Director

London Area, United Kingdom

7/4/2025

The Director leads, manages and assists on quantum expert commissions for the Forensic Expert Witness (FEW), devising and discussing solutions and reporting findings both internally and externally, optimising utilisation and value creation for the FEW team.

The Director may also secure their own appointments (including expert, contentious and non-contentious appointments) delivered either independently, or with help of the wider team, or by the wider team and managed by the Director.

The Director is also responsible for the administration of the team members, promotion of the SOCOTEC brand and services to potential clients and employees, championing the companies’ goals and values.

Deliverables are usually required in the context of formal dispute resolution proceedings such as litigation, arbitration, and adjudication, but also for advising decision-making on ongoing projects, settlement discussions, and mediations, in the UK and internationally.

The Director makes sure projects are delivered within budget, on time, and to the highest standards of quality and compliance.

The Director will be required, among other tasks, to:

Leadership and Management:

• Participate in SOCOTEC Senior Leadership meetings
• Support and manage team members, providing mentorship, training, guidance and professional development opportunities
• Leading the management of the workload of the FEW team
• Managing project resources to achieve deliverables within budget
• Agreeing deadlines with clients, whilst also setting internal deadlines for deliverables and ensuring they are met
• Foster a collaborative and high-performing team environment
  
  

Technical Deliverables:

• Represent the organisation in dispute resolution proceedings and liaise with legal counsel as required
• Act as the no. 2 to the Forensic Expert Witness on larger disputes
• Capable of independently securing and successfully appointments
• Work towards building a reputation as a testifying expert
• Conduct advanced critical review and analyses of construction project records
• Produce analyses and communicate findings internally to project peers and externally for clients in clear and objective form, referencing records reviewed, assumptions taken and the process that led to the findings
• Assist in the selection and timely implementation of the assessment methodology
• Draft expert reports, notes and external communications for the Forensic Expert Witness
• Review records produced during dispute resolution proceedings, such as witness statements and other expert reports, distilling relevant issues and liaising with the Forensic Expert Witness
• Liaise and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders and devise potential solutions and strategies to meet the projects objectives and client deliverables
• Assure the quality and reliability of its work and the work of peers through testing and peer-reviews
• Ensure all activities comply with relevant regulations, standards, and best practices
• Engage in internal and external client meetings
• Participate in the development of proposals
• Undertake training, CPD, and other activities to foster technical and managerial skills
• Regularly attend marketing events, client events, seminars and lectures to build technical knowledge and relationships in the field, and promote SOCOTEC Advisory’s brand
  
  

As with all employees in SOCOTEC Advisory, the Director will be required to regularly and accurately record and describe the time spent in its day-to-day activities using the required platform.

This role requires extensive experience, strong leadership skills, and the ability to navigate and resolve complex disputes effectively.

A capable all-rounder who possesses a high degree of competence. This role requires the ability to navigate complex disputes, and the data provided effectively and to produce assessments utilising appropriate methodologies, whilst explaining these aspects clearly and comprehensively in written format.

Essential requirements:

• Chartered in relevant institution
• Proficient in the management and training of junior members of the team
• Commenced building a network of client contacts and reputation within the field
• Secured appointment(s) in an expert witness capacity
• Ability to act as sole point of contact to instructing client
• Ability to manage and motivate team to meet deadlines
• Degree level education in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent experience in the sector
• Comprehensive knowledge of construction cost management (for Quantum) and/or construction project management (for Delay)
• Experience in working in accordance with different suites of construction contracts (i.e. JCT, NEC, FIDIC), with input and exposure to assessing claims and dealing with project records
• Highly competent in drafting expert reports
• Considerable experience with dispute resolution proceedings within the Construction Industry and understanding of the role of the expert witness within that context
• Negotiation experience
• Proficient with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint and comfortable with large sets of data
• Knowledge and working experience of relevant specialist software such as Primavera P6, CostX, REVIT, AutoCAD, etc
• Proactive, inquisitive, analytical thinker with focus on detail
• Capable of developing and discussing potential solutions to issues found in the context of its work and collaborating with its peers
• Highly proficient communicator, clearly and fluently in English, both verbally and in writing
• Comfortable working independently and in a team, to strict deadlines, tackling different types of projects and issues
• Comfortable liaising with and presenting to clients
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities effectively
• Able to produce objective, self-explanatory, error-free analyses
• Actively contribute to SOCOTEC’s initiatives
• Willing to travel internationally, if required
• Continual willingness to progress and further develop specialist knowledge of the types of analyses in the respective field (Quantum or Delay)
  
  

Desirable requirements:

• Past appointment in an expert witness capacity and/or have worked as no. 2 to the Expert Witness in multiple occasions
• Experience across different markets, types of construction and engineering projects, and claims
• A postgraduate degree or equivalent in construction law, dispute resolution, or a related field
• Experience as a dispute resolver, such as an adjudicator or similar
• Undergone specific expert witness training
• Proficiency in other languages
  
  

About Advisory

Our experienced team of industry professionals come from diverse backgrounds, experiences and expertise. Our modern, open plan working space promotes not only a sharing of skills and knowledge, but also an approachable, friendly and sociable environment.

As well as the chance to soak up the expertise of your fellow employees, the unique, multi-strand nature of the business provides you with the opportunity to vary your workload and venture into areas of the industry you are interested in or may not have previously considered; such as Advisory and Expert Witness work.

What’s in it for you?

As well as a competitive salary, we can offer you a wide range of benefits including 25 days holiday with the opportunity to buy more, an electric car scheme (where applicable), employee recognition schemes, family friendly support, employee benefits and discounts app and employee assistance programmes. SOCOTEC UK are proud to be Disability Confident accredited.

As well as the chance to soak up the expertise of your fellow employees, the unique, multi-strand nature of the business provides you with the opportunity to vary your workload and venture into areas of the industry you are interested in or may not have previously considered; such as Advisory and Expert Witness work.

Why SOCOTEC?

Here at SOCOTEC UK, we have over 2,000 colleagues across our divisions delivering world-class services to our customers. We have several business streams that provides an unrivalled range of testing, inspection, and certification and advisory services throughout the UK, and we deliver excellence to our customers by recruiting and retaining the very best industry talent.

At SOCOTEC Advisory, we believe that a driven, inspired and challenged team is the key to success. We promote inclusivity, encourage individuality and have a zero-tolerance policy to discrimination, with the aim that every single member of our team will thrive both in and out of the workplace.

We invest in our people. We push you to grow and we want you to progress. We believe in continued development and the pursuit of ambition. Our open and friendly office space promotes a culture of teamwork and provides the opportunity to ask, listen and learn from those around you. With a young, dynamic and exciting workplace, we are constantly striving, as a team, to develop and succeed.

Think you’ve got what it takes to add value to our success? We would love to hear from you and look forward to receiving your application.

Building a safer and more sustainable world is the core mission we set out to achieve at SOCOTEC, it is at the heart of everything that we do. We are committed to acting as a key player in society, investing in innovative solutions to ensure social and environmental concerns are at the forefront of all of our business operations.