Associate Director, Strategic Advisor in Life Sciences (Lexica. Member of WSP)

Overview

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs? At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. Lexica is a leading specialist consultancy, transforming environments for clients in health and life sciences. From June 2025 Lexica is a member of WSP (UK) Ltd and will be fully integrated into the organisation by Jan 2026.

We are helping organisations to become more efficient and effective in the core sectors that we work in; whether improving patient pathways for the NHS, developing laboratories to facilitate world-leading science, or rationalising educational campuses to attract the highest calibre students and research investment. Our clients tell us that we are different from other consultancies. They know that we have a wide range of skills across the business that gives us a competitive edge over other organisations. By joining Lexica, you will be part of the journey with our clients and colleagues.

A little more about your role

A key priority is to develop a strategic advisory capability by growing and developing our offering to new and existing clients, in both the public and private sectors, the UK and overseas, in the life science sector.

The post holder, for this full-time role, will have a key role in:

1. Delivery: offering professional, strategic planning and consultancy services to all clients. The post holder will bring expertise to support designing individual solutions and securing client mandates. They will support the operational leadership to deliver to clients' expectations including service excellence, quality of processes and performance standards.
2. Business development: to grow the business, meeting strategic objectives and targets
3. Resource development:to grow the team supporting recruitment and line management duties and the professional development of a growing team.
   • build and maintain relationships with Clients, acting as a key account holder

Your Team

At Lexica, you'll work in a supportive and inclusive work environment, with access to ongoing learning and development opportunities. If you share our commitment to Professionalism, Innovation, Knowledge and Collaboration, joining Lexica is the way to make a real difference.

We work in an agile and inclusive environment bringing our expertise to each project. We are at our best when we work together to help others and have supported many local and national charities over the years. You will be joining an ideas-driven culture that embraces new perspectives to solve complex problems.

We are organisational members of Social Value UK, and are committed to achieving social and environmental progress, whilst ensuring the success of our organisation and the organisations we serve. We strive to maximise the opportunity to deliver social value benefits to our clients or as a result of the work we do.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate

Key responsibilities:

Client management/ engagement:

• understand client's needs, provide tailored strategic advice, manage accounts effectively, ensuring clients satisfaction to secure a long-term partnership
• lead stakeholders' engagement and support strategic lead with key communications
• to be able to successfully integrate into client's team and support the development of the client team
• work with multidisciplinary teams, including scientific experts, regulatory specialists, and property professionals to deliver integrated solutions
• Estate strategic planning:
  • lead the delivery of estate strategies and development control plans
  • develop and refine client's estate strategic plans that align with their business objectives and optimisation of the estate portfolio, through efficient asset management
  • leverage business experience and acumen in identifying strategic alternatives/solutions to client questions
  • lead and deliver the business case process from end-to-end
• Support the Life Sciences senior leadership team:
  • be accountable for the performance of the service line and client satisfaction with outcomes based on agreed scope/ specifications.
  • lead the management of the profit & loss/ financial performance of their account/commission, analysing performance against budget and income targets
  • identify and proactively pursue business opportunities and building a pipeline of future work
  • develop and write proposals and respond to tenders
  • contribute to the development of thought leadership materials, including white papers, case studies and presentation to enhance the firm's reputation in the industry
  • work independently but perform as a key member of the team/s, with responsibility for supervising team members as well as line manage SLS staff and resources
  • provide guidance and mentorship to junior consultants, fostering a collaborative and high-performance team environment
• Excellent Delivery and Continuous Improvement
  • support the successful implementation of best practices and have the capability to tailor best practices to Clients' requirements
  • apply robust methodology to strategic planning processes including data collection, validation, assurance, and governance processes
  • create and deliver high quality reports, presentations, workshops with clients, management of teams and other stakeholders showing knowledge and aptitude of the subject matter

Business Development

• Significant experience of successfully delivering consultancy services within the life sciences sector and estates environment
• A record of positive client feedback within the Life Science sector and estates management and development
• Experience of leading teams to achieve targets, and of supporting and managing individuals
• Demonstratable experience of business development, with bid experience/ management
• Robust financial management skillsand commercial acumen

Delivery

• Impeccable stakeholder engagement skills and political awareness
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present and chair at executive board level
• A demonstrable ability to produce and design high quality and technical presentations/papers
• Relevant experience in risk and change management in estates' environments

Qualifications/ training/ specialism

• A chartership level qualification in the built environment, i.e. architecture, engineering, FM, or Property
• Recognised qualifications in Project Management, specifically in the management of processes and projects specifically related to strategic planning in the Life Science sector
• Relevant skill in the use of visual aids and graphic tools such as PowerPoint, InDesign, Illustrator,
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications

Don't quite meet all the criteria? Apply, and we can see how your experience aligns to this role and other opportunities within the team.

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 69,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.

With us, you can. Apply today.