Vice President and Central Sector Manager at AtkinsRéalis, Jen Sorenson is a results-oriented and influential leader known for her strengths in collaboration, data analytics, and business transformation. She identifies opportunities for improvement and guides teams toward adopting and implementing new solutions. She empowers her teams with a united vision to enrich organizational culture, develop talent, and optimize performance. 

Jen began her career in civil engineering with hands-on experience in technical design, field work, and stakeholder engagement. She has worked internationally, including a stint in Melbourne, Australia, and has traveled extensively across the United States for various projects. Her project management experience ranges from small local initiatives to managing national programs. 

Throughout her career, Jen has held roles in both business development and operations, and she currently combines these responsibilities in her regional leadership position. She oversees winning and delivering work in a wide array of markets, including aviation, rail and transit, roadway, water/wastewater, emergency management, architecture, and construction management. Jen has worked for major companies, including those ranked #2 and #20 on the Engineering News Record (ENR) list of the top 500 design firms in 2024. 

Finding Passion and Purpose 

Jen’s journey into engineering began with a suggestion from her high school physics teacher, who noticed her aptitude for science and math. She was drawn to engineering for its three-dimensional thinking, tangible results, and teamwork. However, her career path has been anything but straightforward, as she was on a mission to discover her true passion. While technical design projects provided a solid foundation, it was during disaster recovery fieldwork following Hurricane Katrina that Jen found her calling. She felt a deep connection with the people affected by the disaster and found meaning and fulfillment in helping their communities rebuild. 

Jen learned the importance of listening to and responding to the unique priorities, needs, and preferences of various stakeholders. This skill has served her well throughout her career. Reflecting on her journey, Jen asserts, “When doing work aligned with my passion, there is a natural curiosity to learn and motivation to excel. I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing well.” This philosophy has guided her work ethic, and every job done well has opened new doors, leading to bigger opportunities and propelling her into leadership roles. 

Embracing Opportunities 

Less than two years into delivering technical design work, Jen volunteered for a two-week field assignment that unexpectedly extended into 12 years of disaster recovery work. Her proactive approach included reaching out to several project managers she didn’t know, expressing her interest and asking if she could help. To her delight, they said yes. These years in disaster recovery taught Jen to focus on her clients’ needs and to consider resilience in design. 

Seeking new challenges, Jen applied for an international transfer to Melbourne, Australia, where she undertook some of the most interesting technical work of her career. During her time abroad, her coworkers affectionately dubbed her “part-time Jen” because she often traveled, exploring that part of the world. 

Jen’s career continued to evolve as she moved into what she described as her “dream job,” joining the management team for a large national program. In this role, she developed an extreme attention to detail and became highly responsive. This experience led to her recruitment into a business development role at a new firm—an area she had never worked in before. She was recommended for this position by someone from her previous firm, highlighting the importance of networking and reputation. 

Her career path took another turn when she moved into a national operations role, which was again outside her previous experience. Jen surrounded herself with experts who mentored her, and she spent countless hours mastering spreadsheets and formulas to build her competency in this new area. She leaned into her natural affinity for data analytics and even completed the Harvard Business Analytics Program. 

In early 2022, Jen assumed her current role, a culmination of all her previous experiences. She now creates and implements the vision and strategy for winning and delivering work in a 12-state region. Reflecting on her journey, Jen shares, “At every turn, I said yes. I volunteered and applied for new opportunities. I trusted myself to navigate the unknown. I came to know myself in a different way. I learned I was capable of more than I realized.” This mindset, along with her hard work and dedication, has led to a continuous stream of opportunities. 

Broadening Perspectives 

Travel has a way of broadening perspectives and igniting curiosity, and Jen’s work-related travels were no exception. These experiences introduced her to a wide array of people, cultures, and leadership styles. She found it easy to connect with new people in new places, recognizing that connections are key and that relationships often drive results. Through her travels, Jen learned valuable lessons about what she wanted to replicate and what to avoid, taking the best from each experience. 

These experiences have also made Jen more sensitive and attuned to fragile situations, understanding the nuances that different cultural and professional environments bring. The knowledge she gained from various stops along her journey has shaped her approach to new opportunities, always with a sense of curiosity and a willingness to learn. 

Adapting to New Challenges and Cultural Differences 

During her time in Australia, Jen encountered completely different software systems from those used in the U.S., and she had to adapt to working in metric units rather than the imperial system she was accustomed to. This challenge provided her with an opportunity to learn new methodologies and broaden her technical expertise. Her time abroad coincided with the devastating 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires, which National Geographic cites as the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history. Unlike the U.S., Australia did not have an organization like FEMA to manage such crises. Jen’s company sponsored her to work pro bono with the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority one day a week, advising on the recovery process and helping to prioritize rebuilding and mitigation efforts. 

In New Orleans, Jen was part of a team assessing residential roof damage following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The work wasn’t without its dangers; some residents, fearing looters, were wary of strangers on their property. Jen even faced a situation where a resident pulled a gun on her while she was estimating the size of a tarp needed to protect his roof. This experience underscored the importance of taking additional safety measures in such volatile situations. 

Another memorable assignment took Jen to the collapsed bridge between Biloxi and Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The most effective way to survey the damage was by helicopter, which had a glass floor and no doors, providing an unobstructed view of the devastation below. 

Throughout her career, Jen has learned that cultural differences significantly impact communication and project management. Some clients can be aggressive, while others may be too polite to express legitimate concerns. Successfully managing projects in diverse regions requires adapting communication styles to effectively engage each client, a skill Jen has honed through her varied and challenging experiences. 

Building Trust 

Effective change management requires establishing trust and rapport with senior leaders and building allies across the business, a principal Jen understood well. She began her national operations role with a listening tour, focusing on understanding the pain points and priorities of various leaders within the organization. For the first three months, she observed without suggesting any changes, allowing her to build relationships, listen attentively, and identify areas for improvement as well as best practices. 

Jen also analyzed data to pinpoint the drivers of financial losses, using this information to craft a data-driven approach for instilling operational discipline. The first step in her strategy was to present her vision to the leadership team, ensuring that they were united in a common goal. She shared her findings and set clear expectations for pricing and project setup. 

Collaborating with experts across the business, Jen participated in strategy meetings, delivered training, created tools, monitored progress, and provided feedback to ensure accountability. She followed up with targeted refreshers to reinforce key concepts and practices. 

When it came to integrating business units, Jen took a measured approach, initially maintaining business as usual to allow ample time for listening and observation. An integration team was established, with leads from each business unit working together to identify opportunities for synergy. They developed a unified set of procedures and tools and collaborated on shaping the final combined organizational chart, building ownership and consensus throughout the process. 

Fostering Collaborative Success 

Jen prides herself on surrounding herself with highly capable people and empowering them to lead, embracing the role of a leader of leaders. She recognizes that no one person can be the foremost expert in everything; thus, the team’s success hinges on leveraging the strengths of each individual and uniting under a common goal. A significant part of her role involves ensuring that the leadership team is diverse, enabling them to excel and deliver across a variety of markets. Jen fosters “zippered” relationships at all levels—production, management, and executive—between clients and her own company, ensuring a seamless and integrated approach. 

Jen typically engages with the largest opportunities and most complex projects, often making site visits to witness the tangible results of their work. These visits are invaluable, allowing her to ask numerous questions to build a comprehensive understanding. She relishes the variety this brings, appreciating the ever-changing landscape of her responsibilities and the dynamic challenges that come with it. 

Building Unity and a Shared Vision 

When Jen stepped into her current leadership role, unifying the team was a top priority, especially after significant staff changes. She initiated this process by organizing an in-person meeting where the team reviewed a case study on Lululemon, focusing on how their vision, mission, core values, and manifesto guide their business practices. Inspired by this, the team brainstormed their priorities and the culture they wanted to cultivate, covering a wall with sticky notes filled with ideas. From this exercise, they crafted their own manifesto—a guiding philosophy created collectively. 

To reinforce this shared vision, Jen distributed notebooks featuring the team’s manifesto on the cover at the next in-person meeting. This manifesto has become a touchstone for the team, revisited and reflected upon over time. Jen fostered a sense of camaraderie and understanding by encouraging activities that helped team members get to know one another better. These included asking introductory questions at team meetings, volunteering together, playing games, and even hosting a dinner party at her home. 

Central to this team-building effort is the creation of an environment of psychological safety. Jen emphasizes that everyone is encouraged to be vulnerable and that taking risks is not just accepted but encouraged. The team learns from both successes and setbacks, with regular discussions on goals and objectives. Clear expectations are set for what the team aims to achieve, fostering a collaborative environment where one division’s strengths, such as excelling in winning new work, complement another’s profitability. The team thrives on the principle that they are strongest when working together. 

Fostering Strengths, Growth, and Leadership 

Jen acknowledges that individuals tend to excel naturally in some areas while facing challenges in others. As a manager, she sees it as her responsibility to identify both strengths and areas for improvement in her team members. She practices giving real-time feedback with radical candor, adhering to the principle of praising publicly and offering constructive feedback privately. This approach helps maintain a positive environment while addressing areas where growth is needed. 

Understanding her team’s aspirations is crucial to Jen. She actively engages with them to learn about their career goals and considers how she can assist in their achievement. Having benefited from a variety of mentors and sponsors herself, Jen encourages her team to seek out mentors, especially in areas of specific interest to them. She also emphasizes the importance of succession planning, ensuring that there are pathways for team members to transition smoothly into new roles when the opportunity arises. 

Jen feels fortunate to work at a company that provides leadership training at various levels. She advocates for her team members’ participation in these programs, believing that such training is essential for their professional development and growth. This support fosters a culture of continuous learning and readiness for future leadership roles. 

Commitment to Lifelong Learning 

Jen embodies the spirit of a lifelong learner. Her natural curiosity drives her to seek out new experiences and pursue continuous growth, both personally and professionally. She has returned to school multiple times, first to earn her master’s in engineering and later to complete the Harvard Business Analytics Program. Beyond formal education, Jen actively engages in conferences and meetings with professional organizations and boards. She stays informed about recent advancements through reading technical journals, following industry news, attending technical sessions, and networking with peers. This commitment to learning ensures that she remains at the forefront of her field, constantly evolving and expanding her expertise. 

Insights from the Harvard Business Analytics Program 

The Harvard Business Analytics Program provided a rigorous curriculum alternating between business and data science technology courses, enriching Jen’s approach to daily business decisions. A significant takeaway was the importance of starting with the end in mind. Rather than diving into the data and seeing where it leads, she learned to first establish the desired outcome and then work backward to gather the necessary data to build a precise algorithm. This methodology has led Jen to combine intuition with analytics, emphasizing data-driven decisions. 

Jen realized that excelling in exploiting a current strategy often hampers exploration and innovation. She regularly evaluates how her operating model supports her objectives, whether focusing on incremental improvements or pursuing disruptive innovation. Additionally, the program underscored the value of leveraging social capital. Jen found that when seeking to introduce a new idea or initiative, being well-connected with key allies—those with substantial influence and connections—within the company is invaluable. This network effect can significantly enhance the adoption and success of new ventures. 

Empowering Advice for Aspiring Leaders in Engineering and Construction 

Jen’s advice to young engineers aiming for leadership roles in the engineering and construction industry is both empowering and practical. She emphasizes that everyone, engineer or not, is charting their own future and is capable of more than they might realize. “Believe in yourself,” she asserts, underscoring the importance of self-confidence. Jen advocates for pursuing one’s passion and exploring various options within engineering and beyond. If current roles aren’t fulfilling, she encourages trying new things and vocalizing your aspirations to invite support from others. Building a robust network both within and outside the company is crucial, as is active participation in professional organizations and leadership roles. Seeking and providing mentorship are also key elements in fostering mutual growth and learning. 

Balancing Professional Impact and Personal Fulfillment 

Jen embodies the principle that “engineering a better future” transcends professional boundaries and enriches all aspects of life. In her role at work, she is deeply involved in the design and construction of infrastructure projects that uplift and enhance communities. Her dedication to improving the world around her is matched by her commitment to her family. Jen emphasizes the importance of investing time in building deep, meaningful connections and creating memorable life experiences with loved ones. She firmly believes, “We always make time for what is most important. Both at work and at home, how we spend our time reflects our priorities.” For Jen, engineering a better future is not just about advancing infrastructure but also about nurturing relationships and making every moment count. 

Please visit: https://www.atkinsrealis.com