Associate Director - Water

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RPS has an opportunity for an Associate Director within our Clean Water Technical Team. The Associate Director will be responsible for the overall management, direction and performance of our Analytics and Software teams, as well as building strong client relationships.

This is a unique opportunity for a candidate with experience in leading the delivery of large operational and technical programmes of work in the water/wastewater sector. As a key member of a dynamic and ambitious leadership team, you will work directly alongside our Technical Director and with a team of Senior Managers charged with delivering significant programmes of projects to challenging timescales and budgets.

RPS Water Consulting is a team of Engineers, Modellers, and Data Analysts providing Asset Management and Operational Strategy development to our Water Industry clients to support business planning and delivery. This is an evolving industry, providing challenges and opportunities that require innovation, dedication, and teamwork to help us meet our clients’ needs.

In addition to the Analytics and Software teams, we also deliver a range of other technical delivery and clean water modelling services for several other major water companies across the UK. We have a broad portfolio of long‑term framework agreements in place, where you’ll be securing your career for the next 20 years, leaving a lasting legacy.

As a key member of the Water Consultancy business, your role as Associate Director is critical to helping us deliver great projects for our Water Industry clients. You will be working alongside a multi‑disciplinary team of water project experts on a range of projects. You will have a substantial opportunity to contribute towards technical expertise across various frameworks.

• Leadership and management of delivery teams.
• Ensuring that project delivery and commercial performance deadlines and targets are achieved.
• Development and maintenance of strong relationships with key client contacts to understand strategic direction and their service/programme risks, issues and needs.
• Development of project delivery strategies to support client needs, with associated training, development, recruitment and/or innovation plans to ensure delivery of these strategies.
• Identification and cultivation of innovative and optimised technical solutions aligned with client requirements and objectives.
• Consolidation and co‑ordination of project delivery across the clean water team to drive efficiencies.
• Resource planning and management.
• Identification of escalated project risks and opportunities, together with risk and opportunity mitigation and management.
• Identification, implementation and support of growth opportunities across the UK.

• Extensive experience in the leadership and management of people and in leading the delivery of major project/programmes in the water sector.
• Proven experience of bid delivery and winning client work.
• A commitment to a strong culture of health, safety and wellbeing.
• Commercial acumen and the ability to deliver commercially complex framework programmes successfully.
• Proven ability to build and mentor teams and drive collaborative behaviours.
• Proven ability to coordinate and facilitate teams to deliver successful outcomes at project and programme level through a balance of strategic and tactical approaches.
• Experience preferable in analytical projects and/or software development.
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership and communication skills.
• Skilled in collaborative negotiation.

You’ll be offered a company car, a performance‑based bonus, and a generous 7.5% employer pension contribution—rising to 10% after five years in the plan. A personal development plan and a transparent career pathway puts you in the driving seat of your career and you will be supported as far as you want to go.

We encourage and value different ideas, perspectives, and styles of thinking. We need a mix of experiences and skills to develop the most innovative ideas. We respect one another and recognise…