Associate Director - Project Management

AtkinsRéalis UK Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working culture

Flexible holiday allowances

Training & development opportunities

Job summary

AtkinsRéalis is seeking an experienced Associate Director-level Project Manager to lead a major flagship central London development valued at approximately £500 million. You will guide a PM team, drive early design and mobilisation, and work closely with the Client Director to deliver the programme on time and within governance frameworks.

The role requires a track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams on high-value, complex central London developments and strong commercial oversight.

Qualifications

• Significant experience at high leadership level (Associate Director or equivalent).
• Proven track record delivering large-scale developments (≥£150m).
• Experience with pre-construction and early design stages in central London projects.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across a complex, large-scale development.
• Lead and develop the project management team.
• Support appointment and mobilisation of design and consultant teams.
• Establish robust governance, reporting and decision-making processes.
• Oversee programme, risk, procurement, commercial performance and stakeholder management.
• Act as senior client contact and coordinate with wider project team.
• Challenge consultants to protect programme delivery and outcomes.

Skills

Senior leadership

Project management

Stakeholder management

Governance

Procurement

Risk management

Reporting

Team development

Client-side experience

Commercial awareness

Job description

Job Description Overview

AtkinsRéalis is one of the UK's leading engineering, design, project management, and consultancy organisations, supporting clients across the entire property lifecycle from planning and development through construction, operation, and asset management. The business combines technical excellence, sustainability expertise, and digital innovation to deliver complex property projects across the UK.

The Opportunity

A leading global project and programme management consultancy is seeking an experienced Associate Director-level Project Manager to take a senior leadership role on a major flagship central London development valued at approximately £500 million. The successful candidate will join during the early design and mobilisation stage, providing strategic leadership as the design and consultant teams are appointed and the programme moves towards delivery. This position requires an experienced project leader who has delivered major developments mixed use office, retail premium hotel cut and calve valued at more than £200 million, ideally with a developer, client-side or project management background.

Your role

Working alongside the Client Director, you will lead a project management team of approximately five Project Managers and take responsibility for the successful planning and delivery of the programme. Key responsibilities will include:

• Providing strategic project leadership across a complex, large-scale development.
• Leading, managing and developing the project management team.
• Supporting the appointment and mobilisation of the design and consultant teams.
• Establishing robust project governance, reporting and decision-making processes.
• Overseeing programme, risk, procurement, commercial performance and stakeholder management.
• Acting as a senior point of contact for the client and wider project team.
• Challenging consultants and contractors to protect the programme and achieve the required outcomes.
• Maintaining clear and transparent reporting throughout the project.
• Ensuring procurement decisions and expenditure meet the standards required by a highly accountable procurement process.
• Identifying and resolving strategic risks before they affect delivery.
• Supporting the transition from design development through procurement and construction.
• Supporting the Project Director and peers to work collaboratively when reporting to board level within the client organisation.

About you

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Significant experience at Project Director, Associate Director or equivalent level.
• A strong track record of leading projects valued at more than £150 million.
• Strong experience across all RIBA stages, particularly pre-construction, on projects of the values outlined above.
• This should be clearly evidenced against individual projects within the CV.
• Experience working for, or closely alongside, a major developer, investor, development manager or client-side organisation.
• Strong knowledge of major commercial, mixed-use or complex central London developments.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary consultant and design teams through the early stages of a project.
• Excellent understanding of project governance, procurement, programme management and risk.
• The ability to lead and motivate an established team of Project Managers whilst maintaining a ‘one team’ ethos.
• Strong commercial experience and the confidence to advise senior client stakeholders.
• Experience working within a transparent and highly scrutinised procurement environment.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and reporting skills.

Rewards & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. Enjoy competitive salaries, employee rewards and a brilliant range of benefits you can tailor to suit your own health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle choices. Make the most of a myriad of opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise. And combine our hybrid working culture and flexible holiday allowances to balance a great job and fulfilling personal life. Be rewarded. Find out more.

About AtkinsRéalis

We’re AtkinsRéalis, a world‑class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We’re committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people. Find out more.

Additional information

Security clearance This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.

We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong – a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to offering an interview to all applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria. If you would like to be considered under this commitment, please let us know at the application stage.

#LI-UK#LI-ATKINS #PPSProContr

Worker Type Employee Job Type Regular

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences. Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear and Capital. News and information are available at Atkinsrealis or follow us on LinkedIn.