Operations Director - Consulting

The Operations Director - Strategic Advisory will establish, lead and grow Bovis Consulting's Strategic Advisory practice as a new core service line. The role is accountable for building a commercially sustainable advisory business: defining the proposition and go-to-market strategy, originating and converting work, leading high-value client engagements, recruiting and developing the team, and owning operational and financial performance. Acting as a trusted adviser to senior public and private sector clients, the role will help clients shape strategy, investment decisions, operating models, portfolios and delivery approaches, while creating pull-through into Bovis Consulting's programme/project management and cost/commercial services.

The role will use Bovis's practical delivery insight and specialist expertise to differentiate the advisory offer and translate strategy into outcomes that can be implemented.

We are seeking a candidate with in-depth knowledge of the housing and regeneration sector. To be considered for this role, applicants must demonstrate a proven track record of delivering projects within this market and be prepared to share concrete examples of their past involvement.

• Practice strategy and proposition. Define and execute the Strategic Advisory business plan, including priority markets, services, target clients, routes to market, investment requirements and a clear point of differentiation. Develop a focused proposition spanning areas such as strategy and transformation, investment/business cases, operating and delivery models, portfolio and estate strategy, commercial strategy, organisational performance, programme mobilisation and assurance, and public/social value.
• Commercial and operational performance. Own the practice P&L and performance against agreed revenue, gross contribution, pipeline, utilisation, cash and working-capital objectives. Maintain robust forecasting, resource planning, pricing and delivery discipline, taking corrective action where required.
• Business development and origination. Build a high-quality pipeline through senior client relationships, networks, account planning, frameworks, partnerships and targeted campaigns. Lead major pursuits, pitches and proposals, convert opportunities and create repeatable and scalable sources of revenue.
• Client leadership and delivery. Act as executive sponsor and trusted adviser on complex assignments. Shape the problem, approach and team; provide senior challenge and insight; and ensure advice is evidence-based, commercially practical, implementable and of consistently high quality.
• Integrated growth across Bovis. Work with market, practice and regional leaders to embed advisory at the front end of client relationships and create pull-through into programme/project management and cost/commercial management. Bring practical construction and delivery insight into advisory engagements where it strengthens client outcomes.
• People and capability. Build the Strategic Advisory team in line with growth, including organisation design, recruitment, deployment, coaching, performance, succession and career development. Create an inclusive, high-performance consulting culture with clear expectations for quality, collaboration and commercial contribution.
• Quality, governance and risk. Maintain appropriate governance across bids and commissions, including scope, contracts, conflicts, delivery risk, quality assurance, data handling, ethics and client satisfaction. Ensure lessons learned are captured and applied.
• Methods, innovation and intellectual capital. Develop repeatable methodologies, tools, case studies and propositions that improve quality and margin. Promote effective use of data, digital tools and AI where they improve insight, productivity or client value.
• Market profile and thought leadership. Build the external profile of Bovis Consulting Strategic Advisory through insight, events, client roundtables, partnerships and relevant industry networks. Convert market intelligence into new propositions and opportunities.
• Senior leadership contribution. Contribute to the wider Bovis Consulting strategy, business planning and leadership agenda, role-modelling enterprise thinking and supporting growth beyond the Strategic Advisory practice where this benefits clients and the business.

Credentials

Essential

• Relevant degree or equivalent professional experience in business, economics, finance, real estate, infrastructure, management or a related discipline.

• Recognised professional qualification relevant to advisory or the built environment (for example MRICS, ACA/ACCA/CIMA, CMI or equivalent), or demonstrably equivalent senior professional experience.

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in business, strategy, finance, real estate or a related discipline.

• Formal business case, change, programme, commercial or consulting-methodology accreditation.

Skills, Knowledge, Experience, Behaviours

Skills, Essential

• Exceptional strategic problem-solving: able to structure ambiguity, develop hypotheses, interrogate evidence and translate analysis into clear executive recommendations.

• Strong commercial and financial capability, including business planning, investment appraisal, pricing, forecasting and understanding the economics of a professional-services business.

• Proven origination, sales and negotiation skills, with the credibility to develop senior relationships and convert them into sustainable client accounts.

• Executive-level facilitation, communication and storylining; able to produce and challenge high-quality reports, board papers, business cases and presentations.

• Leadership of multidisciplinary teams, with effective delegation, coaching, resource management and performance management.

Skills, Desirable

• Data-led advisory, scenario modelling, digital transformation and practical application of AI to consulting delivery.

• Design-thinking, service-design or structured change/innovation techniques.

Knowledge, Essential

• Strong understanding of the UK built environment, infrastructure and/or real estate markets and the strategic, commercial and operational issues facing public and private sector clients.

• Advisory methods across strategy, transformation, business cases/investment decisions, operating models, organisational performance, portfolio/estate strategy, delivery models and commercial strategy.

• Professional-services governance: quality management, contracting, scope control, delivery risk, client care, resource management and commercial controls.

Knowledge, Desirable

• HM Treasury Green Book and public-sector business case/funding requirements, public value and social value.

• Construction and programme delivery lifecycle, supply-chain strategy and how front-end advisory decisions affect downstream design, procurement, delivery and operations.

• Government investment priorities and the policy/regulatory context affecting Bovis Consulting target markets.

Experience, Essential

• Significant senior-level experience in management consulting, strategic advisory or a related professional-services environment.

• Evidence of building or materially growing an advisory proposition, team or business, with accountability for revenue, margin, pipeline and delivery performance.

• Track record of originating, winning and leading complex advisory engagements with C-suite, board, senior public-sector or equivalent decision-makers.

• Experience leading complex transformation, portfolio, investment, operating-model or strategic change assignments from diagnosis through to implementation planning.

• Demonstrable success building and leading high-performing teams and developing senior talent.

Experience, Desirable

• Experience in a Big Four, major property/engineering consultancy, programme advisory business or comparable client-side strategy environment.

• Cross-sector and/or international advisory experience, including infrastructure, government, real estate, industrial, transport, health, education, defence or other Bovis Consulting priority markets.

• Experience creating downstream opportunities from strategy into programme, project, commercial or delivery services.

Behaviours, Essential

• Be Empowered - takes ownership, makes sound decisions and creates clarity and momentum in a developing business.

• Be Curious - challenges assumptions, seeks evidence and continuously looks for better ways to create client value.

• People first - builds trust, develops others and creates an inclusive environment in which strong teams can perform.

• Client focus - operates as a trusted adviser, understands the client context and stays accountable for outcomes rather than outputs.

• Business basics - combines entrepreneurial growth with disciplined commercial management, quality and risk control.

• Adaptability and innovation - comfortable with ambiguity and change, and actively uses new thinking, technology and collaboration to improve performance.

• High integrity, sound judgement and an enterprise mindset; collaborates across organisational boundaries rather than protecting a silo.

Behaviours, Desirable

• Visible and credible external leadership, with the confidence to represent Bovis Consulting in senior industry forums and build new networks.

• Constructive challenger who can influence at executive level while maintaining strong, long-term relationships.