Want to work with the most sought-after minds and most-talked about projects? Your skills in delivering Aviation, High Rise projects and championing technical standards might just make you our new Associate Director - Project Design Management.
The purpose of this role is to work within the practice on some of our large multi-disciplinary projects in India. These projects will be projects of significant scale and value and will vary in nature including airports, commercial, residential, cultural, and sport. The position will be based in the India but will involve travel within the country for site visits and meetings.
Here at Buro Happold, expect the exceptional.
From the projects you will work on to the clients we work with. From career-defining opportunities to an inclusive and diverse practice where we all contribute to a more equitable world. From our reputation to our relationships. Wherever your Buro Happold career takes you, it’ll be anything but ordinary.
Your next role
The role of an Associate Director - PDM can be very varied, duties will include but are not limited to:
ACCOUNTABILITIES:
- Contributing to the design & development of the Company’s strategy.
- Executing the design management strategy for the Aviation, ensuring alignment with Regional, and Global requirements.
- Maintaining an accurate picture of current and future market trends across the Region in order to establish the work focus for the team leaders.
- Championing and delivering the potential of collaborative multidisciplinary working offered by the organisation.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Project Management
- Project Director for appropriate projects, taking ownership for sustained and productive client relationships across the country.
- Delivering support to multiple projects across, taking responsibility for the engineering solutions while ensuring financial success.
- Delivering a risk managed portfolio; working within agreed capital lock up parameters.
- Maintain Project Execution Plans and Risk Registers for all projects as per in-house QA-QC system
Project Delivery
- Lead the design, analysis and consultancy on a wide variety of complex and large-scale projects through all the stages.
- Take the role of Job Leader/Project Leader/Project Director on single or multi-disciplinary projects.
- Through an established network of internal and external clients, wins or effectively contribute to bidding for projects, in line with agreed work winning targets.
- Ensure the work produced on an assigned project team is to a high standard.
- Drafting fee proposals and assisting colleagues with proposals, negotiating additional fees with the client, where appropriate.
- Work within an agreed budget, raising and/or resolving any concerns with budget spend and profit targets.
- Gain a thorough understanding of the commercial operation, structure and governance of the firm and ensure that this is applied rigorously across your project portfolio.
- Autonomously represent Buro Happold to clients, architects and collaborators, providing consultancy advice.
- Drive project performance, service delivery and technical and commercial outcomes and undertake reviews, ensuring client delivery is above expectation.
- Ensure risks are proactively identified, assessed and managed to avoid adverse impacts on the project.
Leadership
- Utilise experience of sector/region/specialism to help inform projects.
- Lead and deliver multiple solutions to challenges, being able to articulate the benefits and shortfalls of each to the client, taking into consideration all disciplines requirements within these solutions.
- Identify opportunities to promote other Buro Happold service offerings, where appropriate.
- Work closely with other leaders to arrive at integrated solutions in a rapidly changing environment.
- Take responsibility for the line management, leadership and mentoring of others within your team and act as an inspiring leader in the spirit of Buro Happold culture and expected behaviours.
- Provide critical project leadership on a range of flagship projects and drive outstanding project delivery outcomes.
Collaboration
- Interface with other areas of the firm through project work.
- Contribute to the operation of your local business unit, as a delegate for Directors, where required.
- Work regularly across other business units and groups.
- Seek opportunities to contribute to the wider firm outside of your immediate group, whether through bids, relationships or through your global discipline.
- Partnering with key external collaborators and clients and working amongst multidisciplinary teams in Buro Happold to shape positive collaboration between engineering disciplines and architecture.
Technical Competence
- Advise how technology impacts on a project and articulate to the client and others as appropriate. Highlight how Buro Happold utilises technology in a progressive manner.
- Ensure reports, presentations, models and drawings are produced to an excellent standard as requested by the client. Review reports, highlighting areas for potential development, where necessary.
- Comply with and educate others on all Buro Happold’s internal quality assurance procedures ensure all work delivered (by team) meets quality required.
- Constantly increase own tech savviness to take advantage of digital, data and AI opportunities.
- Ensure maintenance of ongoing learning and Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
- Continually look to enhance productivity through improved processes, procedures and systems.
Your skills and experience
As an experienced Associate Director - PDM, we would expect that you will be able to demonstrate:
Required Skills:
- Develops pioneering solutions and engages others in the development and delivery of these.
- Provides an environment for learning and creativity by leading expert communities, sharing information with participants.
- Actively develops their portfolio through knowledge of sector/market and client base to secure work for Buro Happold in line with the business strategy.
- Demonstrates a wide understanding of the risks and issues facing clients and other team members; Identifies and develops opportunities for and with the client and communicates these effectively.
- Develops and maintains internal and external networks and relationships. Is able to call upon a wide range of contacts; puts colleagues in touch with internal and external contacts.
- Embrace technology and work towards improving efficiency by using computation engineering.
- Shares key commercial knowledge with the wider practice at relevant meetings and forums; seeks out opportunities to share ideas; encourages contributions from team members and colleagues.
- Maintains strategic involvement for all significant projects. Holds regular reviews with project teams; provides guidance and information as soon as possible; acts on feedback from project teams by communicating with the client where necessary.
- Monitors and manages the successful delivery of projects in this context and in terms of technical quality, timely delivery, financial performance and client satisfaction.
- Keeps abreast of changing market forces and how these affect the business strategy.
- Meets key project objectives and financial performance targets, identifying key risks on a project and methodologies for managing these risks.
- Demonstrates an understanding of political and legal factors external to BH. Makes themselves available as the ultimate decision maker in positive and negative situations; stands by team members and colleagues. Empowers and supports others to take responsibility by creating a no blame culture and recognising achievement.
- Is seen as a role model; strives to behave in a positive and inspiring manner at all times. Demonstrates enthusiasm about their work and encourages innovation, open thinking and enthusiasm in others. Behaves in line with the culture and essence of Buro Happold and encourages others to do the same.
- Creates a culture of openness by communicating direction and vision. Holds regular meetings to communicate ideas and information, encourages contribution from all colleagues and team members.
- Flexible and adaptable - knows when and how to delegate and when to take the lead. Praises good work.
- To encourage technical excellence and promote active external participation to team members to ensure that Aviation team maintains its status as a leading technologically advance team in India.
- To assist Group Directors in recruitment process to ensure that all recruitments satisfy the office’s high technical and creative standards.
- Understands the key issues that are likely to occur on a project in all areas, contractual, financial, technical etc. Provides opportunities for learning to less experienced colleagues and team members.
- Attends and contributes to Business Stream Forum activities both external (Indian Industry) and internal (BH as a global company)
- To be a leading technical expert in an area of interest and passion within India and to be recognised by external peer groups through active participation in outreach activities.
- Projects and helps MD to project BH as leading multi-disciplinary design consultancy by publishing technical papers, attending conferences and actively participate in technical discussions on social media.
Desirable Skills:
- Ensure projects under their leadership are financially successful.
- Proactively address the issue of cost recovery, ensuring improved DSO performance.
- Ensure Aviation projects are financially successful.
- Reporting to the Partner / Director on group performance, owning and responding to actions emerging from these meetings as appropriate.
- Reporting on technical, commercial, financial and people performance of aviation team to the respective discipline Group Directors as determined by the Regional MD.
- Accountable for rigorous analysis of performance across all Aviation projects from a technical, commercial, financial and people perspective.
Required Experience:
- Hands-on experience and track record of design delivery of not less than 3 Aviation projects in the region.
- Experienced technical and project design delivery leader; track-record of exceptional delivery over a sustained period within the industry (typically 18+ years).
- Must have excellent command on business communication.
- Preferably Chartered Engineer with international institutions
- Preferably have worked on international projects.
- Must be proficient in a global matrix organisation.
Desirable Experience:
- Multiple stints in international working environments
- Likely to have proven success across the region; capable of thinking outside of own patch to drive performance improvement for the benefit of the Region, and a broader group.
Required Qualifications and Accreditations:
- Degree in Engineering in any relevant discipline
- Professional Accreditation of a recognised and relevant organisation
- Proven experience in a comparable role as a lead designer and/or project manager on large, complex, multi-discipline projects
- Strong facilitation and team leadership capability
- Effective communication capability
- Understanding of relevant policy and regulation
- Strong external network to support you in the role
What we offer you
Bring your knowledge and expertise to one of the world’s most respected consultancies.
- Competitive salary and benefits package including Annual Discretionary Bonus, Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme for both you and your family, Group Personal Accident Cover
- Our 5-day workweek policy supports work-life balance, ensuring you have time to relax and recharge.
- A strong commitment to your continuous development. Whatever stage in your career, we have a learning and development programme that will enable and empower you
- Receive entitlements to two professional memberships or subscriptions, fostering your professional network and knowledge
- Benefit from our Employee Referral Bonus, rewarding you for bringing talented candidates into our fold
- A commitment to your wellbeing through a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and wellness initiatives designed to support your mental and physical health
- Back to Work Program for Women - Swam Siddha - We're committed to empowering women, facilitating seamless re-entry into the workforce through our dedicated program
- Engage with our vibrant community through the Young Employees Forum, Diversity and Inclusion Forum, and BH Women's Network, fostering a supportive and diverse workplace culture
- Make a difference in the world with our Share Our Skills (SOS) program, offering opportunities to support local communities and those in need globally.
- An International Culture that wherever your career takes you at Buro Happold, you won’t be far from the exceptional.