Associate Director Planning & Design Services Lead; South Coast

Arup’s purpose, shared values and collaborative approach have set us apart for over 80 years, guiding how we shape a better world.
Are you passionate about shaping sustainable growth on the South Coast?

Arup is a global multidisciplinary firm helping clients solve complex built-environment challenges and turn ideas into reality. As an independent, employee-owned organisation, we set our own direction and make thoughtful long-term decisions for our business and society.
Our new Southampton office is growing to represent Arup’s full Cities, Planning and Design (CPD) portfolio: town and transport planning, master planning, landscape architecture, architecture, economics and case making. Here specialists address major infrastructure, sustainable growth and energy, social value, policy, environmental conservation and inclusive stakeholder engagement.

This role will help public and private sector clients turn ambition into investable projects that improve lives and regional resilience.
We are seeking an Associate Director to expand Arup’s South Coast presence and champion our portfolio. You will lead exciting, challenging projects using your leadership, consulting and technical expertise.

The role is to develop client relationships, identify project opportunities, lead teams in bidding and delivering projects, support the development of team members, raise Arup’s profile through marketing, communications and thought leadership, and promote our work in the marketplace.

You should have knowledge of multi-disciplinary consultancy across master planning, town planning, transport planning, landscape, architecture and economics. You will bring established relationships with one or more local key clients, including the emerging County Combined Authority, local authorities, site promoters and developers and Homes England. You will work closely with Arup colleagues across our Southampton and London offices to shape opportunities and assemble the right multi-disciplinary teams, working in partnership with the Southampton Office Leader to help grow Arup’s presence and profile across the South Coast.

You will play a key leadership role in the following areas:

• Growing our market share across our CPD portfolio by identifying and leading the successful pursuit of prospects and projects which are critical to Arup’s positioning in the South Coast market;
• Engaging with existing and potential clients, positioning Arup to ensure there is a strong pipeline of repeat work and identifying opportunities for new work;
• Leading the delivery of projects in terms of client interface, providing strategic direction to the team, undertaking QA and ensuring projects are profitable;
• Interfacing with multi-disciplinary project teams across Arup to ensure client/project opportunities are maximised and integrated delivery of projects; and
• Supporting thought leadership and wider marketing activities to raise the profile of our work.

You will be a motivated and enthusiastic individual with a strong track record of successfully developing client relationships, and winning and delivering projects.

You will require the following knowledge, skills and attributes:

• Deep understanding of the South Coast development market;
• A strong network across cities, housing and/or transport clients and stakeholders on the South Coast;
• Strong proven consultancy skills, a track record in winning consultancy work and ability to promote Arup’s multidisciplinary CPD offer;
• Experience of developing business strategies and/or client development plans to provide focus to business development. Experience of successfully implementing strategies/plans;
• Experience of working with clients to understand their requirements and…