Project Operations Associate

Buro Happold group.; London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading consultancy as a Project Operations Associate, responsible for overseeing financial operations in engineering teams, managing projects, and mentoring colleagues. The role involves strategic planning, risk management, and delivering internal improvement initiatives. We're committed to diversity and welcome applicants from all backgrounds seeking a flexible working environment.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Business Management, Finance, or Project Management.
• Experience in a management role in engineering or consultancy.
• Expert user of databases and ERP systems, preferably Deltek Vision/Vantagepoint.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and implement financial operations within engineering teams.
• Provide coaching and mentoring to Job Leaders and Project Directors.
• Manage other Project Operations team members.

Skills

Financial management

Leadership

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Degree or similar qualification in Business Management, Finance, or Project Management

Tools

Deltek Vision/Vantagepoint

MS Excel

Power BI

Job description

The Project Operations Associate is a senior leader in the Project Operations team. The POA supports the Team Leader with strategic objectives for the wider team, the line management of sub teams, and the delivery of internal improvement projects. The role also works with engineering teams supporting Job Leaders and Project Directors with the planning and financial management of their projects, and the Discipline Leaders with efficient resourcing and utilisation of their. Project Operations Associates also provide a higher level of support to Project Directors with the internal management of their project finances and play a key role in identifying improvement projects and driving them to completion.

As a Project Operations Associate you will oversee and implement financial operations within the engineering teams to ensure consistency of approach and to identify, help manage and mitigate exposure to commercial risk.In a leadership role, you will also manage others in the team and act as an ambassador for Project Operations globally.

Responsibilities

• As a member of the senior leadership within Project Operations, assist the Team Leader by providing guidance and constructive feedback on team management strategies, change, and performance, and be responsible for the cascade of information to the direct team.
• Line manage direct team, and visibly act as mentor to other members of the POM team, coaching and developing their skills and confidence, and taking ownership for the delivery of their work, reviewing before it is submitted.
• Provide coaching, training and mentoring to Job Leaders (JLs) and Project Directors (PDs) both within the team and beyond, and to keep jobs on track with planned resourcing and in profit, and to escalate where any risks are perceived
• Act as trusted business partner to a Unit Lead and their supporting Cost Centre Leaders, providing insight into discipline performance and strategic team management support in order to support the highest level of business performance. Take responsibility for delivering sharing and fostering best practice both within and outside immediate team
• Leadimprovement initiatives to continually better business performance, both manifesting as leadership within the Project Operations team and improved commercial results within disciplines
• Prioritise work, set and meet deadlines for both own work and the team, and on behalf of the team.
• Hold and develop strong relationships andcollaboratewith others outside the immediate engineering teams and wider businesssupportteams,sharingknowledge and best practice within these communities, authoritatively representing the POM team as a recognised subject matter expert
• Work closely with the PDs within the team collaborating closely with the Finance team, to help support project financial management, advising on best practice and flagging the need for further support if necessary, and supporting them to challenge decisions around planning and fee management.
• Carry out standard POM duties withsupportfrom others in the team to keep JLs and DLs on track.Build commercial awareness andsupportwithin discipline drawing on a deepunderstandingof process, budgets and approval processes, in order to create an increasing financially sustainable business proposition.

What will you be doing

Leadership

• Leada team as part of the wider Project Operations structure, act as a role model, coach and mentor others in the team
• Act astrustedbusiness partner to Unit and Cost Centre Leaders, providing insight and advice on discipline performance, and potential ways to improve utilisation and profitability
• Manage other Project Operations Coordinators & Managers, celebrate excellent performance, and manage under performance
• Hold very strong relationships with the Project Operations and Discipline teams, ensuring visibility and accessibility
• Hold very strong relationships with other key people outside the team, in order to progress team goals
• Represent the team at internal meetings within the business unit and the wider business
• Build relationships outside the business unit
• Initiate, drive and deliver internal improvement projects, set and meet deadlines and deliver to an excellent standard
• Provide an escalation route to JLs, DLs and members of the team to successfully resolve issues

Project setup

• Create plans and projects, allocate fees and make allowances for contingency/taxes/leadership costs, liasing with others in the project team to complete
• Ensure completion of QA records (PDC/PEP/ICAs) as necessary
• Create and maintain Promotional projects and plans, adjust (fee, probability, start date, duration) as more information is provided, ensure plans are linked
• Follow up for further information as necessary, closing bids as won/lost within the allotted timescale for accurate reporting

Project maintenance

• Maintain/adjust project/job fee, contract management record, invoice schedule, QA records and plans
• Review job and project performance (ETC vs scope vs fee remaining, planned vs actuals, planed expenses and sub consultants) with team leadership - advise on potential adjustments needed to plan or fee/contingency
• Attend PD Reviews led by Regional Accountant

Project closedown

• Release contingencies under direction from PD, liaise with Finance housekeeping/RA to make work stages dormant/inactive, update plans to remove future resource

Project accounts

• Attend and contribute to project accounts meetings (month end drafts), carry out adjustments to plans and fees, chase project leadership for actions and arrange for misbooked time/expenses to be moved.

Project planning and resourcing

• Make sure resourcing tool (RUBO) is up to date and accurately forecasts group utilisation
• Attend resourcing meetings, helping DLs to balance resource and identify need for recruitment or capacity available
• SupportDLs with liaison with HR to set up new starters/other leave/leavers/errors
• Review non project plans and budgets with DL and adjust as necessary, and month-end utilisation reports
• Monitor various reporting tools (dashboards, Deltek reports) to inform decisions by DLs, JLs and PDs
• SupportDLs in facilitation of inter-office workshare

Training

• Provide system (Deltek)supportand training (both informal and classroom-type) to both Project Operations team and wider engineering and businesssupportcommunity
• Provide tool (Dashboard/Deltek Reports) guidance,supportand training to both Project Operations team and wider engineering and businesssupportcommunity
• Provide training to Project Operations team, both for new recruits and advanced training for existing staff
• Incollaborationwith central and global teams, write and keep up to date guidance notes and manuals, keep team up to date with changes and developments

Ad hoc

• Respondto further requests for business insight/reporting from DLs and TeamLeader
• Provideanalysisand insight into past project performance to inform future project planning
• Produce exemplar template resource plans based on previous well-run projects
• Work with DLs with annual/six monthly reviews of utilisation targets and cost rates

Qualifications & Skills

• Degree or similar qualification in a relevant field (Business Management, Finance, Project Management)
• Highly numerate, able to manipulate large sets of data and provideanalysiswhich can be easily understood
• Able tounderstandcomplex business concepts and explain them to others
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Adept at presenting focused insight drawn from data collection in order to positively influence business decisions

Experince

• Experience of a management role in an engineering, design or similar professional consultancy
• Experience of leading a successful team within business operations, ideally in project controls
• Track record of being able to influence business decisions and of creating a positive commercial impact
• Expert user of databases and ERP systems, preferably Deltek Vision/Vantagepoint, and of extracting information
• Advanced experience using MS Excel and preferably Power BI

Delivery

• - looks at how they can create a positive impact on the business using own unique developed skillset
• - listens to others in the wider business to understand risks and issues, researches these
• - is flexible and demonstrates a lateral approach to problem solving
• - owns own performance goals and strives to reach them
• - monitors and manages projects within the team
• - has key understanding of costs and manages own time and others' time to ensure efficiency of team budget

Leadership

• - is committed to the team and displays resilience, and helps others build resilience
• - clearly conveys team and business strategy to others
• - understands peoples' motivations and picks the most appropriate management style
• - shows inclusion and respect
• - coaches team and colleagues, provides developmentalsupport
• - highly competent and knowledgeable communicator, respecting differences of culture
• - manages key relationships outside the team to help elevate team and other business services teams
• - provides clarity for other team members' roles, deals with challenges and concerns
• - gets others toshareexpertise, runs meetings and workshops

Technical

• - proposes multiple creative solutions to challenges, effectively articulating benefits/shortfalls of each
• - understands other business roles to make sure proposed solutions are suitable beyond the immediate team
• - provides reporting and valuable insight to an excellent standard, on time and accurately
• - provides rationale to support recommendations
• - full understanding of BH internal policies and procedures to ensure alignment to best practice, both regionally and globally
• - keeps ahead of technical developments and trends and is up to date with skills
• - maintains own professional development and shares knowledge both within and outside immediate team

A place for everyone

Buro Happold values an individual's flexible approaches to working patterns as an important part of how you work and achieve balance. We welcome applications from those who are seeking flexibility in their careers.

Our exceptional portfolio of projects is the result of the diversity of thought, identities, backgrounds, and experiences that shape us. Appreciating each other’s differences is key, we want employees to feel they don’t have to mask elements of their identity to thrive.

We are working to change the lack of representation of marginalised groups in the built environment. We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who feels they are underrepresented in the industry. We have much to learn from one another.Embracing differences allows us to develop the most innovative and elegant solutions.

Please let us know if there are any adjustments we could make to the application process to make it easier and more comfortable for you. Contact [e-mail] so we can work with you to support you throughout your application.

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