Project Director - Environment and Social Division

One of the largest employee-owned companies in the world, Mott MacDonald is a multisector consultancy providing engineering, management, and development services on projects in 150 countries. With over 16,000 of the best people working on a diverse range of challenges, we're helping our clients deliver sustainable infrastructure and development solutions. We have a collegiate and collaborative culture which values equality and diversity, and we take proactive steps to create an inclusive workplace. Together, we are opening opportunities with connected thinking. If this sounds like somewhere you'd like to work, click apply to continue with your application.

The Environment and Social Division is seeking a Project Director to work across a range of complex and high-profile projects and proposals, across the water, energy, transport, advisory, international and built environment sectors.

The key requirements of the successful candidate in this role will be to:

• Provide and drive commercial excellence, ensuring we deliver strong client outcomes on our major projects, and success through our major opportunities.
• Develop and lead a commercial project management team, mentoring, coaching and line managing colleagues, unlocking potential and maximising performance.
• Ensure that all governance processes are fully followed, working closely with the Divisional Commercial Manager.
• Lead commercial aspects of major bids, working closely with Account Leaders.
• Lead multi-disciplinary project teams on large and complex projects through delivery phase, working in partnership with Project Technical Leads for major projects.
• Build on client relationships to continue our strong pipeline of opportunities.
• Meet challenges with resourcefulness, generate suggestions for improving work and develop innovative approaches and ideas; and
• Create a work environment which promotes health, safety, and wellbeing.

Candidate Specification

Ideally you will have:

• Extensive experience of managing and directing major projects, across multiple sectors and/or with a range of clients.
• Understand the specific issues for projects in the environmental and social sectors.
• Interest in developing a team of commercial proposal/project managers and directors, and role modelling good behaviours and practice to others.
• Proven ability to identify and mitigate risks.
• Demonstrated experience in the successful management of multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with understanding of different contract types and approaches for change controls.
• An understanding of, and ability to negotiate, consultancy contracts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and good presentation skills.
• People management experience and interest in developing a team.
• Track record of effective leadership, development and motivation of staff.
• Demonstrated experience of winning work.
• An interest in supporting project delivery and management.
• A project management qualification and/or related chartership would be desirable.

The Environment and Social Division is core to delivery of the Mott MacDonald's purpose to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do. Our client's challenges require environmental and social skills like never before. We develop our people to be industry leading experts, with creative minds and digital acumen.

We are rapidly increasing our engagement with client organisations and delivering a greater number of major projects. This includes consenting and environmental impact assessment for major infrastructure, specialist frameworks, and advising clients, covering diverse topics such as nature services, climate resilience, biodiversity net gain and social value.

This is an opportunity for an experienced and enthusiastic Project Director to commercially lead major proposals and projects and establish and manage a commercial project management team in our Environment and Social Division. This is a leadership role and as such there will be an expectation that you are able to engage across all portfolios and with technical teams and support divisional initiatives and planning.

We are looking for an individual that can drive a culture of commercial project/proposal management across environmental and social disciplines, and provide colleagues interested in developing these skills with support and clear career pathways. As this is a new position leading a team, you will have the opportunity to work with senior leaders from across the business to shape its formation and direction.

You will report into a technical Team Leader and be an integral part of environment and social project delivery. This role, and the team developed, will lead the commercial aspects of projects across all environment and social sectors, and bring together technical specialists and enthusiastic project managers to support the delivery of commercially successful projects.

Closing date: 8th September 2023, but please note that if a substantial number of applications are received, the job posting may close earlier.