Associate Director

Astute People; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 72,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Pension 8%

Discretionary bonus up to 10%

Hybrid working

Job summary

Astute seeks an Associate Director for its Cambridge/East Anglia office to lead complex real estate projects and strategic client delivery. The role commands a base salary around £85,000 with a £5,700 car allowance and a flexible hybrid working pattern.

Ideal candidates will have 8+ years of project management experience in consultancy or client-side roles, with strong financial and governance capabilities and a proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of project management experience.
• Strong track record delivering large real estate projects.
• Strategic, client-facing project management background.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong financial, change and risk management skills.
• APM/RICS/ PMI membership advantageous.
• Willingness to travel UK and internationally.
• Security clearance advantageous but not essential.
• Experience in life sciences, healthcare or CRE beneficial.
• Experience supporting bids and cross-selling desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of complex real estate projects with cost, time and quality targets.
• Interface as senior client contact, translating objectives into delivery strategies.
• Provide strategic advice from concept through delivery.
• Establish governance, controls, and reporting systems.
• Prepare detailed plans, programmes and progress reports.
• Monitor KPIs and take corrective actions where needed.
• Manage budgets, risks, and programme performance.
• Lead multidisciplinary project teams and mentor staff.
• Develop opportunities with existing and prospective clients.
• Support bids, pitches and client relationship development.

Skills

Senior stakeholder management

Client relationship management

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Education

Construction/Engineering/Real Estate degree

Job description

Astute is partnering with a leading professional services consultancy to recruit an Associate Director for its Cambridge / East Anglia office.

The strategically important Associate Director (Real Estate) role comes with a salary of approximately £85,000, £5,700 annual car allowance and flexible hybrid working.

If you're an experienced Associate Director, Project Manager or senior real estate project leader and are looking to work for an organisation that gives people the opportunity to influence the business, build trusted client relationships and take ownership of their careers.

Responsibilities and duties of the Associate Director - Real Estate role

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of complex real estate projects, ensuring agreed time, cost, quality and performance objectives are achieved.
• Act as the senior day-to-day client interface, building trusted relationships and translating client objectives into effective delivery strategies.
• Provide strategic advice from project conception through to delivery.
• Establish and maintain effective project governance, controls, processes and reporting systems.
• Prepare and maintain detailed project plans, programmes and formal progress reports.
• Monitor project performance using appropriate KPIs and implement corrective action where required.
• Manage change control, project finances, budgets, risks and programme performance.
• Champion quality, safety, health and environmental requirements throughout the project lifecycle.
• Lead, mentor and coordinate multidisciplinary project teams.
• Develop new opportunities with existing and prospective clients.
• Identify cross-selling opportunities and contribute to business growth.
• Support the preparation of bids and proposals and represent the business at client pitches and relationship-development meetings.
• Identify opportunities to improve project management services and ways of working.

Professional qualifications

• Approximately 8+ years of relevant project management experience, demonstrating increasing levels of responsibility.
• A strong track record of delivering substantial real estate projects, budgets and programmes.
• Consultancy-side or client-side experience in a strategic, client-facing project management position.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing senior stakeholders.
• Strong commercial judgement, including financial control, change management and risk management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to advise, influence and present at senior level.
• A relevant degree in construction, engineering, real estate or project management, or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Willingness to travel within the UK and internationally when required.
• APM qualification or professional membership such as RICS, PMI or CIOB would be advantageous.
• Experience in life sciences, healthcare or commercial property would be beneficial.
• Experience supporting bids, pitches, account growth or cross-selling would be desirable.
• Current or previous security clearance, including Ministry of Justice clearance, would be advantageous but is not essential.

Personal skills

• Commercially aware and strategically minded.
• Confident operating at senior level with clients and stakeholders.
• An experienced leader who can motivate, mentor and coordinate multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong at building trusted client relationships.
• Highly organised, with excellent project governance and delivery skills.
• Comfortable managing complex projects, budgets, programmes, risks and change.
• A clear and persuasive communicator with strong influencing skills.
• Proactive in identifying new business and growth opportunities.
• Collaborative, adaptable and committed to delivering high-quality client outcomes.
• Comfortable working across a varied regional portfolio and travelling as project requirements dictate.

Salary and benefits of the Associate Director - Real Estate role

• Approximately £85,000 salary, subject to experience.
• £5,700 annual car allowance.
• 8% pension contribution.
• Discretionary annual bonus of up to 10%.
• Annual salary and grade reviews.
• Flexible start and finish times by agreement with the line manager.
• Hybrid working, typically around three days per week in the office or on client site, with the balance potentially worked from home.
• Varied project exposure across Cambridge and the wider East Anglia market, including life sciences, healthcare and commercial real estate.
• Opportunities to lead teams, develop client relationships and contribute to business growth.

We do not discriminate on the grounds of age, race, gender, disability, creed or sexual orientation and comply with all relevant UK legislation. We encourage applications from individuals from all backgrounds but candidates must be able to demonstrate their ability to work in the UK. Astute is also committed to the government's Disability Confident Employer initiative. We endeavour to get back to everyone, however, if you have not heard anything after 7 days, please consider your application unsuccessful