Head of Healthcare Cost Consultancy - Associate Director / Director

Location: London – Flexible Across England & Wales The Opportunity I'm working with an established national construction consultancy looking to appoint an experienced healthcare Quantity Surveyor / Cost Manager to help establish and grow its healthcare offering. This could suit an existing Director or Sector Lead, but equally it could be an excellent opportunity for an ambitious Associate Director who has developed strong healthcare experience, understands the sector and is ready to take considerably more ownership of their career. The successful individual will play a leading role in developing the consultancy's presence across healthcare, with the opportunity to shape the sector strategy, develop key client relationships and, as the workload grows, build a specialist team around them. The business already has a strong reputation across Quantity Surveying, Cost Management, Project Management and Development Monitoring, with established teams and infrastructure across the UK. Healthcare forms an important part of the next stage of its growth. Importantly, this is a strategic investment rather than a vacancy created simply because there is an immediate pile of work to deliver. The leadership team understands that establishing meaningful relationships with NHS trusts, developing a profile within the sector, securing framework positions and building a sustainable pipeline takes time. There is no expectation that you'll arrive with a substantial order book or immediately generate significant fees. Instead, the business is prepared to back the right individual and give them the time, support and resources required to develop a credible healthcare offering. For someone currently working within a larger consultancy who wants more influence, autonomy and long-term upside, this is a particularly interesting opportunity. The Role You'll take a leading role in developing the consultancy's Cost Management presence across NHS estates, hospitals and wider healthcare developments. Working closely with the CEO, existing Directors and the national Cost and Project Management team, you'll have considerable influence over how the healthcare proposition develops. Your responsibilities will include: Helping define and develop the healthcare Cost Consultancy strategy. Building and strengthening relationships with NHS trusts, healthcare providers, developers and other key sector organisations. Identifying relevant procurement frameworks and positioning the business for future appointments. Leading and contributing to bids, tenders and proposals for healthcare commissions. Identifying opportunities for Quantity Surveying, Cost Management and associated Project Management services. Providing senior-level commercial and cost consultancy advice to clients. Developing new client relationships and identifying opportunities for repeat business. Working collaboratively with existing Directors and national delivery teams. Contributing to the wider growth strategy of the Cost and Project Management business. Recruiting and developing a specialist healthcare team as the workload grows. The intention is to establish a meaningful long-term healthcare capability rather than simply win occasional healthcare commissions. Who They're Looking For I'm interested in speaking with experienced Quantity Surveying and Cost Management professionals with a strong background within the healthcare sector. You may currently be operating at: Associate Director level and looking for the opportunity to step up. Senior Associate Director level with significant client responsibility. Director level. Head of Sector or equivalent. The exact title is less important than your sector knowledge, relationships, credibility and ambition. The key requirements are: Strong consultancy Quantity Surveying / Cost Management experience. Good experience delivering healthcare projects. Established relationships within the healthcare market. Experience working with NHS trusts, healthcare organisations, developers or relevant sector stakeholders. A good understanding of healthcare procurement routes, frameworks and tendering. Experience developing client relationships and identifying new work. Strong technical and commercial capability across pre-contract and post-contract services. The confidence to engage directly with senior clients. A commercially minded and entrepreneurial approach. An interest in taking increasing ownership of a sector rather than simply managing an existing portfolio. MRICS would be advantageous. Previous experience developing a service line, building a client base, winning framework appointments or managing a team would be particularly relevant, but you do not necessarily need to have done all of this already. An ambitious Associate Director with the right healthcare experience and relationships could be just as interesting as an established Director. You do not need to bring an existing team or guaranteed workload. What matters is that you understand the healthcare market, have genuine credibility within it and have the potential to build something substantial over time. Location & Flexibility The role is being advertised as London-based, although the business is deliberately flexible about where the successful individual is located. London would work well, but somebody based in another major city in England or Wales could be equally relevant. Locations such as: Manchester Birmingham Bristol Leeds would all be entirely workable. Other major regional locations across England and Wales could also be considered where the individual has strong sector relationships and a credible market presence. For an exceptional strategic appointment, the business would even consider establishing a new office or regional presence around the right individual where there was a strong commercial case. The priority is therefore finding the right person rather than forcing the role into a particular office. The position will naturally involve client meetings, project travel, industry events and collaboration with colleagues nationally, but there is no requirement to be permanently based in London. Scotland is not currently within scope for this appointment. Why Consider This Opportunity? The real attraction is the opportunity to combine the backing of an established consultancy with the autonomy normally associated with building something of your own. You'll have access to existing technical capability, delivery teams, systems and national infrastructure, but will still have the opportunity to significantly influence how the healthcare offering develops. Rather than joining an established department with an existing hierarchy above you, you will have the chance to shape: The healthcare market strategy. Which clients and frameworks the business targets. How the service is positioned. Which opportunities are pursued. How the future healthcare team is structured. The wider development of the Cost and Project Management business. The leadership team is taking a genuinely long-term approach. They understand that credibility within the healthcare sector, particularly around NHS relationships and frameworks, has to be built properly rather than manufactured overnight. As the sector develops, there is considerable scope for the position to grow with it. The business offers: An established national Cost and Project Management platform. Strong technical and project delivery capability. Direct exposure to the CEO and senior leadership team. Genuine autonomy over sector development. A realistic approach to business development and fee generation. Flexible working and location. The opportunity to build a specialist healthcare team. Potential involvement in establishing or growing a regional office. Genuine company share options for the right strategic appointment. For someone who has developed strong healthcare experience within a larger consultancy but is frustrated by layers of management or limited influence, this could offer a very different proposition. Salary & Benefits £90,000–£125,000 basic salary, depending on experience, seniority and sector relationships. Potential company share options for the right appointment. Flexible location across London, England and Wales. Wider benefits package. Significant long-term leadership and progression potential. Exceptional candidates outside the stated salary range may also be considered. This opportunity would particularly suit somebody who knows the healthcare sector well, enjoys developing client relationships and wants the chance to play a significant role in building a new part of an ambitious consultancy. Click Apply or get in touch for a confidential conversation with Andrew Pearson at EC Property Recruitment. My contact number is 07940 597 931 and you can find all my details on LinkedIn. TPBN1_UKTJ