Director - Major Projects Advisory - TSI

Job description

KPMG’s Major Projects Advisory (MPA) team works with industry-leading organisations, helping to solve some of the biggest challenges in infrastructure. As a true market leader, we boast an impressive client base across the commercial and public sectors, delivering lasting results on projects and programmes which are household names.

We focus on providing clarity to organisations, including their Boards, Executives and SROs (Senior Responsible Owners) at major public and private sector organisations, on the delivery of their projects and programmes. We work on some of the UK’s most strategically important programmes, and across all infrastructure sectors including transport, natural resources, energy, power and utilities, corporates, defence, health, housing & education.

Our team comprises specialists with deep construction industry experience, from working for Governments, contractors, engineering consultants and other organisations in the UK and overseas.

On the back of continuing growth, we are investing in our team and boosting our numbers, which means the successful candidate will be joining one of the fastest growing areas of the firm at a time of real significance.

The Role

This role is for an innovative professional at director level with significant major project and construction experience. This role will work alongside our existing team to use their lived experience of the full project and programme lifecycle in the construction industry and their innovative acumen to solve complex delivery problems.

MPA is split into sub-teams called clusters, and the cluster team you will be joining, Technology and Sustainability in Infrastructure (TSI) focuses on construction innovation, which deploys the very brightest of thinking to help our clients to deliver their capital pipeline cheaper, faster, greener, and safer. Candidates must possess a detailed and practical experience of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and similar industrialisation methodologies. 

The role requires a breadth of management consultancy experience – ideally gained from another leading management consultancy. This is a demanding job, helping to solve some of the most complex challenges in infrastructure. You will therefore possess the necessary tenacity and determination to reset and try different approaches. You will work within a highly collaborative, high performing team, that is well blended and contains a vast range of skillsets and personalities – introverts as well as extroverts are equally welcome. 

You will be responsible for helping to grow, deliver and lead our MPA business, working with our leadership team, client organisations and other KPMG teams to develop our offerings and value propositions. You will be providing advice to a broad range of clients on many different matters, helping them to achieve successful outcomes through planning and implementing innovative and robust solutions.

The MPA team in the UK are mainly based in London, Birmingham, and Manchester. This role will be based in one of these locations but will require travel to client locations throughout the UK and occasionally overseas. Alternative KPMG UK office locations will be considered. 

Key Skills and Experience

Successful candidates must have relevant skills and experience in four key areas:

Business development

• Have an already extensive, established personal network within UK construction / infrastructure.
• Be proficient in leading and delivering winning client pitches.
• Lead and be accountable for developing propositions and go to market strategies and have a proven track record for doing so. 
• Think strategically: can spot emerging market trends and identify new opportunities and service gaps.

Client Delivery & Engagement Management:

• The role will be client facing and has a direct impact on the reputation and perception of KPMG. The role will also include the end-to-end lifecycle of managing client engagements, using KPMG systems, for which comprehensive training is provided.
• Existing Big 4 experience is highly preferable, but not essential.
• Able to clearly communicate a strategy, bringing complex stakeholder groups on the journey, listening to different perspectives, and helping to broker mutually agreeable approaches.
• Management of project teams to deliver client engagements.
• Extensive delivery experience and be able to monitor and be accountable for progress against deliverables, team resourcing, wellbeing of the delivery team, etc.
• Demonstrated proficiency of the financial management of engagements (projects), including budgeting, reporting, and invoicing processes.
• Management of quality & risk on engagements to meet KPMG’s high standards.
• Highly experienced and confident communicating with executive level stakeholder groups.
• Experience of business case development (or early involvement in the capital project lifecycle) and can work closely with clients to develop strategies that target outcomes, and address challenges (such as market capacity), with capital project delivery.

Team development & wellbeing:

• A proven track record, developed over multiple years for leading, developing and mentoring a diverse team to ensure they have the tools and environment needed to succeed.
• Has significant experience growing a team sustainably and is able to think strategically about future people requirements.
• Can quickly spot unbalances within the team environment, acting swiftly to put measures in place to address issues.
• Is an established leader, able to hold the highest level of ethics and experienced having ‘difficult’ discussions with colleagues and clients alike.

Building internal network:

• Is highly collaborative and able to identify and build out joint propositions with other supporting teams.
• Knows how to develop and get a joint proposition off the ground, taking accountability for leadership and guidance.
• Can identify and articulate the different roles and skillsets needed to develop and deploy a holistic service to our clients, upholding the highest levels of service at all times.

Key Attributes

• Can generate and lift energy in the team when needed to deliver for our clients.
• Sound communication skills (both written and oral)
• An ability to develop sustained relationships both internally and with clients at a senior level.
• Excellent with diverse and complex stakeholder groups and can convene and lead workshops / chair meetings, confidently ensuring that all perspectives are considered and buy in to the collective solution. 
• Understands that the little details can make a big difference and is self-motivated to deliver to a high standard in tight timeframes.
• A self-starter who can lead, inspire, and motivate others.
• Exceptional leadership skills, who is experienced in the deployment of different leadership tools for a given situation.  
• Confidence in dealing with complexity and ambiguity - setting direction and engaging stakeholders.
• Ability to make decisions of very high complexity, often autonomously and without complete information / facts.
• Highly reflective of their responsibility and accountability to the team and can self-reflect, adjust their approach where necessary.
• Has a track record for managing upwards within their business and the businesses of their clients.
• Possess high levels of self-reflection to take onboard feedback, adjust and start again. 
• Lives by the philosophy that ‘one must be the change you wish to see in the world’ and is therefore able to set the standard for others to follow.

The Person
There is no one-size fits all in MPA; our clients demand a lot from us, which requires a well-blended team to work collaboratively and to bring their true selves to work. Candidates from all walks of life are celebrated both for their individuality and their contribution to the team. Every member of our team has a valid opinion, regardless of grade. We will encourage, support, and empower you to voice your opinion.
For this opportunity, we’re looking for candidates with a strong consulting background - primarily built around the delivery of major Projects/Programmes.