Structural Associate Director

Are you passionate about creating innovative, elegant and robust structural engineering solutions for complex construction projects? Your project leadership experience might just make you our new Structural Associate Director. This role will see you working as part of the London-based structural engineering team focussing on a diverse portfolio of projects in the UK and around the world. This is a technically demanding role and we are ideally looking for creative candidates with an interest/aptitude in computational techniques as well as being interested in being at the forefront of changes in the industry such as in reducing embodied carbon and modern methods of construction in structural design.

The role is to work within the London Structures team to build our capability and credibility in delivering projects in the UK and internationally. He/she is to represent the team and its capability externally, mobilise and develop a network of clients and collaborators in the sector, and lead an effective work winning strategy in the sector. He/she is to lead a variety of projects, as Job Leader, Project Leader, or Project Director. The position will be based in London but will potentially involve travel to other offices and countries for work winning, project leadership, and project visits and meetings.

Key Skills & Experience

• Design of long span and/or complex geometry in seismic zones.
• Seismic design assessment of existing buildings – inc. non-linear analysis - and retrofitting of buildings.
• Experience of seismic time history analysis.
• Retrofitting of long span and/or complex geometry structures.
• Experience of design for construction/erecting sequencing and leading liaison with contractors.
• Experience of independent technical reviewer role.
• Manage delivery of large complex projects through to completion.
• Lead liaison and coordination with external parties and stakeholders including design teams, clients and local authorities.

Principal Objectives

• Building a strong pipeline of work in London Structures.
• Building a strong delivery capability in London Structures and other BH offices (including Europe and India).
• Building a project portfolio of high quality, brand enhancing projects achieving profitability targets with a motivated team, and managing a proportion of that portfolio directly.
• Establishing a network of internal and external clients to win new and repeat business.
• Building and/or reinforcing an external profile and representing Buro Happold’s science and technology design excellence in the market.
• Driving innovation within Buro Happold.
• Proactively managing client relationships to exceed expectations and achieve positive feedback.
• Taking a leadership role within the London Structures team, providing direction and technical advice.

Principal Responsibilities

• Project delivery: Building London Structures’ portfolio of projects, working with a range of collaborators.
• Work Winning: Entering design competitions, bidding for and winning work, maintaining strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and seeking new opportunities.
• Innovation: engaging with research and development opportunities within and outside Buro Happold.
• Providing effective leadership, direction, and technical advice to the team.
• Maintaining an external profile through engagement with collaborators and external events.
• Maintaining an overview of project commercial aspects.
• Communicating effectively and proactively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Driving project performance, service delivery, and technical and commercial outcomes.
• Identifying and managing project risks proactively.
• Focusing on maximum client satisfaction and championing client care.
• Reviewing team members’ performance and supporting their development.

Line Management and Mentoring

Taking responsibility for line management, leadership, and mentoring within the London Structures team.

Level of Autonomy and Decision‑making

The post holder is accountable to the Discipline Leader for the delivery of their objectives and responsibilities, and for their financial, design, and leadership conduct. The post holder is accountable to a Project Director and/or Project Principal for their contribution to projects, as suits the post‑holder’s role on particular projects. Considerable freedom to manage project activities within their portfolio, including approving fees and scope of service. Associate Directors have revenue generation targets as part of their performance goals.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience

• Design excellence and creativity: The Associate Director should exhibit world class structural design capabilities in the science and technology sector, with strong understanding of architectural design as well as structural design.
• Industry‑Leading Knowledge: The Associate Director should have extensive knowledge of the science and technology sector across design disciplines, with particular expertise in structural engineering design and best practices.
• Excellent people and communication skills, with the ability to communicate design ideas and thinking in an inspirational manner.
• Excellent team‑working and collaboration skills.
• Organised, flexible, and adaptable – able to prioritise tasks effectively, understand when to delegate, and anticipate and manage situations to adjust deadlines as needed.
• Strategic involvement: Ability to provide targeted and strategic design input to project teams.
• External representation and marketing: Excelling at representing the company to clients, architects, and collaborators, communicating design excellence.
• Leadership qualities: Ability to lead and deliver solutions, mentoring junior team members, and actively promote Buro Happold to clients and collaborators.
• Positive attitude and inspirational role model: Demonstrating a proactive attitude and inspiring team members.
• Considerate and professional: Responsive to clients and internal and external collaborators; adapts communication style to the situation; open, honest, and respectful; aware of others’ positions and experiences; enthusiastic and engaging.
• Collaboration and team‑working: Recognises the value different people bring to teams and shapes own contributions accordingly; collaborative and supportive; expecting and enabling good performance from all team members.
• Continual learning: Actively seeks feedback and learns from experiences.
• Perceptive and incisive: Focuses on critical issues at the right times; strong problem‑solving skills; balances client needs with commercial and risk considerations.
• Confident and proactive: Demonstrates initiative; leads in challenging situations; passionate and inspiring; driven to deliver excellent performance; inspires others.
• Relationship builder: Cultivates positive relationships within and outside Buro Happold; identifies future opportunities and connects with contacts.

What We Offer You

• Hybrid working arrangements.
• Attractive salary and benefits package including life assurance, income protection and private medical cover.
• Car allowance (10% of basic salary).
• Holiday entitlement of 25 days per annum (exclusive of bank holidays) and flexible holiday arrangements.
• Generous company pension scheme.
• Flexible benefits including cycle scheme, dental insurance, optical cover, travel insurance, season ticket loans, and corporate discounts.
• Enhanced parenthood leave policies.
• 3pm finish on the last Friday of the month.
• A strong commitment to your continuous development. Whatever stage in your career, we have a learning and development programme that will enable and empower you.
• Entitlement to two memberships to professional bodies or subscriptions.
• A commitment to your wellbeing through a comprehensive employee assistance programme and wellbeing activities.
• A supportive and inclusive environment that will welcome you through social and outreach activities from the Young Employees Forum to mentoring.
• An international culture that wherever your career takes you at Buro Happold, you won’t be far from the exceptional.

A Place for Everyone

Buro Happold values an individual's flexible approaches to working patterns as an important part of how you work and achieve balance. We welcome applications from those who are seeking flexibility in their careers. Our exceptional portfolio of projects is the result of the diversity of thought, identities, backgrounds, and experiences that shape us. Appreciating each other’s differences is key, we want employees to feel they don’t have to mask elements of their identity to thrive. We are working to change the lack of representation of marginalised groups in the built environment. We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who feels they are underrepresented in the industry. We have much to learn from one another. Embracing differences allows us to develop the most innovative and elegant solutions.