Project Director

Job Description

Mott MacDonald

We’re a global engineering, management, and development consultancy.
Our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities.

A fundamental part of this is respecting each person’s differences and striving to meet their needs.

We are proud to be a one of Glassdoor’s top employers to work for in the UK, as well as being recognised as a Top Inclusive Company in the UK.

Our values: Progress, Respect, Integrity, Drive, Excellence.

Owing to the continued expansion within our Buildings portfolio we have an exciting opportunity for a quantity surveying professional to join and lead our growing team to be based in London as Head of Cities Cost Management. This is a unique opportunity to be involved in some of our most complex and challenging projects.

As a Project Director, you will be responsible for driving best practice and innovation within our Cities sector, working on a variety of projects across a diverse client base including Residential, Stadia and Arena, and Mixed use developments. As Head of Cities Cost Management you will be responsible for Team Leadership and Team Growth within the sector.

Within the Mott MacDonald family we are looking to attract the finest talent to be part of this journey as we mobilise for a number of key opportunities across a broad portfolio of both public and private sector projects and programmes. Many of these are long term opportunities allowing you to grow and develop your career, whilst supporting others with their own career aspirations.

What you will contribute to the team:

• Team leadership across the Cost Management community
• Drive innovation, working closely with our Digital specialists to further improve efficiency in cost management
• Support engagement and growth of our Global Cost Management Centre
• Internal Collaboration with other specialists to further enhance our cost management service offer, e.g., Carbon, MMC, and Economics
• Mentoring of staff to support career growth
• Networking with clients and potential stakeholders
• Commercial management of cost management commissions with internal and external stakeholders.

Our Buildings Team specialise in providing Programme, Project and Cost Management (PPCM) services to tackle a wide range of complex and challenging projects for our clients. Our focus on Excellence was recognised at the National RICS Awards, as winners of Outstanding Contribution to Surveying 2024, and our diverse team PRIDE ourselves on the quality of the service we provide for our clients.

Driving Social Outcomes is at the heart of every project we work on and we specialise in working collaboratively with project stakeholders to maximise the potential for environmental, social and economic benefits to positively improve the communities in which we live, work and play.

We have a very dynamic and diverse team who are leading our Digital by Default agenda by developing and rolling out digital PPCM solutions to drive efficiencies for our clients and enhance the use of project data to provide live analytics to inform project decision making.

Whilst we operate a flexible working policy, the location for this role will be London, to provide face to face leadership of our growing team, which is planned to double in size over the next 3 years.

We currently have three strategic areas of focus including:
Cities – Supporting our Cities clients deliver better social, economic and environmental outcomes including £1bn residential led regeneration programme and major sports and entertainment venues as a catalyst for regeneration, primarily a UK based business, however is engaged with supporting the wider business with commissions in Europe, North America, and the Middle East.
Health – Assisting with the delivery of the Government’s Health Ambitions through major Programmes and working directly with NHS trusts to support with capital delivery and estate rationalisation.

Government - Supporting the delivery of a number of major Government led property improvement national programmes.

Required for the position of Head of Cities Cost Management:

• Bsc in Quantity Surveying
• FRICS / MRICS
• Software skills including Cost X and Excel
• Private Sector experience as a minimum
• Proven team leader, and collaborator
• Excellent communicator with both internal colleagues but also with Clients via telephone, face-to-face meetings, and formal presentations
• Proven skills and experience of delivering within a Cost Consultancy team whilst managing high value contracts within, capable of leads and delivers multiple, medium to high complexity projects
• Competent as a client account manager
• Competent at building relationships both with internal management and externally with key client stakeholders.

Preferred, but not required:

• Innovator to drive continuous improvement
• Cross sector Experience including Residential and Commercial
• Competent at managing and cultivating defined client relationships and securing new work
• Leads large teams, responsible for staff development, resourcing, and/or is a recognised technical lead within a specialist area
• Experienced in making decisions and presenting findings back to clients and internal stakeholders
• CostX / PowerBI / SharePoint experience is desirable but not essential
• Ability and willingness to travel across the UK, and possibly internationally.

If you meet 80% or more of what we’re looking for, please still apply. We understand not everyone will meet all the requirements, but you might have skills we didn’t know we need.
To apply for this opportunity, please submit your CV and a brief (2 page max) cover letter outlining the following:

• Where you have demonstrated clear leadership
• Where you have demonstrated ability to solve problems
• Where you have demonstrated Innovation
• Where you have demonstrated excellent communication
• Where you have demonstrated where you have delivered best practice service excellence
• Three projects which you are proud of and why.

The Advisory and Programme Delivery (APD) unit delivers management services in all the sectors that Mott MacDonald operate in the Built Environment, Defence, Energy, Water, Transportation and, Education, Health and Care.
The Unit delivers services to projects ranging in scale and complexity up to £20bn, through the technical disciplines of Programme Management, Project Management, Project Controls, Scheduling, Cost Management, Estimating, Infrastructure Finance, Management Consulting, Digital Consulting and Education, Health and Care Management.

Our buildings portfolio is primarily a UK business working in both the public and private sector of the construction market. We provide cost and project management services for a wide range of clients including central government, local authorities and private clients. We work in the majority of buildings market sectors including workplace, residential, law and order, health, education, retail, sports and commercial property. Our vision is to provide added value to our clients business through high quality services and our people. #LI-NM1

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

Agile working

Happy to talk Flexible Working and how we can support your responsibilities beyond the workplace.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.