Area Director

Galliford Try; Guildford; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday entitlement

Cycle to Work schemes

Comprehensive pension plan

Private medical scheme options

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

Galliford Try is seeking an Area Director for the Guildford region. You will establish and maintain relationships with clients and the supply chain, lead regional strategy, and drive delivery across multiple projects with a focus on financial close of frameworks.

You will oversee bid and project reviews, foster a high-performance culture, and ensure staff development. A strong leadership presence and sector experience are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Senior position within construction.
• Portfolio of projects typically £1m to £100m+.
• Extensive experience in new_build, refurbishment & fit_out.
• Fully proficient with Microsoft Office suite.
• Professional body membership (CIOB/RICS) and relevant CSCS card.
• IOSH/NEBOSH qualifications.
• Familiar with NEC, JCT & PPC2000 contracts.
• BPSS & SC Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain a regional profile, growing client and supply chain relationships.
• Develop and sustain key framework relationships through to financial close.
• Lead client communications via project teams to maintain professional representation.
• Participate in Regional Management Meetings and cascade strategy to project teams.
• Oversee bid, project, and business unit reviews to resolve technical, commercial, and operational issues.
• Promote a high-performance culture emphasizing accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Contribute to pre-qualifications and tender/bid inputs to secure winning solutions.
• Support staff development, organise training, and develop talent pipelines for future leadership.
• Ensure clients are aware of the full suite of end-to-end Galliford Try solutions.
• Establish behavioural safety culture and promote Delivering Excellence in all activities.
• Align with Galliford Try values: Excellence, Passion, Integrity and Collaboration.

Skills

Entrepreneurial mindset

Strong leadership

Public sector relationships

Education

NHC/HND/Degree in Construction

CIOB/RICS membership

CSCS card

IOSH/NEBOSH qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Title – Area Director

Location –Guildford

What you will be doing:

• Establish and maintain a profile across the region, promoting existing and future client and supply chain relationships.
• Develop and maintain key framework relationships, converting frameworks from second stage through to financial close.
• Develop client relationships by ensuring that project teams represent themselves professionally by maintaining regular contact with client's representatives.
• Actively participate in Regional Management Meetings and ensure the dissemination of strategy is cascaded to the project teams.
• Actively participate in Bid Reviews, Project Reviews and Business Unit Reviews, overseeing the resolution of technical, commercial and operational issues.
• Champion a high-performance culture that promotes accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Provide management and technical input to pre-qualifications and tenders / bids to help ensure a winning solution.
• Actively support the personal development review process and organise the required training for staff to maximise the potential of your people.
• Develop succession plans and nurture talent pipelines to meet the future leadership and capability needs of the business.
• Ensure clients are aware of the full suite of end-to-end solutions that the company can provide.
• Establish a behavioural safety culture with the projects and ensure full engagement of staff, supply chain, consultants and client teams. Fully support, promote and be an ambassador for Challenging Beliefs Affecting Behaviours (CBAB).
• Establish positive and collaborative behaviours across the projects which underpin and support our key business strategy, Delivering Excellence. Be an ambassador of Delivering Excellence and ensure it is fully considered in everything you do.
• Establish a behavioural quality culture with the projects, promoting the Right First Time initiative, which further supports Delivering Excellence.
• Contribute to annual regional budget planning in collaboration with the Managing Director, Finance Director and Commercial Director.
• Support the development and execution of the region’s strategic growth plans, aligned to the wider Galliford Try's Sustainable Growth Strategy to 2030.
• Lead by example in everything you do, be aware of the shadow you cast and the effect your behaviours will have on the business unit as a whole.

• This is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities and duties.

Competency Requirements

• Entrepreneurial, strong service ethos with a resolute, yet personable leadership style, the appointed candidate will be technically capable, commercially aware and possess the ability, gravitas and presence to inspire and influence those around them.
• Demonstrable experience and strong relationships across a public sector client base.
• A strong leader who is able to motivate and challenge their teams.
• Able to establish a working environment that engenders ownership of duties and responsibilities.
• Be industry aware and use this knowledge to identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities within the business.
• Establish working teams that complement each other and work well together. They must, however, be strong enough to address non-compliance and rectify the problems.
• Works in line with the Galliford Try Leadership Framework.

• Able to demonstrate alignment and work in line with the Galliford Try values - Excellence, Passion, Integrity and Collaboration.

Technical/Professional Qualifications:

• Currently be working in a senior position within construction.
• Experience of managing a portfolio of projects with each scheme above a minimum value of £1m to in excess of £100m
• Extensive construction experience gained whilst working on various types of new build, refurbishment & fit out projects.
• Fully conversant with the Microsoft suite of packages.
• Construction related NHC / HND / Degree.
• Member of Professional Body in CIOB or RICS etc.
• Relevant CSCS card
• IOSH / NEBOSH qualification
• Working knowledge of NEC, JCT & PPC2000 forms of contract.

• BPSS & SC Clearance

What We Can Offer in Return:

With an impressive order book of over £4.3 billion we are one of the industry's leading principal contractors, affording you the opportunity to work on some of the UK's most exciting projects offering you stability as well as the chance to stretch your capabilities and realise long held career goals. You will be joining diverse teams working at a high professional level with exceptional levels of commitment. With an ambitious strategy, we’re poised for further growth and success, so if you’re committed, talented and enthusiastic, Galliford Try is the right place for you.

We are committed to maintaining the physical and mental wellbeing of all our people, through our 'Be Well' programme which offers discounts on certain products, advice and support for a range of issues.

We invest in high-quality training for employees of all levels, from our leadership development framework to our apprenticeship programmes. Through our Career Paths initiative, individuals receive tailored training and support to fulfil their potential.

Our industry is all about creating talented teams that excel in their areas of expertise. As an employer, we know you are most motivated to give your best when you feel valued and engaged.

Our Agile Working programme empowers you with flexibility in when, where and how you work. Where appropriate, site and office-based employees can take advantage of a wide variety of working practices, offering different amounts of structure, regularity and flexibility to suit your needs as well as those of your wider team.

Our benefits:

We put our people first and our benefits package reflects that by offering a comprehensive range of attractive options to help support your career on top of a competitive salary.

• Generous holiday entitlement, increasing with years of service, plus the opportunity to purchase further holidays
• A wide range of corporate discounts
• Cycle to Work schemes
• Comprehensive pension plan
• Competitive family leave policy
• Regular Save as You Earn share purchase scheme
• Private medical scheme options are available for all salaried employees and our employee assistance programme also provides free 24/7 support to those who need it
• Paid for yearly membership to one recognised professional association relevant to your role

About us:

Our purpose is to improve people’s lives through building the facilities and infrastructure that communities need, providing opportunities for our people to learn, grow and progress, working with our supply chain to promote the very best working practice and caring for the environment in which we work.

We do this by holding true to our values, delivering excellence for our clients and the community, being passionate about our role in providing vital services, putting integrity at the heart of our business by doing the right thing, and collaborating with our clients, supply chain and stakeholders to deliver lasting change and long-term value.

Additional Information:

Galliford Try welcomes applications from candidates who would like to work full-time, part-time and / or flexibly and this will be discussed in more detail as part of the recruitment process.

We encourage you and would be grateful if you could confirm any requirements we can reasonably fulfil to make this application a positive experience for you.

Don't meet every requirement of the role? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Galliford Try, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement of the role, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

As a Disability Confident employer, we have committed to offer an interview to any candidate with a long-term health condition or disability that meet the essential criteria for the advertised position. Please contact the Resourcing Partner listed within the job advert if you believe this applies to you. We will also take the opportunity to discuss any adjustments required for your interview.

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