Head of Affordable Housing Cost Consultancy - Associate Director / Director in London

THE OPPORTUNITY I'm working with an established national construction consultancy looking to appoint an experienced Affordable Housing Quantity Surveyor / Cost Manager to help establish and grow its presence within the affordable and social housing sector. 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 affordable housing 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 Affordable Housing Cost Management offering, 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 delivery capability across the UK. Affordable Housing 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 backlog of projects to deliver. The leadership team understands that building meaningful relationships with housing associations and registered providers, securing framework appointments and establishing 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 provide the time and support required to establish a credible long-term presence in the sector. THE ROLE You'll take a leading role in developing the consultancy's Quantity Surveying and Cost Management presence across affordable housing, social housing and associated residential development programmes. Working closely with the CEO, existing Directors and the national Cost and Project Management team, you'll have considerable influence over how the Affordable Housing proposition develops. Responsibilities will include: Helping define and develop the Affordable Housing Cost Consultancy strategy. Building relationships with housing associations, registered providers, local authorities, developers and other relevant organisations. Identifying suitable procurement frameworks and positioning the business for future appointments. Leading and contributing to bids, tenders and proposals. Identifying opportunities for Quantity Surveying, Cost Management and associated Project Management services. Providing senior-level commercial and cost consultancy advice. Developing new client relationships and 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 Affordable Housing team as workload grows. The intention is to establish a meaningful long-term capability within the sector rather than simply secure occasional housing commissions. WHO THEY'RE LOOKING FOR I'm interested in speaking with experienced Quantity Surveying and Cost Management professionals with a strong background within Affordable Housing or Social Housing. You may currently be operating at Associate Director, Senior Associate Director, Director or Head of Sector level. 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 Affordable Housing or Social Housing projects. Established relationships within the housing sector. Experience working with housing associations, registered providers, local authorities, developers or relevant decision-makers. A good understanding of Affordable Housing 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 securing framework appointments, developing a service line, growing a client base 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 Affordable Housing experience and relationships could be just as interesting as an established Director. You do not need to bring an existing team or guaranteed workload. 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. Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds would all be entirely workable, and other major regional locations across England and Wales could also be considered. 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 finding the right Affordable Housing specialist 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. Scotland is not currently within scope for this appointment. WHY CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY? The 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, while having the opportunity to significantly influence how the Affordable Housing offering develops. You'll be able to shape: The Affordable Housing market strategy. Which clients and frameworks the business targets. How the service is positioned. Which opportunities are pursued. How the future Affordable Housing team is structured. The wider development of the Cost and Project Management business. The leadership team is taking a long-term approach and understands that housing association relationships, procurement cycles and framework appointments take time to develop. As the sector grows, there will be considerable scope for the role to grow with it. 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 Affordable Housing sector well, enjoys developing client relationships and wants the opportunity 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 and you can find all my details on LinkedIn.

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