Director, Property Advisory – Life Sciences (Health and Life Sciences) in London

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs? At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.

WSP is a leading specialist consultancy, transforming environments for clients in health and life sciences. Our target market in life sciences is focused on client organisations operating in the fields of discovery and development, pre-clinical research and clinical research and clinical development. In doing so we interface with organisations involved in pharma manufacture and also with the academic and research arms of universities, health organisations and systems.

Help shape the future of life sciences real estate across England. WSP has one of the largest teams of life sciences programme and project managers in the UK, supporting the delivery of large, complex investment programmes through its work with DEFRA, UKRI, AstraZeneca and the Ellison Institute of Technology. Our focus is on collaboration between health, scientific research, the tertiary and private sectors, and the resultant translation into better health outcomes.

To support WSP’s continued growth within the Life Sciences sector, we are looking for an experienced Director to expand our Life Sciences real estate consultancy offer across England, building on WSP’s multidisciplinary capability and helping clients make robust, commercially informed decisions about their property portfolios. This is a senior, market-facing role for someone who combines strong development, transactional and agency expertise with commercial leadership. You will be expected to originate opportunities, build profile in the life sciences real estate market and develop long-term relationships that span the full property lifecycle, from site identification and investment appraisal, through into development delivery, occupation and portfolio optimisation. You will support occupiers, landlords, developers and investors with property advice that reflects market demand, operational need and long-term value.

With more than 30 offices across the UK, WSP offers a strong national platform for this role to be located across England, with access to regional markets, national client relationships and multidisciplinary support. Our Property Advisory team forms part of WSP’s specialist Health and Life Sciences Advisory business (HLSA), where the Property team helps clients unlock value, manage risk and make informed property decisions. We advise on acquisitions, disposals, lettings, lease advisory, rent reviews, portfolio strategy, development appraisals, options analysis and property-led change.

We work at pace on targeted commissions and long-term development programmes, bringing together property, planning, cost management, programme delivery, sustainability, infrastructure and technical expertise. Our teams support clients from strategy and business case development through planning, development, construction and operational occupation, helping to deliver some of the UK's most significant life sciences, research and innovation facilities.

As Director, you will play a visible leadership role in shaping our life sciences growth strategy, generating pipeline, winning work and strengthening WSP’s profile with occupiers, landlords, developers, investors and professional partners across England. The role aligns to WSP Director-level expectations, with emphasis on strategic client impact, commercial growth, market positioning, portfolio leadership and people development.

A little more about your role…

• Lead the growth of WSP’s Life Sciences Property Advisory offer across England, identifying target clients, shaping propositions, developing routes to market and converting new opportunities.
• Work with developers, investors, research institutions, universities and public sector partners to identify, assess and deliver life sciences developments, innovation districts and science campuses, acting as a trusted adviser throughout the project lifecycle.
• Provide market-facing transactional, agency and strategic property advice to life sciences clients, helping them respond to occupier demand, market conditions, funding drivers and commercial objectives.
• Lead property transactions, including acquisitions, disposals, lease advisory, and related client-side negotiations.
• Use market intelligence, sector networks and active client engagement to identify emerging requirements, create leads and position WSP for repeat and strategic advisory work.
• Advise on asset and portfolio strategies that enhance productivity, support expansion, mitigate risk and support long-term client objectives.
• Lead options appraisals, development strategies, market assessments, viability reviews and cashflow analysis to support investment, acquisition, disposal, campus expansion, regeneration and major redevelopment decisions.
• Work alongside WSP’s multidisciplinary teams, including planning, cost management, project and programme management, sustainability and our dedicated Strategy in Life Sciences team.
• Deliver work commercially, managing scope, quality, programme, risk and profitability across commissions.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively through reports, proposals, presentations, workshops and senior client conversations.
• Promote collaboration across HLSA and the wider WSP business to create stronger, broader client propositions.
• Understand the wider commercial, strategic and reputational impact of your work, balancing client value with WSP’s growth objectives.
• Champion technical quality, robust governance and effective review across the work you lead.
• Engage confidently with senior stakeholders, including executive teams, estate directors, commercial leads, clinicians, public sector partners and investors.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate…

• Experience advising on major property developments, regeneration programmes, science parks, innovation districts or complex real estate projects, with an understanding of how developers, investors and occupiers collaborate to deliver long-term outcomes.
• A strong track record in transactional, agency or specialist property advisory work, ideally gained within a consultancy, agency, client-side property team or comparable advisory environment.
• Degree qualified, or equivalent, with a relevant professional qualification such as MRICS preferred.
• Excellent knowledge of property markets, transaction processes, occupier requirements, landlord and investor drivers, and wider economic and commercial trends.
• Strong client relationship, negotiation, networking, agency and business development skills, with evidence of originating, winning and growing market-facing work.
• Commercial confidence, sound judgement and the ability to manage priorities, risk and delivery across multiple client relationships and commissions.
• Experience leading, motivating and developing collaborative teams, with an inclusive and empowering leadership style.
• The ability to build capability in others, provide constructive feedback and foster long-term learning, collaboration and devolved leadership.
• An interest in how digital technologies, data and evidence-led insight can support market analysis, portfolio optimisation, investment planning and improved outcomes for life sciences clients.

Don’t quite meet all the criteria? Apply, and we can see how your experience aligns to this role and other opportunities within the team. Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all. Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 69,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world. With us, you can. Apply today.

We are one of the world’s leading engineering and professional services firms. Our passionate people are united by the common purpose of creating positive, long-lasting impacts on the communities we serve through a culture of innovation, integrity, and inclusion. With over 11,000 professionals across the UK and Ireland, we are dedicated to our local communities and propelled by international brainpower.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Work-life balance: At WSP, we understand that work is just one aspect of your life. It’s important to make time for you, your family, friends, interests and your community. Our hybrid working policy offers the flexibility to work from home two days a week, while also providing opportunities to collaborate in our modern offices across the UK.
• Inclusivity & Belonging: We welcome applicants with varied backgrounds and experiences. We enable rewarding careers by encouraging people to bring their whole and authentic selves to work so that our work represents the fullest spectrum of society. We celebrate integrity and treat people with respect, supporting each other and embracing a culture of inclusion and belonging at WSP.
• Health & Wellbeing: We are committed to supporting our people, giving you the tools to make improvements to your health and wellbeing through our Thrive programme. Our Virtual GP service gives you access to an NHS or Irish Medical Council GP at a time and place that suits you – giving you peace of mind and quick access to medical advice when you need it most.
• Flex your time: To enhance work-life balance, WSP offers the “WSP My Hour,” allowing you to take one hour each day for personal activities, with the flexibility to make up the time earlier or later that day. We also provide part-time and flexible working arrangements, the option to purchase additional leave, and the ability to use your bank holiday entitlement to suit you.
• Your development: We understand the importance of development and training to you. That’s why we foster a supportive environment that invests in your growth, whether through training, mentoring, or Chartership.

#WeAreWSP Here at WSP we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity. As a Disability Confident leader, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria, please let us know if you require any workplace adjustments in support of your application.