Practice Director – Rail Control Systems
SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business is one of the largest transportation consultancies in the UK, and a leading supplier of engineering services to government, regulatory and local authorities, infrastructure owners and operators. Major clients include Regulators & Public Bodies, Infrastructure Owners & Operators, Railway Service operators, the Railway Supply Industry, Financiers & Asset Owners, and Professional Advisors etc.
The Rail Consulting practice, within the UK Transportation business, is the home of our market leading transport technology and mobility capability. We work across the transport sector helping our clients navigate through a rapidly changing world linking current Intelligent Transport Systems with future-focused technology opportunities. The Rail Control Systems (RCS) Practice within Rail Consulting is a successful and growing team of around 50 Engineers and Technicians in the UK.
The successful candidate will lead the team in the delivery of projects and help to secure our ambitious growth plans. An externally focused role, the Practice Director will need to understand and predict market trends, to position and differentiate our capability in an extremely competitive market to grow our revenues. They will inspire the team to work in a very different way through embracing automated delivery, working in partnership with our clients with a truly flexible workforce, environment and culture to help shape the Rail Consulting Practice and the Transportation business as a whole.
Objectives for the Practice Director:
- Work with the Rail Consulting Practice Director to set strategy and direction for the RCS Practice.
- Work collaboratively to deliver business objectives –Revenue, Margin, Productivity, Debt & Unbilled, Business Development, Staff Engagement & Development, Responsible growth via Service Area Development, and Client Satisfaction.
- Ensure the practice team is set up to effectively deliver work in hand and secure future workload.
- Enthuse and motivate our people through effective performance and development plans that align to their career opportunities.
- Support the technical and personal development of staff within their practice team and encourage knowledge capture and sharing.
- Work with the Transformation programme to develop innovative ideas to improve efficiencies in our delivery processes, embracing automation and standardisation where possible.
- Maximise the flow of work to the Global Technology Centre (GTC) based in India.
- Work with the Strategic Growth Director to identify and deliver sales opportunities and orders for the short, medium and longer-term pipeline.
- Work with the Rail Consulting Strategic Growth Director, the ‘Markets’ and other business development teams to engage with clients and actively sell our technical capabilities.
- Ensure Operational teams are sized and shaped to deliver and develop service offerings in line with short, medium and long-term market conditions and demand. Includes ensuring we have sufficient resources with the right skills to deliver our current and future market strategies.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the Practice in a manner that it is recognised for technical and delivery excellence, embracing digital innovations and ability to flexibly respond to business needs.
- Identify work opportunities and foster great client relationships, maximising additional/repeat/follow-on work from clients.
- Involvement with bidding activities through coordination with the market and Win Work teams and provide technical input from the practice to support strategic bids.
- Provide line manager supervision, overseeing career & talent development for the practice.
- Manage practice team performance with focus on meeting or exceeding budget targets.
- Work with the Practice Director to ensure skills and capacity meet the needs of the target markets through recruitment and focused staff development. Act as a Hiring Manager within the Practice and ensure a flexible workforce is employed either through permanent staff or supply chain.
- Optimise the workload of the Practice delivered from the GTC.
- Act as a Project Director / Project Manager and undertake technical delivery as appropriate.
- Ensure work is undertaken with appropriate levels of governance and assurance and in compliance with SNC-Lavalin/Atkins’ management systems and procedures on order to minimise business risk.
- Manage the safety and wellbeing of staff and Associates, and support recruitment activities as appropriate.
- Actively contribute to a continuous improvement culture.
- Drive greater collaboration both within the Rail Consulting Practice and the wider business.
Requirements:
- Commercially astute leader with a track record in driving sustainable performance.
- Demonstrable leadership experience of a team particularly in the appropriate disciplines commensurate with the Systems & Consulting elements of the railway system.
- Ability to provide strong safety leadership within dynamic working environments.
- Proven leader able to build and motivate a diverse team of technical experts, with demonstratable evidence of improving culture and engagement.
- Demonstrable evidence of using governance processes through the project lifecycle and for tenders.
- Experience in managing organisational change.
- Experience of successfully managing team and individual performance.
- Strong collaborative behaviours to interface with Practice Director, other Practice Managers, Market teams, and other stakeholders.
- Strong communication, interpersonal and conflict resolution skills.
- Experience of growing a business or service offering within a consultancy environment.
Why SNC-Lavalin?
We offer a professional but nurturing environment for you to better develop in your career whilst exposing you to a wide variety of Rail Infrastructure projects. We also offer competitive salaries, enhanced pension contributions, 33 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), private medical and dental insurance, gym membership subsidies, flexible working hours and a host of other benefits supporting a range of lifestyles.
Atkins recognise that there are many well qualified people who are looking to further their career, but who cannot commit to full time employment. We support flexible working arrangements and are interested to discuss how we can accommodate individual requirements.
ATKINS, part of the SNC Lavalin Group, is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability.
This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary it will be discussed with you at interview.
If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.
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