Title:  Head Of Practice - Project and Programme Management

Head Of Practice - Project and Programme Management

Amey are a leading provider of full life-cycle engineering, operations and decarbonisation solutions. Working for us, you’ll be delivering sustainable infrastructure solutions that enhance life and protect our shared future. Our people are driven by a set of strong values, based on safety, insight and collaboration.    

The Opportunity 

To provide leadership to the practice, setting clear strategic direction and creating a high‑performance culture that enables people to thrive. Accountable for leading, inspiring, and developing the practice to ensure the right capacity, capability, and leadership are in place to deliver current commitments and future pipeline. Holds overall responsibility for the professional development, engagement, and people leadership of all practice resources, working collaboratively with peers across practices and client delivery teams to lead the delivery of exceptional, client‑focused solutions.

 The role 

People leadership & talent

• Provides visible, values-led leadership to the practice, setting clear direction and expectations that inspire high performance and accountability.
• Builds and sustains robust succession plans, ensuring clear career pathways and a strong pipeline of future leaders.
• Sets stretching, outcome‑focused objectives that enable individuals and teams to perform at their best.
• Addresses performance and behavioural issues decisively and fairly, demonstrating courageous leadership and reinforcing organisational values
• Acts as line manager to senior leaders within the practice, empowering them to lead effectively and cascade strategy, priorities, and performance expectations throughout the practice.
• Serves as a trusted coach, mentor, and role model, actively developing leadership capability and strengthening a sense of shared identity and community across the organisation

High performance culture

• Creates an environment within which all staff have the opportunity to thrive, building trust and collaboration throughout the team and with our colleagues and stakeholders
• Leads by example in promoting Amey Consulting as a great place to work, visibly embedding organisational values and championing equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Demonstrates personal commitment to safety leadership, embedding zero‑harm principles and reinforcing a strong, proactive safety culture.
• Sponsors and supports communities of practice, encouraging knowledge sharing, learning, and continuous professional growth across disciplines.
• Promotes an efficient, flexible practice structure with controlled line management structure.

Operational excellence & governance

• Provides senior leadership oversight to resolve delivery challenges, supporting the delivery teams to manage complexity, risk, and performance.
• Sets clear expectations for operational excellence, using insight from delivery metrics, lessons learned, and client feedback to drive continuous improvement
• Is accountable for the economical utilisation of practice resources ensuring optimum level of skill and capability available on time to projects and bids.  Liaises with Delivery to agree where external project resource may be required to meet spikes in demand or gaps in the Amey offering.
• Leads change initiatives that improve efficiency, utilisation, and ways of working, ensuring changes are embedded and sustained.
• Establishes strong governance, assurance, and reporting frameworks to provide transparency over people, capability, and resourcing.
• Works collaboratively with Delivery colleagues to shape forward‑looking workforce plans aligned to business demand.

Capability strategy & growth

• Sets and owns the long‑term capability vision for the practice, ensuring sustainable skills, capacity, and leadership depth.
• Works in partnership with the Head of Profession / Chief Engineer to define career pathways, competence frameworks, and professional accreditation targets.
• Provides senior leadership to recruitment activity, attracting high‑quality talent aligned to future capability and growth ambitions.
• Engages proactively with Business and Client Delivery leadership to anticipate resource needs and shape delivery and resourcing strategies.
• Leads strategic workforce planning, addressing capability gaps and ensuring a resilient pipeline of talent for the future

Business development & client leadership

• Acts as a senior leader and ambassador for the practice, contributing to market positioning, reputation, and client confidence.
• Works closely with Business Development leadership to shape pipeline strategy and associated capability requirements.
• Provides strategic input into market trends, client needs, and emerging opportunities to inform business strategy.
• Champions innovation and proposition development, enabling the business to deliver differentiated, value‑adding client solutions.
• Leads and supports bid activity at a strategic level, contributing to win strategy, and tender review

What you will bring to us: 

• Degree qualified or equivalent experience
• Professional qualification in relevant field and member of a professional body (or equivalent experience)
• Ideally Fellow (or Equivalent) of relevant professional body
• Credible and authentic leader.
• Ability to create and lead high performing teams both remotely and in person.
• Ability to embrace change and drive forward continuous improvement and innovation.
• Ability to recognise, develop and progress future leaders.
• Flexible and Collaborative
• Strong stakeholder engagement
• Extensive people management experience, credible leader with evidence of developing large engaged and motivated teams
• Proven experience leading diverse teams
• Strong technical knowledge in relevant practice area
• Strong sector knowledge including relevant market opportunities
• Strong awareness of a professional services organisation
• Ability to develop clear client propositions.
• Evidence of thought leadership/industry influence.

 What we can offer you:  

At Amey, we recognise that our biggest asset is our people. That’s why when you join us, we offer flexibility, career development, a choice of benefits and support that help you through all life’s ups and downs. It’s the reason why Investors in People put us among the top 1% of employers. 

Career Development –  

Our dedicated progression framework identifies your career pathway and progress within the organisation, and with dedicated mentoring and support on hand to ensure you hit your career milestones. We’re huge advocates for professional development and offer a recognition bonus for those achieving professional qualifications. 

Work-life Balance –  

Work-life balance and flexibility are key for our success. We empower our people to make choices that are right for them, with hybrid, part-time and flexible work patterns. And with a network of offices across the UK, we’re open to discussing working options that suit you. 

Wellbeing –  

Health cash plan, 24 GP, support and assistance programmes, wellbeing ambassadors and Wellbeing Wednesday, dental vouchers 

EDI- 

At Amey we celebrate our people and all that they are. This is reflected in our Affinity Group networks, providing a community of support and connection, a safe space to share experiences, learn from one another and generate ideas – Women @ Amey, NeuroDiversity, Armed Forces, Multicultural Network, Pride, Diversability and Parents & Carers.  

Social Value –  

You’ll get 2 Community Involvement Days each year to volunteer for a charity of your choice and further opportunities to support fundraising initiatives. 

 Plus a range of other great perks and benefits including: 

• Pension – Generous Pension scheme which we will contribute to  

• Holidays - Minimum 25 days holiday + Bank Holidays 

• Choices - Our flexible benefits scheme is tailored by you, including buying additional annual leave, cycle2work scheme, charity giving and gym membership  

• Save with Amey - Our online voucher portal gives you access to thousands of discounts from leading retailers to help you save on shopping, days out, or nights in.  

 Your Career at Amey Consulting  

At Amey Consulting, we value collective expertise, but also the spark one person can bring. As one of us, you can really be yourself, because your individuality is an asset.  

You’ll be stretched, but always supported. Well recognise your hard work and look after your well-being too. You’ll be empowered to play your part and achieve, encouraged to fulfil your own ambition as well as the shared one.  

 Application Guidance 

Amey is committed to Inclusion and Diversity. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview, if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. 

 
Please contact our recruitment team at peopleservices@amey.co.uk to discuss any access needs, reasonable adjustments or additional application support that may be required at any point during the recruitment process.