Job Description

Overview

Our new Complex Projects business is seeking a Practice Director (Strategic Advisory) to report directly to the Complex Projects Advisory Practice Director. The creation of a new Complex Projects business within AtkinsRéalis brings together circa 1,600 talented Rail Systems and Project & Programme Management professionals into a single business unit. Our Advisory Practice provides strategic, technical and commercial advice to public and private sector clients across the globe. We operate across multiple sectors, through all stages of the project lifecycle. With ambitious plans for growth, we are looking to expand our team with talented and passionate professionals with the drive needed to support diversification across multiple sectors. You will join a team working on some of the largest and most complex programmes in the UK and abroad, supporting sectors such as Nuclear, Aviation, Defence, Water, Transportation, Power, and Renewables.

Our Strategic Advisory team works as a partner to our clients to define outcomes and policy for their organisation and create investible cases for public funders and private investors. With infrastructure across the world aging and cities adapting to a rapidly changing world, often with constrained budgets and competing priorities, there is a growing demand for Strategic Advice to ensure that clients are using their limited resources to drive outcomes that matter most to their communities, clients and shareholders. Increasingly, infrastructure projects are demanding a complex mix of skills and insights – from initial strategy and economics, through to engineering, people-centred design, operations and asset management.

This is a senior leadership role for an experienced professional who can drive business growth, lead a dynamic high performing team, and deliver strategic advice at the highest levels of client organisations.  You’ll energise a high‑performing team, drive capability growth, champion technical excellence and client delivery, and play a pivotal role in realising our bold Vision 2035. You’ll help steer the team - strengthening cross‑market delivery, ensuring cohesive operational performance, and shaping a culture where teams thrive and clients feel the benefit.

By joining our Complex Projects Advisory team, you will be part of a genuinely collaborative environment where everyone is supported to maximise their talents. We believe in recognising everyone’s contributions equally while delivering excellence together.

Your role

You will be responsible for sourcing, winning, leading and delivering commissions from clients across the globe in the advisory sector.

Business Development

• Build a strong and varied pipeline of work through active management of client relationships.
• Sell services from across AtkinsRéalis and leverage reputation as a specialist in the field.
• Initiate, develop, and close advisory opportunities with Transport and adjacent sector clients.
• Support the wider Advisory practice via client engagement and proposal development.
• Represent AtkinsRéalis at client meetings, industry events, and conferences, enhancing the company’s reputation as a leader in providing strategic advisory for the world’s most complex projects.

Business Leadership

• Be accountable for delivering business performance and making strong commercial and operational decisions.
• Shape the advisory offer to deliver growth in line with our Vision 2035.
• Develop and mentor team members in the delivery of advisory services across business case, feasibility studies, whole system strategy and investment advisory.
• Collaborate closely with internal teams across business units, fostering relationships that promote knowledge sharing and support for client delivery and growth.
• Ensure the Practice’s skills and capacity align with market needs through targeted recruitment and staff development, and strong partnerships with the supply chain.
• Accountability for the delivery of projects across the Strategic Advisory Practice, ensuring projects are delivered in accordance with relevant governance and best practice guidelines.

About you

• Presence and reputation in the infrastructure sector with extensive client, partner and stakeholder networks
• Proven ability to originate opportunities, win work, and deliver work at senior levels in an advisory environment, to support clients in transport, energy, defence and water sectors, both in the UK and abroad.
• Degree-level or equivalent professional qualification.
• Dynamic and inspirational leader with a proven ability to align, motivate, and develop high-performing teams.
• Calm under pressure, self-driven, and adaptable, with strong interpersonal, organisational, and communication skills.
• Ability to influence stakeholders in the most senior levels of our client organisations, including in government and private sector
• Supportive mentor committed to talent growth and continuous improvement.
• Customer-centric with a collaborative, culturally aware approach and ability to build strong relationships.
• Passionate about shaping a new Practice with a flexible open approach, ready to grasp opportunities and deal with uncertainty
• Excellent interpersonal, organisational, and communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Proven experience in a related leadership role with a reputation for technical excellence and high-quality delivery in relevant disciplines.

Reward & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. Enjoy competitive salaries, employee rewards and a brilliant range of benefits you can tailor to suit your own health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle choices. Make the most of a myriad of opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise. And combine our hybrid working culture and flexible holiday allowances to balance a great job and fulfilling personal life.

Be rewarded. Find out more.

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Find out more.

Additional

Security clearance

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. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. 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. 

We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability.

Worker Type

Employee

Job Type

Regular

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences.