Discipline Lead: Bridges and Civil Structures

WSP is one of the most diverse consulting firms in Africa. To further our strategic business execution plan, we are seeking employees that share our guiding principles – we value our people and our reputation; we are locally dedicated with international scale; we are future focused and challenge the status quo; we foster collaboration in everything we do and we have an empowering culture and hold ourselves accountable. We are committed to the achievement and maintenance of diversity and equity in employment.

Key Role

This position involves professional input to a range of projects including large multidisciplinary projects. Duties include leading the functional group’s aspects of WSP projects to ensure that these are technically sound. Provide specialist professional services to clients of the functional group. This includes bidding for work, participation in multidisciplinary design/project teams and management of projects. Take stewardship of special group wide tasks assigned.

Key Responsibilities

• Managing day to day operations as delegated
• Oversight project management of all discipline projects and ensuring delegated project leads are effectively managing their projects
• Marketing and securing of new business
• Assisting Deputy Sector Lead and Sector Lead in terms of financial management and performance of the discipline
• Developing overall strategy for line of business to ensure growth, establish company presence in the industry, and maintain competitive edge in conjunction with anticipating trends and/or changes.
• Maintaining own technical knowledge, as well as that of staff, to promote WSP's growth and reputation for technical excellence in the industry.
• Delivering goals and commitments for the line of business, in alignment with division operating plan, and strategic goals for the Business Unit and WSP in Africa.
• Identifying and securing work opportunities based on assessment of the market, determining products to sell and methodology of execution to perform the work.
• Influencing, managing and/or establishing various budgets including Project Gross Margin (PGM), revenue, and overhead expenses.
• Capital or corporate services budget responsibility.
• Facilitating project reviews to ensure quality of product, management of client expectations, and handle any related issues.
• Assisting project management teams in negotiating, assessing, and mitigating risk for contracts for projects and subcontractors.
• Implementing administrative policies and procedures for line of business in alignment with division.
• Supports strategic alliances and growth when required, providing project governance, at project director level, to achieve reliable project performance in terms of sophistication, timeliness and quality
• Supporting our regional management team in South Africa to provide leadership to employees to ensure cohesion, optimal performance, resourcing, retention and professional development.

Health and Safety

• Upholding standards for SHEQ performance and behaviour consistent with the company’s health, safety, environmental and quality vision and policies by influencing those around you.
• Contributing to the identification of SHEQ risks and driving processes to achieve Zero Harm.
• Embracing, displaying and promoting the company values and ensuring a safe working environment is maintained at all times.

Qualifications

Qualifications and Experience Required

• Minimum BSc or BEng degree in Civil or Structural Engineering
• Pr Eng registration with ECSA mandatory
• Minimum 15 years of practical experience bridges and civil structures
• Proven commercial and financial management experience
• Proven track record of business development
• SANRAL experience
• COTO Senior Bridge Inspector

Key Competencies and Generic Skills

• Ability to identify and provide solutions to challenging engineering problems
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Project management and leadership skills
• Ability to use analytical tools including commercial software
• Good interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively within a culturally diverse and multidisciplinary environment
• Solid knowledge of Quality Assurance (QA)
• Expert level technical knowledge in Bridge Engineering
• Excellent industry awareness
• Superior ability to manage client relationships and expectations
• Able to undertake some travel (domestic or international).

Additional Information

What's in it for you?

What if we can have work-life balance? What if we can be rewarded in ways that support our individual needs? What if we can be accepted for who we are? Here at WSP – we can!

WSP recognizes that work is only one part of our lives and making time for the other things in our life is important – be that our families, our friends or ourselves. So, if working from home, working part-time or having flexible start and finish time will help with this let us know as part of your application.