Director - Cambridge

The Cambridge office Director will be a visionary leader, both internally and externally, for our offering across the Cambridge and wider East Anglia region, responsible for the profile, promotion and development of the team including driving innovation, collaboration, and excellence.

This role focuses on enhancing standards, work winning, and ensuring the team is equipped with the skills and knowledge to deliver outstanding service. The Director will lead with thought leadership, set a clear five-year strategy, and ensure the practice becomes the best in the UK, working closely with the LSE Regional Leadership Team and Regional office leads to position a sustainable and progressive multi-disciplinary offering.

Role profile:

• Define and execute the strategy and business plan through managing and representing the business in the market.

• Drive the promotion of the Cambridge office and wider East Anglia region, both internally and externally.

• Identify opportunities for business growth and development.

• Promote cross-selling across services, sectors and regions. 

• Ensure comprehensive, high quality client service.

• Key Relationships: Reporting into the Regional Managing Director and working with the LSE RLT and regional office heads and service leads.

Key responsibilities:

Strategy, Leadership & Finance:

• Develop and implement a clear five-year strategy to support the practice in its goal to become the leading consultancy in the UK.

• Take ownership for cost centre Budget, Profit & Loss, utilisation and reporting on a monthly basis. Demonstrate exemplar performance on all finance related matters.

Collaboration and Standards:

• Foster collaboration across the business, ensuring resources and expertise are shared efficiently between teams.

• Act as a Delivery Guardian, ensuring all projects limit liabilities, meet quality standards, and that staff are adequately trained.

• Establish subject matter experts and groups within the business and groups to help set standards, policies and to ensure quality service.

• Work Winning and Client Engagement:

• Be a key contributor to winning work, representing the practice in bids and client engagements.  Ensure value is added to all pursuits.

• Serve as a key client contact for project delivery, ensuring client expectations are met and exceeded.

• Develop and implement business development and Key Account Management Plans.  

• Support with the development of Sector Plans and “join up” some of the initiatives.

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with new and existing clients at a senior level, actively developing business opportunities

• Create and implement plans for gathering and acting on client feedback

Innovation:

• Encourage adoption of new tools and platforms to increase productivity and delivery accuracy.

• Ensure team member knowledge is at the cutting edge of technology, systems and services to add value to all client interactions

Thought Leadership and Best Practice:

• Act as the thought leader for the Cambridge office, representing the business at industry events, writing thought pieces, and setting the direction for the sector.

• Establish the business as a benchmark through engagement with industry standards and practices.

Training and Development:

• Ensure all staff are trained to deliver high-quality work, identifying skills gaps and implementing training programmes.

• Mentor and develop junior staff, ensuring knowledge is transferred and future leaders are nurtured. 

• Support the team and office leads in the development of staff; ensure objectives are set and reviewed; PDR’s, succession plans and promotion support are in place.

Qualifications and skills:

• Proven track record in the Cambridge local market.

• Strong leadership, strategy development, and team collaboration skills.

• Demonstrated ability to win work in the local market.

• Excellent communication and client engagement skills.

• Ability to manage risk and liabilities within project delivery.

Knowledge and experience:

• Must have significant delivery experience across a variety of Sectors, including Government, , Education, Health and Commercial Property.

• Experience of leading a team to deliver outstanding client service

• Experience of delivering change management in a fast-paced moving environment  

• Demonstrable understanding of client needs

• Demonstrable experience of successfully managing high profile client relationships 

• Proven experience selling successfully to clients

• Key account/client management experience and skills

• Strong market and local knowledge, e.g. economic conditions, competitor strategy and fee structure across a number of relevant property sectors

• Business management skills e.g. knowledge of basic accounting practices, business planning tools

• Strong team and people management experience

Skills and personal qualities:

• Outstanding presentation and marketing skills

• Exceptional commercial awareness skills

• Coaching and leadership skills

• Excellent communicator

• Time management

• Business and report writing

• Team player