Business Centre Operations Leader - Buildings - London, Southeast & Midlands

We're looking for an outstanding Business Centre Operations Leader to provide strategic and operational leadership across London, the Southeast and the Midlands. This region delivers some of our most complex and high-profile projects, working with major public and private sector clients across commercial, healthcare, science & technology, education, residential and mixed-use developments.

You'll be responsible for driving operational performance, developing high-performing teams and enabling sustainable growth across a significant multidisciplinary business.

This is a key leadership role where you'll influence business strategy while ensuring the successful delivery of projects, the development of our people and exceptional outcomes for our clients.

If you're motivated by leading large, diverse teams and building a high-performing business, this is an opportunity to make a significant impact.

About the Role:

As Business Centre Operations Leader, you'll have overall responsibility for the operational success of the Buildings Business Centre, achieving financial performance (bottom line) objectives, effective resource management and consistent project delivery across multiple teams and regions.

You'll work collaboratively with technical, commercial and operational leaders to create an environment where our people thrive, our projects succeed, and our business continues to grow.

This is a highly visible leadership position where you'll influence strategic decisions while remaining close to the day-to-day performance of the business.

Your Impact:

You'll:

• Lead the operational and financial performance of the Business Centre, driving revenue, profitability and sustainable growth.
• Develop and deliver annual business plans, budgets and performance improvement initiatives.
• Use business intelligence and performance data to identify opportunities, mitigate risk and optimise operational performance.
• Drive effective resource planning, ensuring the right people are working on the right projects while maintaining strong utilisation and future capacity.
• Build and develop high-performing teams through recruitment, coaching, succession planning and leadership development.
• Foster an inclusive, engaged and collaborative culture where people can perform at their best.
• Provide senior oversight of project delivery, ensuring technical excellence, quality and commercial performance across the Business Centre.
• Partner with commercial and discipline leaders to resolve complex project challenges and improve delivery outcomes.
• Champion health, safety and wellbeing, embedding a positive safety culture across the business.
• Support strategic client relationships, major pursuits and business development activities that strengthen our market position.
• Encourage collaboration across regions, sectors and disciplines to maximise opportunities for both our clients and our people.
• Act as a trusted member of the senior leadership team, helping shape the future direction of the Buildings business.

About You:

You'll be an experienced operational or business leader with a track record of successfully leading large, multidisciplinary professional services teams.

You'll also bring:

• Significant leadership experience within engineering, design, consultancy, construction or the built environment.
• Strong commercial and financial management capability, including budgeting, forecasting and business performance management.
• Experience leading complex operational functions across multiple teams or locations.
• A collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence and inspire senior stakeholders.
• Proven success in developing people, building high-performing teams and creating inclusive working environments.
• Excellent strategic thinking combined with the ability to make sound operational decisions.
• Experience overseeing project delivery, managing risk and driving continuous improvement.
• A passion for delivering exceptional outcomes for clients while supporting the growth and development of your teams.

Why Join Us

• We put people first: We're proud of our friendly, inclusive and collaborative environment where everyone feels valued and driven to succeed.
• We are driven to achieve: Named in the top 50 companies to work by Glassdoor 2025. Recognised by Corporate Knights as one of the world's top 10 most sustainable companies 2025. Named ‘Best Place to Work’ and ‘International Consulting Firm of the Year’ at the NCE Awards 2024.
• We do what is right: Industry leading training and development as well as paid for professional subscriptions. A professional progression plan, supporting you to become chartered with ICE.
• We are better together: A supportive and collaborative team environment and Early Careers peer group and wider ERG network (see more on our ERGs here: Stantec Employee Resource Groups)
• Growth: We're on an exciting growth journey across the UK & Ireland - we want you to be part of it!
• Great Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus schemes, enhanced pension plan, annual leave with the option to buy/sell additional days, private medical insurance, group income protection & life assurance included as standard as well as discounted gym membership and lots more.
• Flexible working: Enjoy a healthy work-life balance with our hybrid approach to flexible working.

The Stantec community unites more than 34,000 employees working in over 450 locations across 6 continents. We have been working with our clients and communities in the UK for over 150 years. We plan, design, deliver and manage the development and infrastructure needed to support the creation of sustainable, healthy and prosperous communities.

Our teams provide effective and relevant solutions, translating our clients’ vision into valued consents, deliverable plans for projects and programmes, and efficient designs for delivery, based on technical excellence and deep market insights. We deal with today’s challenges, but also keep a fairer, better tomorrow in sight, looking at how we deliver clean growth, support radical changes in our economy and meet the needs of future communities.

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment.

Building an inspired, inclusive work environment that attracts, supports, and develops world-class talent is a crucial key to our success. If you are excited by this role but worry that your experience doesn’t exactly align, we encourage you to apply.

At Stantec we want you to perform your best at every stage of the recruitment process and are committed to ensuring it is accessible to all. If you need any support or require adjustments to be made then please contact [email protected] and we will talk to you about how we can support you.