Technical Director/Director Civil Engineering (Development)

WSP; Basingstoke; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering consultancy in Basingstoke seeks a senior role focused on client engagement, technical leadership, and business growth. The successful candidate will provide strategic direction, mentor colleagues, and drive business development by establishing strong client relationships. Qualifications include a degree in civil engineering and chartered status or progression towards it. The role emphasizes interpersonal skills, commercial acumen, and a proven track record in delivering business opportunities.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable track record in identifying and delivering new business opportunities.
• Able to communicate effectively and champion knowledge sharing.
• Proven ability to motivate and encourage others.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction and leadership.
• Engage with stakeholders to promote technical innovation.
• Drive business development and win work from key accounts.

Skills

Inter-personal skills

Leadership abilities

Commercial capability

Stakeholder management

Project experience

Education

Degree in civil engineering

Chartered status or working towards chartership

Job description

A little more about your role…

The Planning discipline has 800+ consultants and engineers across the UK. Development accounts for 300 of this number located in 15 offices within the UK.

Specifically supporting the Development part, you will play a key role in the growth aspirations for Basingstoke and Southwest to South and Southeast region. This senior position will be very much centred on client facing activities, technical leadership and business growth, rather than day‑to‑day operational management and will play an integral part in supporting the initiative to diversify our team, both in staff numbers and revenue. You will be:

• Providing strategic direction and highly visible leadership
• Exhibiting and demonstrating behaviours and attitudes in accordance with WSP core values
• Working in partnership with other colleagues to ensure coordination across the Development discipline and sharing of market intelligence, best practice and innovation
• Engaging with the Technical Leadership Group (TLG) to promote technical innovation, best practice and technological advancements for infrastructure development for major projects
• Liaising with the Regional Director and local Office Place Lead in setting and agreeing appropriate local team structures / shapes / skills sets
• Driving business development by being embedded within local networks of decision makers and establishing lasting relationships
• Winning work from key accounts and aligning the business to secure major opportunities and an increasing order book
• Leading and supporting bids by contributing reviewing and authorising submissions and by demonstrating added value both commercially and technically
• Acting as Project Manager or Director for major projects and strategically important commissions
• Supporting all aspects associated with H&S / Corporate Responsibility and ensuring the team complies with SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment and Quality)
• Mentoring selected colleagues on the Succession Planning Schedule, Emerging Talent schedule

YOUR TEAM

• The Development Team is a well‑established and high‑performing discipline within the Planning and Development business unit which includes over 800 colleagues focused on project delivery through the whole project life cycle, from initial land acquisition, planning support and design, through to scheme implementation and handover.
• Our vision is to be recognised as the best Development team in the industry. We strive to achieve this through continuous improvement and a management structure comprising of four pillars, namely; Technical Excellence, People, Clients and Operational Excellence.
• We help our clients to promote, implement and manage sustainable development, from pre‑feasibility through to planning consent; establish plans and provision for how an area, its accessibility, and needs, will develop over time and guide sustainable future development; and develop multi‑disciplinary design from concept through to detailed design and construction.
• We work with public/private sector land promoters and house builders, developers, signature architects, Government, and local authorities. Some of the multi‑disciplinary services we provide that you will help deliver include:
  • Civil engineering, highways design and earthworks strategies
  • Utilities, energy planning and coordination
  • Drainage, flood risk and SuDS
  • Site appraisal, due diligence, and strategic planning advice.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate…

• Inter‑personal skills with good leadership and management abilities.
• Commercial and strategic capability with a demonstrable track record in having identified and subsequently delivered new business opportunities.
• Expert stakeholder management and related relationship and team management skills.
• Demonstrate ability to improve, motivate and encourage others within the workplace, lead and implement change programmes, inspiring colleagues and drive an innovative and supportive culture. Act as a catalyst for change.
• Forward thinking, capable of visualising and planning for the longer term.
• A broad range of project experience, both within Discipline and multi‑disciplinary.
• Demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively, use own knowledge to support and coach others as required. Actively champion sharing knowledge, ideas and intelligence. Have presentation skills, able to lead and facilitate workshops, training sessions and one‑to‑one learning. Influential and persuasive internally and externally, encourages open dialogue and feedback.
• Able to establish, build, sustain and share professional relationships with relevant groups both inside and outside the organisation. Driven to exceed client expectations.
• Able to reason logically and apply a systematic process to finding solutions, proactive in responding to problems, able to apply sound logic in situations of ambiguity and problem‑solving methodologies across a range of circumstances.
• Degree level qualification in civil engineering
• Chartered status or working towards chartership
• A broad range of project experience across civil design for developments.