Position summary

HDR is seeking an Associate Director - Sustainability and Resiliency to provide technical and operational leadership to its sustainability team within Building Engineering Services. Working closely with Business Class Leaders, Project Managers, and colleagues across the group, the role drives technical excellence, strengthens project delivery, and acts as team lead for the Sustainability & Resilience section.

Why this role matters

HDR’s Building Engineering Services Group designs critical infrastructure for the digital age, from high-performance data centres to commercial environments, with sustainability and resilience central to that work. This role sets the standard for technical quality across sustainability disciplines and develops the people who deliver complex, multidisciplinary projects.

Key responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across several sustainability disciplines, maintaining awareness of current legislation, regulations, guidance, and industry best practice.
• Lead the team by representing HDR and BES as a manager with a client-service mentality, motivating the business class section, and maintaining team morale.
• Build a community of practice by engaging with fellow Team Leads across BES around technical excellence and project delivery, aligning a culture of technical excellence with Regional Business Class leaders.
• Assure technical quality by undertaking independent technical reviews of sustainability reports, calculations, and project deliverables.
• Support project delivery by helping Project Managers plan, programme, and deliver sustainability services.
• Develop client relationships and identify opportunities for additional services and repeat business.
• Develop people by supervising Sustainability Graduates, Consultants, Senior Consultants, and Associates day to day and acting as mentor and technical coach.
• Support operations by assisting Directors with resource forecasting and utilisation planning and contributing to business planning and operational improvement initiatives.

Team and stakeholders

Reporting into the Building Engineering Services area operations team, the role works alongside Area and Regional Business Class Leaders, Project Managers, fellow Team Leads, and Directors, and leads a team of Sustainability Graduates, Consultants, Senior Consultants, and Associates.

Key details

This is a full-time role based in Glasgow, within HDR’s Sustainability and Resilience business class. As an employee-owned firm, HDR offers participation in its Phantom Share Programme, a competitive pension, private medical insurance, 25 days’ annual leave, paid professional memberships, and chartership/certification support.

Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of relevant industry experience.
• Experience working in a consultancy environment (essential).
• Proven experience delivering complex sustainability projects.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary design teams.
• Experience reviewing and approving technical deliverables.
• Experience mentoring and supervising technical professionals.
• Strong understanding of project delivery processes and commercial considerations.
• Experience supporting project management, workload planning, and resource management.
• Advanced technical knowledge of sustainability consultancy services, with strong quality assurance and technical review capability.
• Excellent leadership, people management, mentoring, and coaching skills.
• Strong project delivery and organisational skills, with effective stakeholder and client relationship management and commercial awareness.
• A recognised specialist accreditation would be advantageous (e.g. BREEAM Licensed Assessor, WELL AP, LEED AP, EIA Practitioner, Envision Sustainability Professional, Low Carbon Consultant, or NABERS UK Assessor).