Associate Director - Building Structures

WSP in the UK & Ireland; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP in the UK & Ireland is seeking an experienced Associate Director for our Structures Scotland team in Glasgow. You will manage and deliver major multi-disciplinary building schemes from concept through to handover, with technical leadership across design and project management.

Join a diverse team delivering high-profile healthcare, education and data centre projects across the UK. You will mentor junior engineers, drive innovative solutions, and ensure successful client outcomes.

Qualifications

• Degree or HNC/HND in a relevant discipline.
• Chartered MIStructE / MICE status.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary building projects.
• Strong knowledge of national codes and standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead project management and technical delivery from inception to handover.
• Provide design leadership on large multi-disciplinary schemes.
• Mentor junior engineers and develop Chartered candidates.
• Engage with clients and external stakeholders.
• Manage fees and project finances.

Skills

Project management

Technical leadership

Leadership

Communication

Design review

Education

Degree or HNC/HND in a relevant discipline

Chartered MIStructE / MICE

Tools

ETABS

RAM Structural System

Tekla Structural Designer

Tedds

Revit

Rhino

Grasshopper

Job description

Job Description

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.

Our portfolio of work is diverse and continues to expand. In the UK WSP specialises in providing consulting, management and design services to a variety of public and private sector clients. The business has successfully completed numerous high profile building projects, both new and refurbished, across a variety of sectors including civic, aviation, rail, commercial, education, health, hotel, industrial, data centres, leisure, residential, retail as well as stadia and arenas.

Our structures teams have been involved in many high-profile UK projects and complex structural engineering challenges such as Buckingham Palace, Claridge’s Hotel, London Bridge Quarter (including The Shard and the re-development of London Bridge Station), Crossrail Bond Street Station and oversite redevelopment, HS2 Stations in London and Birmingham and Alder Hey and Great Ormond Street Hospitals. In Scotland we continue to deliver major healthcare, higher education and data centre projects alongside our expertise in refurbishment and heritage projects.

The truly multidisciplinary nature of the organisation means that WSP is able to offer a wealth of experience in all sectors and has cemented their reputation at the forefront of the market.

Structures Scotland

Our Structures team in Scotland works from our Glasgow and Edinburgh offices with 30+ engineers and technicians split evenly between both locations. The offices work together as one regional unit and report operationally as one unit. Around the UK each of our structures teams is led by a discipline team leader (DTL) reporting their respective regional discipline leader.

Structures Scotland is successful because we have maintained a diverse workload in key sectors underpinned by major project delivery in healthcare, higher education and data centre sectors – we are currently engaged in the design and delivery of the civil and structural engineering design for the new Monklands Replacement Project for example. We are on track to exceed our revenue budget for 2026 and have robust secured workload to support our budgeted team growth and fee income in 2027.

To align with our growth aspirations, we need to fill the role of Associate Director.

All responsibilities and accountabilities listed below will be undertaken by the Associate Director.

A Little More About Your Role…

You will be joining our expanding Building Structures team, as a full-time Associate Director, with responsibility for the project management, technical leadership and delivery of schemes from inception through to handover of the completed scheme to the client.

In This Role You’ll Have The Opportunity To

• Develop innovative and sustainable designs from concept, for a huge range of challenging UK and international multi-disciplinary design projects, ranging from high-rise, stadia / arenas, urban regeneration, healthcare, commercial & mixed use, major refurbishment, data centres, all with international, national and local architects
• Take a key technical leadership role on multi-disciplinary design projects from concept stage through to detailed design, in coordination with Architects, Engineers, and specialist consultants.
• Participate / lead in tender bids and business development opportunities as they arise
• Agree fees and manage the commercial position on projects
• Exercise independent judgement and resolve technical issues
• Have access to a world leading network of industry experts
• Mentor and develop junior members of the team working towards their Chartership

You’ll be joining a team of diverse and talented individuals that work together to:

• Own and lead the design process, encouraging yours and wider teams to deliver the right solutions to the agreed programme, and support those less experienced by technical review, mentoring and advice
• Take a strategic lead role on large multi-disciplinary projects as well as providing bespoke structural solutions to niche and architectural led concept designs
• Form strong working relationships with other WSP disciplines, external design consultants, stakeholders and clients
• Manage processes to ensure technical issues and risks are resolved in a timely and cost-effective manner
• Provide sustainable structural solutions from concept through to detailed design and construction
• Provide specialist advice and design solutions to our clients on sustainable design, net zero carbon, MMC & DfMA

Reporting to a senior member of our team, you will have the opportunity to work on some of the most exciting and high profile major multi-disciplinary development projects across the UK and internationally.

We have a broad and well-developed client base spanning across Private and Public sectors and encompassing regional and national clientele.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate…

• A proven track record of successful design delivery, ideally in major projects and other challenging multi-disciplinary building projects, in particular concept design and the project inception stages
• Project management and technical delivery leadership experience of medium to large schemes
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with good leadership potential capable of communicating effectively with other members of the project team, stakeholders & clients.
• Significant experience and capability in the commercial and technical management of projects using appropriate business tools
• Significant experience of team management responsibilities including line management and day-to-day operations
• Significant experience of operating as a lead Client contact for consultancy services and the fostering of excellent relationships with Clients and co-professionals.
• Degree or HNC/HND qualification in a relevant discipline
• Chartered (MIStructE / MICE)
• Solid experience in structural engineering design in all materials
• Detailed working knowledge of national codes and standards
• Proven understanding of the design process and ability to demonstrate working knowledge of brief/scope documents, design concepts as well as experienced in producing calculations
• Experience of working with structural design software packages such as ETABS, RAM Structural System, Tekla Structural Designer & Tedds
• Experience in the use of Revit, Rhino and Grasshopper beneficial
• Hold Approved Certifier of Design (SER) status in Scotland and act as Certifier of Design when appropriate or showing commitment to working towards this.

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.