Associate Director/Director, Heritage & Townscape

Turley; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Turley is seeking an experienced Heritage Associate Director or Director to join the Birmingham-based Heritage, Townscape and Landscape team. You will lead strategic heritage advice, manage high-profile projects, and work with clients and regulators to secure robust planning outcomes.

The role includes line management, business development, and contributing to team growth across the Midlands. You will engage with conservation officers, Historic England and other stakeholders, delivering

Qualifications

• Heritage professional with proven track record in heritage advice and planning processes.
• Commercial mindset with a strong record of business development and work-winning.
• Experience delivering large, complex, high-value heritage projects.
• Strong leadership and line-management skills including delegation and team development.
• Knowledge of related townscape/landscape disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Promote and deliver Turley heritage services, collaborating with townscape and landscape teams.
• Provide strategic, commercially informed built heritage advice for high-profile projects.
• Oversee preparation of heritage assessments, including significance/impact and EIA.
• Engage with statutory bodies and stakeholders such as conservation officers and Historic England.
• Prepare evidence for planning appeals and act as expert witness when required.
• Contribute to service leadership, practice development and staff wellbeing.
• Lead market engagement and business development to win new work and retain clients.
• Develop others through delegation and mentoring and support wider team strategies.

Skills

Heritage advisory

Business development

Project management

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic thinking

Independent working

Education

IHBC membership

Job description

Our ‘Heritage, Townscape and Landscape’ team at Turley is growing. Be part of this and help guide and deliver some of the most high-profile, diverse and interesting projects in the UK.

We are seeking a Heritage specialist with a local knowledge and passion for Birmingham to drive our growth in the city and across the midlands. Our work is very varied and includes adaptation of heritage assets, residential developments, renewable energy schemes, sports stadia, tall buildings, town/city centre regeneration projects, and commercial development. The position will be based from our Birmingham office.

About the role

We are looking for a highly motivated, experienced and dedicated Heritage Associate Director or Director, to join our Heritage and Townscape team to help deliver exciting projects. In this role you will:

• Promote and deliver our heritage services, working closely with other heritage, landscape and townscape specialists and working with wider Turley services.
• Provide strategic and commercially informed built heritage advice to clients on complex and high profile projects, underpinned by sound judgement and expert assessment.
• Deliver and effectively oversee the highest standard of heritage assessment and be proficient in preparing and reviewing assessments of significance and impact as well as Environmental Impact Assessment.
• Be adept in positively engaging with statutory bodies and stakeholders including conservation officers and Historic England.
• Prepare evidence for planning appeals and act as built heritage expert witness at Hearings and Public Inquiries.
• Contribute to the success of our service, as part of the leadership team, through work-winning, being a trusted advisor to clients, applying robust financial stewardship and proactively assisting with the development and wellbeing of our people.
• Be proactive in the marketplace, by profile-raising and doing business development in your own way to find new work and retain clients.
• Take a proactive approach to developing others, including through effective delegation and line management.
• Support wider team and company strategies and initiatives aligned with personal interest.

With teams in London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Cambridge, Turley Heritage, Townscape and Landscape is respected across the UK for their reputation in delivering expert and robust advice as trusted advisors to clients and promoting development based on informed, well-considered and sound justification.

About you

The ideal candidate will:

• Be an exceptional heritage professional with a strong track record and reputation in heritage advice and assessment and the planning and development process in a consultancy environment.
• Have a commercial mindset with a strong track record of business development and work winning.
• Have excellent project management experience (both time and resource) of delivering large, complex and high-value projects.
• Have strong leadership and line management skills, including delegation, a commercial outlook, robust financial stewardship, client contact, liaison/negotiation with co-consultants/planning stakeholders etc.
• Have knowledge/experience of closely related townscape/landscape disciplines.
• Have a strategic outlook, bringing energy, ideas, and positivity.
• Be resilient and be able to work independently.
• Have developed strong relationships within their network of clients and contacts.
• Be a team player, one who enjoys working with and takes pride in developing others.

Relevant qualification and IHBC membership or membership of another relevant professional body is preferred.

“This is an exciting time to join the Turley Heritage, Townscape and Landscape team within our vibrant Birmingham office. You’ll be helping to lead a dynamic team that strives for excellence and is proactively responding to opportunities within the development sector; delivering some of the more exciting projects across the Midlands.”

Katy Lightbody, Senior Director, Heritage and Townscape

About Turley

To find out more about life at Turley - our culture and the learning and development opportunities, as well as what you can expect in terms of salary and benefits, please see the website.

The successful candidate must have permission to work in the UK/Ireland by the start of their employment.

Our aim is to be an even more diverse and inclusive company; we celebrate difference and we're actively building more diverse teams. We welcome applications from candidates regardless of background and personal circumstances who meet the criteria set out above. We would love for you to join an organisation that enables you to thrive. If you need any assistance during the recruitment process or we can put in any adjustments for you, please contact Turley’s People & Culture team ([e-mail]).