Practice Manager - Water Management Consultancy - South East Region

Atkins Water Management Consultancy Practice are looking to appoint a Practice Manager for the South East Regional Practice. The role can be based from Epsom, Oxford or Peterborough offices and will report into Practice Director, Brian Arkell. 

The South East Regional Practice currently includes the following Atkins offices: Epsom, Oxford, London, Peterborough. It is our largest practice and includes approximately 100 technical staff covering the breadth of Water Management disciplines (Water Resources, Water Quality, Flood Risk & Coastal Management, Asset Strategy, Regulation and Business Assurance, Research and Innovation, and International (IFI) advisory). 

Objective

• Provide the focus for business, communications and pastoral support to regional practice teams. 
• Support management and development of the WMC Practice and its wider engagement within and across Atkins. 
• Enthuse our people through support of effective performance and development plans linking with the Technical Authorities or, as appropriate, acting as technical authority / head of discipline to ensure alignment of career development opportunities. 
• Monitor and manage utilisation within the team in the UK through efficient resource management whilst facilitating the flow of work to the GDC and our supply chain partners. 
• Liaise with the Practice Director (Tier 2) and other Practice Managers to ensure we have sufficient resources with the right skills to deliver our current and future market strategies. 
• Support technical leaders in the development of staff and technical excellence within their practice team. 
• Work with the market and business development teams to support engage with clients and actively sell our technical capabilities. 
• Act as a regional contact for coordination and support into priority business development activities. 

Requirements 

• Proven experience at a similar level in Water Management 
• Demonstrable expertise, reputation and track record to act as head of discipline in one or more of the WMC technical service lines (water resource & water quality, flood risk management and asset management); experience across other service lines. 
• Experienced people manager 
• Strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills. 
• Strong communication skills to interface with clients and internal stakeholders. 
• Strong collaborative behaviours to interface with other practices and support Practice Director, Technical leads and Practice Managers engage with Market teams, and other stakeholders. 
• Operating as technical lead / technical authority in relevant disciplines. 
• A hard working and flexible individual, who is reliable, proactive and innovative, whilst able to keep calm under pressure and when working to often demanding deadlines. 
• A high expectation of performance for themselves and other members of the team, coupled with a drive for continuous improvement. 
• Customer focused; demonstrable level of client engagement currently across WMC clients / sectors. 
• Strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills. 
• Able to build and motivate a team and demonstrate good management qualities.
• A supportive and encouraging approach to mentoring less experienced members of the team, combined with a passion for staff development. 
• Be available to travel across the UK if required. 
• Strong business acumen with a demonstrated knowledge of identifying potential value creation. 
• Degree level or equivalent professional qualification in relevant discipline. 

Responsibilities 

• Lead practice team within the WMC Practice recognised for technical excellence and ability to flexibly respond to business needs. 
• Support Practice strategy to drive technical best practice, knowledge sharing, and process standardisation /optimisation across practice group. 
• Provide the focus for business, communications and pastoral support to regional practice teams. 
• Support management and development of the WMC Practice and its wider engagement within and across Atkins. 
• Support the Practice in establishing resource demand based on pipeline of opportunities. 
• Manage practice team performance. 
• Work with the Practice Director to ensure skills and capacity meet the needs of the target markets through targeted recruitment and focused staff development. 
• Network with other Practice Managers across the region, sharing information and resources, collaborating locally on business development and delivery initiatives. 
• Support winning work through maximising additional/repeat/follow-on work from clients. Help drive innovation in service offerings. 
• Identify and provide technical expertise to support practice business development. 
• Coordinate specialist inputs to delivery and ensure right first time is embedded. 
• Spot opportunities and foster client relationships. 
• Support PM/PDs in ensuring that business activity conforms to the
• Business Management System (BMS) and does not present an unacceptable risk.

Training

Atkins develops individuals through a portfolio of training and development activities designed to help its staff make the best of their abilities and talents. Personal development is reviewed through an annual appraisal process. 

Rewards and Benefits

We offer a competitive salary, a comprehensive benefits package, and an opportunity to develop and learn new skills in a supportive and friendly environment. For full details of our benefits package please refer to our website.

https://www.yourrewardatkins.com/

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.