Lean Performance Management - Senior Associate Director

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

This is more than a leadership role. It's an opportunity to shape how some of the most complex programmes are planned, managed and delivered.

➡️ As our Senior Associate Director in Lean Performance Management, you'll drive production management excellence across major projects, influence strategic decisions, and help clients unlock better outcomes through smarter delivery.

➡️ You'll manage high-performing teams, build trusted client relationships, win new opportunities, and play a key role in growing a capability that is shaping the future of programme delivery.

➡️ Your expertise won't just impact single projects. You'll influence business growth, develop future leaders, and help define how we deliver value across multiple sectors.

What's In It For You

We're committed to creating an environment where aspiring people can do their best work and build exceptional careers.

You'll benefit from

📈 The opportunity to manage and influence major, high-profile programmes

📈 A genuine leadership platform where your ideas will shape strategy, capability growth and delivery excellence

📈 Exposure to senior client stakeholders and pioneering industry projects

📈 The chance to grow and expand your professional network while developing new business opportunities

📈 A highly collaborative culture that values innovation, continuous improvement and knowledge sharing

📈 Career progression opportunities within a global organisation where your impact can be felt at every level

📈 Flexibility and trust, empowering you to manage your work in a way that works for you

📈 The opportunity to mentor, develop and inspire the next generation of production management professionals

If you're looking for a role where you can combine strategic leadership, client influence, people development and business growth, this is it.

We Offer

💰 Compensation That Reflects Your Skills And Experience

⌚ Flexible and hybrid working arrangements

🏖️ 24 days annual leave plus the option to buy up to 10 additional days

🏦 Enhanced pension contributions of up to 10%

⚕️ Private medical cover and Digital GP access

👨‍👩‍👧 Family planning and fertility support services

👶 Enhanced parental leave and family support programmes

😍 Employee Networks We have a commitment to hiring a diverse workforce and supporting colleagues of different backgrounds

🛡️ Life assurance at four times your salary

💙 Income protection for long-term financial security

😄 Access to wellbeing support, including Calm and Daily Burn

📚 Professional memberships funded and ongoing development opportunities

🌍 Paid volunteering time, matched charity funding, and community engagement programmes

About The Opportunity

☑️ We're looking for a proven figurehead to help drive and grow our Production Management capability across a diverse portfolio of programmes and sectors.

☑️ You'll provide strategic oversight across multiple projects, ensuring successful delivery while supporting clients through complex challenges. Acting as a trusted advisor, you'll work closely with programme teams, project leaders and clients to shape delivery approaches, optimise resources and drive continuous improvement.

☑️ This is a highly visible role combining delivery management, business development and people management. You'll help secure future work, contribute to winning bids, expand client relationships and identify new opportunities for growth.

☑️ You'll also play a pivotal role in developing our capability, running recruitment efforts, mentoring team members and creating an environment where people can thrive and perform at their best.

☑️ Whether you're leading programme strategy, facilitating critical workshops, supporting major bids or developing future talent, you'll be at the centre of meaningful, business-critical decisions.

Here's what you'll need

✅ Significant experience spearheading production management, programme management or complex delivery functions

✅ A track record of successfully managing multidisciplinary teams and delivering outcomes across large-scale programmes

✅ Strong client-facing experience with the ability to build trusted relationships and influence senior stakeholders

✅ Experience in leading business development, work winning and bid activities

✅ Proven capability in resource planning, workforce management and team management

✅ Excellent communication, facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills

✅ Experience managing risks, governance and delivery performance within complex environments

✅ A passion for developing people, mentoring teams and building high-performing cultures

Ready to Lead What's Next?

If you're excited by the opportunity to influence major programmes, grow a thriving capability, develop future talent and help shape the future of production management, we'd love to hear from you.

👉 Apply today and bring your direction, enterprise and expertise to a role where your impact will be seen, valued and celebrated from day one.

🏙️ Jacobs offers hybrid working and a standard 40-hour working week

🍀 Good luck with your application

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well-being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs.

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging. Find out more about our Jacobs Employee Networks here.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit https//www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.