Associate Director | Quantity Surveying | Education Sector | Cambridge, UK

TSA Riley Limited; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading construction consultancy is seeking an experienced Associate Director for their Cambridge office. This role focuses on delivering large and complex projects in the education sector, requiring strong stakeholder management and a proactive approach. The candidate should have a background in Quantity Surveying with excellent leadership qualities. Opportunities for growth and team management are part of the position, along with a focus on building strong client relationships and improving project delivery capabilities.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Hybrid working options

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven track record of delivering complex projects within the education sector.
• Strong technical ability for pre and post contract responsibilities.
• Ability to manage risk, cost, and stakeholder relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead the overall delivery of large or complex projects.
• Manage end-to-end project scope, programme, cost, and risk.
• Build trusted relationships with clients and delivery partners.

Skills

Project delivery

Stakeholder engagement

Commercial awareness

Leadership

Education

Tertiary qualification in Quantity Surveying or equivalent

Professional membership (RICS)

Job description

We're seeking people who bring together a unique blend of personal strengths, technical know-how, and a genuine passion for the built environment and construction industry. TSA Riley is a global organisation, 1,000 people strong. We provide expert project consultancy across project management, cost management, advisory, ESG, and asset management, and our people are at the centre of everything we do. We help clients create great places to work, live, shop, play, and produce.

Please get in touch if you…

Cultivate positive and trusting relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.

Effectively communicate ideas and actions that resonate with diverse audiences.

Exhibit drive, flexibility, passion, and a proactive attitude towards tasks.

Take ownership of responsibilities and ensure timely delivery on commitments.

Approach challenges with a solutions‑oriented mindset.

Analyse and synthesise detailed information to identify opportunities for improvement.

Possess a degree qualification, underpinning knowledge and skills.

Associate Director | Quantity Surveying | Education Sector | Cambridge, UK

15/12/2025

Join one of the largest and most established construction consultancies in Cambridge. Work on exciting projects within the Education sector. About the role: We have an exciting opportunity to join TSA Riley in our Cambridge office as an Associate Director, working closely alongside our National Education Sector Lead. This role plays a key part in strengthening our expertise within the education sector, enabling us to continue delivering outstanding service to our longstanding clients while also supporting the growth of our client base across Cambridgeshire and nationally. You will collaborate with the National Education Sector Lead to deepen existing client relationships through effective account management and identifying new opportunities within the market. As TSA Riley continues to grow, so too will your role. There will be significant opportunities to take on leadership responsibility for key accounts and to shape, develop and lead a team to support these relationships and projects.

To succeed in this role, you will bring strong experience working with clients and delivering projects within the education sector. We are looking for a well‑rounded professional with a blend of technical excellence, people leadership capability, strong stakeholder engagement skills and sound commercial awareness. TSA Riley is proud to have been involved in some of the most exciting and high‑profile education projects in the Cambridge area. We regularly work with universities and colleges on complex, challenging and highly rewarding developments, offering the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the built environment and local communities. If you feel you have the experience, ambition and drive to make a real contribution to TSA Riley's continued success, we would love to hear from you. We are happy to offer an informal, confidential conversation before any formal application. To find out more, please contact our Recruitment Partner at: [e-mail].

About your responsibilities:

As an Associate Director at TSA Riley, you will be expected to take overall responsibility for the leadership and successful delivery of large or complex projects. You will manage end‑to‑end scope, programme, cost, risk, and safety while building trusted relationships with clients, consultants, and delivery partners. Beyond project delivery, you will contribute to the commercial and operational performance of TSA Riley through team leadership, planning, and pursuit activity.

• Leading project delivery from initiation to close‑out, ensuring alignment with client expectations and TSA Riley's delivery objectives.
• Overseeing planning, procurement, delivery, and risk mitigation activities across multidisciplinary teams.
• Managing scope, programme, and commercial frameworks to ensure delivery meets quality, safety, and performance standards.
• Acting as the primary client contact for assigned projects, resolving issues and aligning expectations across diverse stakeholders.
• Overseeing project resources, budgets, and reporting to support financial control and delivery outcomes.
• Leading and managing project teams, including resourcing, delegation, performance oversight, and development of team members.
• Supporting pursuit planning and proposal preparation to help secure follow‑on or new work.
• Taking an active role in growing the business by strengthening client relationships, identifying opportunities, and helping convert pipeline into secured work.
• Contributing to initiatives that improve project delivery capability, enhance tools and systems, and build TSA Riley's service excellence.

About You:

• A tertiary qualification in a field relevant to this job role, such as Quantity Surveying or a similar equivalent.
• Professional membership to a relevant professional body such as the RICS is required.
• Excellent technical ability, capable of carrying out a full remit of pre and post contract responsibilities on complex projects.
• A proven track record of delivering large or complex projects in consulting or client‑side environments, including strong experience within the educational sector.
• Strong commercial capability, with a clear understanding of risk, programme, cost, safety, and stakeholder complexity.
• Brings a strategic mindset to delivery, balancing day‑to‑day oversight with long‑range planning and market awareness.
• Deep understanding of client drivers and strategic priorities, with the ability to shape delivery to support long‑term relationships and account growth.
• Proven ability to lead with intention, actively managing team capability, resourcing, performance, and development across both direct reports and broader project teams.
• A recognised industry presence and network, with the credibility to represent TSA Riley externally, build client interest, and convert relationships into opportunities.

About us:

TSA Riley has a 130‑year heritage dating back to 1890 when Henry Riley Esq first established a quantity surveying practice in London. In Asia Pacific we trace our roots back to the 1980s through the merging of several respected, small project management and advisory firms. Now, in the 21st century, we're defining and pioneering a new way of helping our clients drive greater value and impact from their built assets. Plan. Procure. Deliver. Optimise. Decarbonise. We call this project consulting. We provide expert strategic, commercial and operations advice; project and cost management; carbon advice; and dispute resolution. This uniquely broad range of services—across the project lifecycle—means we understand the interdependencies at every stage. We combine this with hands‑on experience and personalised service to drive greater value, impact and certainty for our clients' projects.

Our values:

• We win together: Collaborate openly, learn from each other and succeed as one global team.
• We own it, always: Act with integrity and take responsibility to deliver with purpose.
• We focus on what matters: Striving for high standards to create meaningful, lasting and sustainable impact.
• We are curious: Embrace agility and change, explore ideas and turn our curiosity into progress.

TSA Riley is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome applications from candidates who are interested in working with us but are not able to commit to a full‑time role and/or would require forms of flexible working. Additionally, we provide hybrid working as standard practice. We would like you to perform at your best at every stage of our recruitment process. Please contact us if you require any adjustments that would support you throughout your application.

[e-mail]

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