Associate Director - Forensic Structural Engineering

We have an opportunity for Associate Director in the area of Structural Forensics within our London Structures team. You will be part of the leadership of the team working on a number of projects, bringing in new Forensic work and assisting with the management of the current pipeline of work, which is the diagnosis of structural design errors within a portfolio of buildings, communicate any deficiencies and propose remedial measures to extend the life of the building with minimum disruption to the building stakeholders.

This is a combined technical and managerial role and we are seeking candidates with a strong interest in this area of work. The ideal candidate will have considerable ability in the detailed structural analysis and investigation of structures, be an established Expert Witness, bringing new commissions and client relationships to Buro Happold and helping oversee more junior colleagues who are interested in becoming Expert Witnesses.

The role requires a detailed understanding of structural load paths, principles, and detailing in concrete and steel buildings in addition to the commercial aspects and the project running skills to manage a team to deliver on time and within an agreed budget. This is a growing area of work for us and this role will offer significant opportunity for taking on responsibility and career development, and for developing advanced engineering skills and approaches.

• Leading teams by making timely decisions and corrective action whilst creating an atmosphere that delivers excellent work.
• Independent research of technical publications and literature in support of assessment into code verification and assisting potential remedial solutions.
• Manage the relationship with internal and external clients.
• Collaborating with external clients and harnessing opportunities to engage other internal discipline designers.
• Informing colleagues of design decisions to ensure the objectives of the company and the client are achieved.
• Prepare commercial proposals or bids and competition designs whilst working alongside senior colleagues.
• Produce reports, and presentations to an excellent standard, on time and to budget.
• Presenting your designs at internal workshops and chairing external meetings with clients and external consultants when required.
• Manage multiple projects / workstreams and assume responsibility for project delivery within agreed timeframes.
• Coordinating your work with other members of the project team and contributing to internal technical development strategy.
• Mentoring and assisting Graduates and less experienced Engineers whilst maintaining your continued professional development, particularly in line management and chartership.
• Actively maintaining an external and internal network.

• Extensive building structures design experience, particularly in reinforced concrete design, structural steelwork design and the refurbishment of existing buildings.
• Within reinforced concrete design experience, we require detailed understanding of punching shear, in particular punching shear checks of transfer slabs.
• Experience as a lead structural engineer on medium to large projects including client and third-party stakeholder engagement.
• Extensive knowledge of British and European codes of practice.
• Strong analytical and structural site inspection skills.
• Experience using common analysis software (including or similar to ROBOT, TEDDS, ETABS and SAFE) and willing to quickly learn to use new analysis packages as required.
• Be a Chartered Member of the ICE or IStructE with the Engineering Council UK or equivalent body.
• A Bachelor’s degree BEng / BSc or Master’s degree MEng / MSc in a relevant discipline.
• APAEWE (Advanced Professional Award in Expert Witness Evidence) qualification (or equivalent) and direct experience of being a lead Expert Witness for multiple cases.

From helping shape entire cities to adapting infrastructure to deal with the climate emergency, a career at Buro Happold presents the chance to make a difference. With a world class reputation, our creativity and our people have delivered positive change to clients, the environment, and communities. If you want to be part of something bigger, this is your chance.

• 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.

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.

Please let us know if there are any adjustments we could make to the application process to make it easier and more comfortable for you. Contact recruitment@burohappold.com so we can work with you to support you throughout your application.