Senior Associate or Associate Director - Vertical Transportation in London

About us

Hoare Lea is a human-centric and planet-conscious engineering consultancy. We offer intelligent and sustainable solutions to complex design challenges for the built environment throughout the UK and further afield. We provide a wide range of engineering and consultancy services, including vertical transportation, acoustics, air quality, building services (MEP), fire, lighting, security and sustainability to name but a few. Together, our highly skilled teams use technical expertise and problem-solving skills to bring buildings to life. We ensure that whatever the building, its design is outstanding, and its operations meet the needs of the communities it serves.

We are as committed to providing an environment where everyone can realise their unique potential. So, in joining Hoare Lea, you will experience a business that enriches your knowledge, supports your wellbeing, and welcomes your individuality. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in our 9-day fortnight scheme, thriving community groups, varied social and networking events, and extensive professional and technical development schemes. We also offer an extensive benefits package, including private medical cover, electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme, stock options, and up to 30 days of annual leave. Whatever your ambitions or circumstances, our aim is to enable everyone to develop their knowledge, give their best, and enjoy what they do.

About the role

We have a brand-new opportunity for a Senior Associate or Associate Director to join our Vertical Transportation team preferably based from our London office, however we would consider other locations. This role will be primarily to lead a team supporting our site-based activities (asset management, construction monitoring, witness testing etc) but will also include an involvement in project design and is a client facing role.

We have a proven track record working within the Residential, Science & Research, Commercial, Retail and Further Education Sectors with a varied portfolio of projects both in the UK and internationally. Working alongside a range of specialist engineers and consultants, you will be joining a collaborative, knowledgeable, highly engaged team who love what they do, and offer a supportive, flexible, and high performing work culture.

The projects below give a flavour of the type of buildings and clients we are supporting:

• Plumtree Court.
• Major City of London asset management and refurbishment projects.
• Super-prime residential projects in London.
• European modernisation and lift replacement projects.
• National lifecycle and asset management contracts.

As an Associate Director, you will have a considerable level of responsibility within the VT Group, taking the technical delivery role on projects and in bid presentations and contributing to technical leadership across the discipline. On current work, you will always be looking for ways to add value beyond the project scope and help secure future work by developing relationships with clients and other design team professionals while working to understand their longer-term technical needs.

In this key and varied role, you can expect to:

• Develop and lead a high performing team, overseeing the VT Group site activities, lead on technical delivery and training within the group.
• Be responsible for dealing successfully with Clients and other professionals to foster and maintain good relationships and create future opportunities.
• Host and chair team management meetings.
• Define and agree brief with Client, take ownership and consistently deliver profitable large and complex schemes.
• Find new opportunities for business growth and negotiate scope of Hoare Lea services and fee levels.
• Support in developing and leading a high-performing local team and contribute to staff development.
• Manage and prioritise the workload of the team and effectively delegate, manage and check work undertaken by others.
• Work with the Head of VT to help monitor fee expenditure, resources and work delivered.
• Ensure quality standards and technical accuracy are delivered and manage and mitigate risks to business.
• Actively contribute to sharing technical knowledge across the firm and be a point of contact for a particular technical expertise.
• Actively involved in succession planning and team/office structure.
• Responsible for managing a team Fee Turnover of around £1m per annum.

About you

To be successful in this role you’ll need:

• Industry recognised qualifications, least NVQ4 in lift engineering.
• Detailed practical knowledge of lifts, escalators and moving walks.
• Good IT knowledge.
• Excellent level of understanding of VT Engineering and practical application of codes and standards.
• Experience leading a team, work winning and planning/managing workloads while meeting deadlines and delivering exceptional service.
• Ability to deal with difficult situations in a non-adversarial manner.
• Strong leadership to support and develop other engineers within the office.
• Experience working in a multi-disciplinary environment, with excellent communication skills with both internal and external clients, and a team-based work approach.
• Excellent written and spoken English skills.
• Self-awareness, an open mind, and a spirit of generosity.
• Experience managing client portfolios, meeting KPI’s and maximising revenue opportunities.
• Appreciation of client needs, and able to communicate with architects, property developers, building managers and other team members.
• Team player with a can-do attitude, willingness to help others and eager to learn.
• Autonomous approach with minimal need for supervision.
• Previous consultancy experience in some or all of the following: VT Design & Specification, Surveying & Reporting, Project Management, Commissioning and Validation, Facilities Management are required.

How to apply

To apply simply complete a CV profile and submit your application, or for further information please contact aureliacherradi@hoarelea.com. If shortlisted, one of our recruitment team will be in touch to arrange an introductory call (about 30 minutes) to discuss the role and your experience in more detail. From there, successful candidates will be invited to attend a panel interview, either via Microsoft Teams or in person at one of our offices.

Adjustments and accommodations

If there are adjustments or accommodations that we can put in place to help you participate and give your best at any stage of the recruitment process (whether relating to disability, neurodivergence or anything else) please let us know.

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Recruitment agencies

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