Pre Construction Director

Wates Construction is seeking an exceptional Pre-Construction Director to join our London Division in one of the most influential leadership roles within the business.

As a key member of the divisional senior leadership team, you will take overall responsibility for the strategic direction, leadership and performance of our pre-construction function, ensuring the successful transition of opportunities from initial engagement through to project commencement. This is a critical role with accountability for driving sustainable growth, overseeing bid and work-winning activities, and ensuring that our pre-construction teams consistently deliver market-leading solutions that differentiate Wates from our competitors. Working closely with customers, consultants, supply chain partners and internal stakeholders, you will shape winning strategies, lead complex pursuits and ensure that every opportunity is positioned to achieve the very best outcome for our clients and our business. The successful candidate will have a proven track record of leading high-performing pre-construction teams within the construction industry and will possess the commercial acumen, strategic mindset and customer focus required to support the continued growth of one of London's leading construction businesses.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead and develop the London Division's pre-construction function, creating a culture of excellence, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Establish and implement divisional pre-construction strategies aligned to business growth objectives.
• Act as a trusted advisor to the Managing Director and divisional leadership team on all aspects of pre-construction and work-winning.
• Provide leadership across bid management, estimating, planning, design management and technical services functions.

Work Winning & Business Development

• Lead the work-winning strategy across the division, ensuring a strong and sustainable pipeline of opportunities.
• Oversee the qualification and selection of target projects, ensuring alignment with divisional objectives and risk appetite.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key clients, consultants, developers and framework providers.
• Support and influence client engagement activities, presentations, interviews and key negotiations.
• Drive winning methodologies and ensure the highest standards of bid quality and customer engagement.

Pre-Construction Excellence

• Oversee the delivery of all pre-construction activities from enquiry through to contract award.
• Ensure robust governance and risk management processes are embedded throughout the bid lifecycle.
• Champion innovative solutions that deliver value, sustainability, buildability and certainty for our customers.
• Lead the development of winning technical, commercial and programme strategies.
• Foster collaboration between operational, commercial and technical teams to ensure seamless project handover.

Team Leadership

• Inspire, coach and develop a multidisciplinary team of pre-construction professionals.
• Build succession plans and identify future talent to strengthen the function.
• Promote a collaborative and inclusive culture that reflects Wates' values and purpose.
• Drive high levels of engagement, performance and accountability across the team.

What We're Looking For

We are seeking a respected industry leader who can demonstrate:

• Extensive experience leading pre-construction functions within a tier one or major regional contractor.
• A strong track record of securing complex construction projects across public and private sectors.
• Proven success in leading major bids and work-winning strategies.
• Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong commercial awareness and risk management expertise.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams across estimating, planning, design and bid management.
• A deep understanding of modern construction techniques, procurement routes and market trends.
• Excellent presentation, influencing and negotiation abilities.
• The ability to build trusted relationships at executive level with clients and partners.