Regional Director

Regional Director- London and South

The Role

Reporting to the Managing Director, the Regional Director post is a newly created role and the post holder will have overall responsibility for leadership and operational performance of ECD’s London Office. As an Architectural Practice founded on Sustainable, Low-Energy Design; You will be a recognised leader in this field and will support the continued development and growth of the company in line with its core principles.

You will be an experienced, strategically minded and results-driven practitioner (Part 3 Architect with circa 15 years’ experience). You will provide line management for team Directors and ensure co-ordination of resources, projects and performance across teams within the office, between regional offices and with other Group disciplines. You will have overall responsibility for recruitment, management and professional development of staff within the London office in collaboration with team Directors.

You will be entrusted with Strategic contact with key clients and, in collaboration with the Managing Director and other Directors, will be responsible for the direction of the practice, its design ethos, quality management systems and marketing plans. You will also help identify new opportunities and efficiencies in the delivery of our services supporting the growth of our specialist services, i.e.: BIM team. You will play a pivotal role in the development and implementation of business strategies and action plans for the London teams to achieve and support the Company’s wider business goals for growth and profitability.

You will be expected to set and maintain high standards of design and establish targets for key sectors and individual projects. You will be expected to keep abreast of current legislation and government policies in respect of the built environment and contribute to topical professional debate through press articles, reports and speaking at seminars and conferences, as appropriate.

The role of Regional Director does not preclude the post holder from carrying out the role of Project Director on individual projects where necessary/appropriate. However, the Regional Director will be expected to assume responsibility for a large number of separate projects and will be expected to delegate design tasks to appropriate levels of staff in such a manner that every project is delivered in a profitable way.

Key responsibilities include:  

Strategic:

• Contribute to development of Company Business Plan, identifying and implementing Regional Team objectives and goals, directing and reporting on these at quarterly Board Meetings.
• Attend regular Management Meetings to report on specific delegated matters.
• Chair regular Regional management team meetings ensuring that resources are effectively managed and utilisation is in line with agreed targets
• Reinforcement/ development of services which complement our USP and embed knowledge throughout the organization.
• Identify strategic opportunities/ partnerships for Business Development
• Identify key business and operational risks and provide leadership in managing/ mitigating these.

  Managerial

• Day to day management and organisation within the London office in collaboration with team Directors, including development of project plans and their execution
• Line Manager for senior staff, typically Directors including Annual Appraisals/ PDP and 6-month review with regular 1-2-1 meetings
• Attend ECD quarterly Board, fortnightly Management and weekly Directors meeting
• Lead on structure and overall performance of Regional Office
• Oversight of all Working Group outputs and input where appropriate
• Oversight of Project Design Review Process and input where appropriate

  Policy/ Legal

• Oversight of all company policies/ standard templates/ contracts and input where appropriate
• Monitor professional guidance and ensure policies and procedures remain up to date
• Ensure the Company’s commercial risks and liabilities are well managed and controlled, and that appropriate documentation is recorded and maintained for all projects and appointments
• Monitor specific risks around HRRB
• Contribute and support the Group obtain annual PI renewal

  Marketing/ Bidding/ Business Development

• Identify viable prospects/clients and contribute to winning proposals across a range of sectors in collaboration with senior staff and marketing manager 
• Lead and champion regional marketing strategy including focus on Awards/ Conferences, and building and enhancing the Company’s public profile at events, speaking engagements etc
• Develop and Sign-off on commercial proposals within agreed limits
• Support marketing initiatives and contribute to bidding opportunities where required.
• As Key Account Manager take responsibility for specific clients ensuring performance against relevant KPI’s and targeting new opportunities
• Oversight of KAM across all teams and develop/ maintain key client contacts with regular review/ feedback opportunities
• Oversight of success rate on bids to inform benchmark fees and quality responses on future bids
• Support, promote and contribute to the development of the Company’s CSR initiatives

  Recruitment/ Skills/ Training

• Oversight of skills matrix and ensure the right balance of skills are available for our core sector work from either internal or external sources
• Oversight of general recruitment and active involvement in recruitment of senior staff
• Sign-off training where appropriate for staff

  Operational

• Overall responsibility for operational matters in Regional Office with oversight of relevant staff/ external providers responsible for the following:
  • IT Hardware/ Software
  • Office setup
• Assessing, managing and resolving problematic projects/situations in collaboration with directors/senior staff
• Project Director on specific projects where appropriate. Note: This task is typically delegated to the Team Director
• Provide guidance to project team ensuring QA standards are followed and all outputs are signed off by a Senior member of staff.
• Take responsibility, where required by the business, for specific areas of the business, i.e. Contracts; Sustainability; BIM; QA; etc.

  General

• Seek, and record evidence of, continuing professional development (CPD) and an annual Personal Development Plan (PDP) in accordance with the requirements of the RIBA/ ARB.
• Thorough knowledge of and compliance with ECD procedures and standards
• Accurately record time spent on projects and work with Project Director to ensure this remains within agreed budget and timescale.

  Qualities & skills required:

• 15+ years post part 3 qualification experience in Architecture (ideally in a UK practice)
• Ability to provide strategic leadership with focus on development of key directors and their teams
• Extensive experience in developing and implementing company business plans and strategies
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including ability to articulate ideas, both verbally and in writing
• Personable and outgoing in work relationships, both externally and internally and able to build good relationships at all levels
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills
• Resilient to cope with conflicting demands, able to prioritise duties and work effectively under pressure while remaining calm and professional at all times
• Possess personal qualities of creativity, independence and initiative, and high levels of ethical and moral integrity
• Completely dedicated to the success of the team including self, peers, superiors and subordinates
• Highly motivated and can manage workload of self and other team members
• Ability to understand and formulate design decisions and present for discussion
• Able to function in conjunction with other professionals in order to develop an entire project from initial concept to completion
• A flexible and open attitude towards new ways of working and commitment to independent, lifelong learning
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to manage sensitive and sometimes confidential information

  Desirable:

• Experience working in BIM
• Knowledge of Revit preferable but not essential
• Ability to use the following: Revit, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Internet Explorer, Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint

  This description reflects the core activities of the role but is not intended to be all-inclusive and other duties within the Company may be required in addition to changes in the emphasis of duties as required from time to time. There is a requirement for the post holder to recognise this, and adapt a flexible approach to work.