Associate Director: Power Generation Project Development

Are you an experienced Owner’s Engineer and Project Development Specialist looking for your next career opportunity? This could be the role for you.

Are you interested in working for a world-leading engineering and design consultancy? If so, we’d love you to apply for this role.

Please note: The closing date for this role is 5th February.

The Role

In response to new projects and growing market opportunities, Atkins are seeking senior level project development specialists to work with our clients to bring to life their power infrastructure investment objectives. These high-profile posts will principally focus on the Conventional Power Generation, CHP & Energy from Waste sectors but with potential for involvement in the full breadth of our markets.

Our Energy business has been operating for over four decades and the pace of change has never been greater than it is now. Our Project Development and Engineering teams are key components in the multi-disciplinary advisory, design and assurance services that we provide to our Clients in the Energy market. We get involved at all stages of the project life cycle from feasibility and FEED, planning and project development, design, construction management, O&M technical services, strategic asset management, life extension, decommissioning and demolition.

You’re likely to get involved in the management of large and complex multi-disciplinary consultancy assignments. You’ll help clients to develop and deliver their asset investment projects from inception to completion, often in the role of ‘Owner’s Engineer and Project Manager’. These services include feasibility, FEED studies, business cases, supporting EPC procurement and contract negotiation, project mobilisation and ensuring delivery to time, cost and quality. The projects are on a wide range of new build, retrofit and life extension power generation projects. This may typically include new build OCGT and CCGT stations, CHP and tri-generation, new build biomass and biomass conversion, new build supercritical coal, hydro and waste to energy plants.

You will work with the engineering and project teams based in offices across the UK but importantly you’ll be working closely with our Clients. Visiting client’s offices and sites is an inherent part of the role, in the UK and occasionally overseas; as such location in UK is not a critical factor but you will need to be prepared to travel as the role requires. Your role will include:

• Project management of large scale owner’s / lender’s engineer assignments.
• Provision of project development advice and consultancy to a wide variety of clients.
• Developing and maintaining customer relationships.
• Liaising with wider Atkins teams to coordinate technical, commercial and environmental input to major power related projects.
• Representing Atkins in the public arena in relation to project development.
• Maintenance and implementation of technical governance for project development.
• Specification of equipment to achieve a process objective.
• Supervision of detailed design for new build power generation plant and retrofits / modifications to existing facilities.
• Review of plant equipment, systems and operating regimes to identify problems and develop improvement and upgrade plans.
• Technical due diligence assessment of assets to support potential acquisitions.
• Lead and/or support preparation of tenders and proposals.
• Write technical reports and produce/deliver presentations to a high standard.
• Coordinating and organising work schedule of self and others to ensure successful delivery of scopes of work to required quality within time and budget.
• Representing Atkins in the public arena in relation to project development.
• Developing & mentoring of more junior members of staff.
• Developing and maintaining customer relationships.
• Supporting the growth of our capabilities in Energy through building a reputation for excellence, mentoring others, supporting business development and bidding activities.


The Person
You’ll have excellent communication, listening, stakeholder management and influencing skills. You’ll be able to manage client relationships, engage constructively with multiple stakeholders and lead delivery teams. Through your work you will also help support and shape the development of future business.

You’ll enjoy turning your hand to new challenges and will be keen to learn, whilst also wanting to support others within our diverse multi-disciplinary teams. You must also be able to successfully manage the commercial and quality performance of projects and proactively deploy a range of techniques to control delivery, cost, manage risk and change.

In addition to having excellent people and problem-solving skills, you’ll also be able to demonstrate the following:

• Honours degree in relevant (probably mechanical) engineering discipline or equivalent qualifications & experience. Chartered Engineer status is desirable.
• Extensive understanding of power generation technologies and plant.
• Substantial track record of project development and delivery; for these senior level roles you are likely to have 10+ years’ experience in similar roles and/or with generation assets owners, OEMS or EPC contractors.
• Ability to understand a wide range of processes through review of P&IDs, operating instructions, etc and to be able to communicate this to a variety of levels within a client organisation.
• Thorough understanding of commercial issues and financial drivers for power generation related projects.
• Understanding and experience in developing and applying appropriate contracts and working with clients’ legal advisors 
• Project management experience and the ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary teams and develop solutions to solve complex and high impact problems.
• Thorough understanding of the stages in an engineering project – applicable both to small plant upgrade/modification and the implementation of a major new plant installation.
• Flexible approach as required for site work on new and existing power plants and applying skills in new areas.
• Excellent numeracy, written and verbal communication skills with ability to present arguments both verbally and written.

Additional Information 
• Some work outside normal office hours may be necessary. Travel to and from client sites and/or temporary secondment to client’s offices may also be required.
• We support flexible working arrangements and are interested to discuss how we can accommodate individual requirements.

Training
Atkins develops individuals through a portfolio of training and development activities designed to help you make the best of your abilities and talents. These are reviewed with individuals through an annual appraisal process. We actively support staff in achieving corporate membership of relevant institutions. 

Rewards and Benefits 
Please refer to our Rewards and Benefits page for details on our full benefits package.