownership of selected client accounts, particularly in Southern California, and growing revenue through deepened client relationships, repeat work and cross-sector solutions.
Strategic Advisory: Lead high-level economic and strategy engagements for infrastructure clients, including market entry, investment prioritization, and commercial and organizational structuring.
Client Leadership: Act as a trusted advisor to our client’s C-suite and board-level stakeholders, providing insights that shape long-term business and policy decisions.
Thought Leadership: Represent GHD in industry forums, publish insights on infrastructure economics and strategy, and contribute to shaping market discourse.
Market Development: Drive growth by identifying emerging trends, building strategic partnerships, and expanding GHD Advisory’s footprint in key sectors. Drive growth through proactive client engagement, opportunity origination and proposal leadership, converting strategic relationships into signed work. Actively balance winning work and delivering projects, with accountability for revenue, margin and client outcomes.
Commercial Strategy: Oversee development of business cases, economic impact assessments, and strategic options analysis for major projects.
Capability Building: Mentor senior consultants and contribute to building organizational expertise in economics and strategy.
Key Account Management: Maintain and grow relationships with top-tier clients, ensuring delivery of exceptional value and repeat engagements.
Corporate Social Responsibility/Integrity: Manage the provision of a strategic corporate social responsibility policy and services.
Stakeholder Engagement: Identify and manage stakeholders up to and including top management level, finding out their needs, issues, and concerns and reacting to them by leading and coordinating the development of stakeholder engagement plans to support the communication of business information and decisions.
Leadership and Direction: Set and communicate the strategy, along with the broad actions needed to implement it, for achieving the organization's mission, vision, and values within a function; inspire a large or diverse workforce to commit to these tenets and do extraordinary things to achieve the organization's business goals.
Performance Management: Manage and report on the performance of the function/business area; set appropriate performance objectives for direct reports and hold individuals accountable for achieving them; take appropriate corrective action where necessary to ensure the achievement of annual business objectives.
Business Planning: Lead the development of annual and longer-term business plans for a significant function or small local business, ensuring alignment with strategy; quantify business outcomes, i.e., revenues or other key performance indicators (KPIs) and resource budgets (financial and headcount); and ensure integration of key activities or projects across the organization.
Strategy Formation and Implementation: Develop the strategy for a significant area of responsibility, such as a function, anticipating complex issues, challenges, and opportunities. Ensure the strategy is successfully implemented and meets medium-term business needs.
Corporate Strategy Shaping: Participate in the development of corporate strategy for a small local organization, applying functional expertise to test the viability of the strategy and contributing creative ideas and insights to support the strategy formation process.
Functional Strategy Formation: Lead the development and implementation of strategy for a significant area of responsibility, anticipating complex issues, challenges, and opportunities and ensuring integration with wider corporate strategy.
Client Account Ownership: Take on lead responsibility for a portfolio of priority client accounts, including Southern California-based clients, with accountability for account strategy, revenue growth and delivery excellence.