Associate Director

**Company Description** AECOM** is seeking a **Associate Director - Highways** to be based in South Africa's Enterprise Capabilities office in **Cape Town**. This position will support a team locally based in South Africa and Global Teams. As a part of AECOM's culture, it offers a flexible hybrid work arrangement which accommodates both office and out-of-office work schedules.

The appropriate level of technical and commercial expertise is required in order that the Job / Project Accountabilities listed below can be carried out to the necessary standard.

**Responsibility**
- Overall responsibilities will include project management, team leadership, and people management accountabilities for the Highways discipline.
- The Associate Director has full responsibility for interpreting, organising, executing, and coordinating technical assignments and has formal supervisory responsibilities defining team operating standards, structure and ensuring essential procedures are followed.

**Team Management**:

- The Associate Director supports the Transportation Director in implementing the overall discipline strategic goals.
- Responsible for working with the Team Leads/Managers and Associates in managing the team.
- Provides effective communication of technical and business issues and communicates to all reporting staff and the broader teams.
- Accountable for the results of the Highways department and adherence to approved project budgets, including achieving the Highways business plan hours.
- Fully accountable for the team's utilisation targets.
- Responsible for various management, leadership, and people management responsibilities for the Highways discipline group.
- Supports business change management initiatives (i.e., quality management, BIM, project excellence) mandated by senior leadership.
- Recruits, trains, mentors, and evaluates the Highway department’s staff and supports the identification and development of skills.
- Advises senior management on growth, staff recruitment and retention strategies.
- Manages succession planning of the Highways business unit to ensure that a capable management team is in place to handle all work effectively.
- Assist in ensuring that the budget, staff and priorities are aligned with the organisations core mission.
- The Associate Director is required to have a sound financial business understanding, assisting in maintaining the strategic plan and facilitating the process to achieve milestones on the strategic planning process.

**Technical Excellence**:

- Engages with project technical teams within the Highways field of expertise to confirm project approach and review deliverables.
- Liaises with individuals inside and outside the Highways business concerning their technical sphere.
- Responsible for independently resolving all technical and managerial matters about the engineering issues within the Highways department.
- Conducts peer reviews, leads verifications and shares knowledge through internal technical presentations and standards development.
- Provides high-level technical expertise in quantity, quality and cost to assess whether targets have been achieved and determine where improvements and efficiencies can be achieved.
- Can perform technical quality reviews, including documentation in project record following policies and procedures and approves and signs off on work.
- Technically coordinates with Clients/ Authorities for approvals of schemes.
- Leads digital transformation strategy and implementation and embraces change within the discipline.
- Provides technical expertise and support to the business and Transportation sector while ensuring high quality service delivery.

**Project Management**:

- Can act as Project Manager on large and/or complex projects.
- Drives a culture of financial responsibility, ensuring maximum profitability.
- Has a solid understanding of project delivery requirements and is well versed with AECOM’s project delivery procedures.
- Should be well versed in the use of Earned Value Management to assess the progress of design against budget.
- The Associate Director is responsible for implementing the technical quality requirements, addressing the project brief and meeting the client delivery deadline.
- Monitoring financial status and progress of projects to ensure delivery on time, to budget and to Client’s satisfaction and establishing strong working relationships with other internal teams within AECOM’s transportation division.

**Client Relationship Management**:

- Actively involved with clients (internal and/or external) and leads business development initiatives, participating in preparing major bids and proposals, on the commercial and technical side (EC and/or Africa bids/projects).
- Maintains regular contact with the client (internal and/or external) to identify opportunities.
- Applies acquired expertise and knowledge to solve business challenges and participates in the development of the technical strategy for propo