UKIMEA Heat Leader – Associate Director

Joining Arup

Arup is a global leader in engineering, design, and consultancy services. We are dedicated to shaping a better world through innovative and sustainable solutions. We are seeking an Associate Director with an established industry reputation to grow and lead Heat Consultancy services in the UKIMEA.

The Opportunity

This role will be pivotal in advancing Arup’s Heat Consultancy services in the UKIMEA, as well as globally. You will be part of the leadership team of the UKIMEA Environmental Physics and Wind Practice, as well as our global network of heat and climate experts.

Reporting to the UKIMEA Environmental Physics and Wind Practice Leader and working closely with Leaders within Technical Specialist Services and globally, you will shape and drive the strategic direction of Heat Consultancy in the UKIMEA and globally — strengthening Arup’s leadership in Heat Consultancy and deepening our technical expertise and thought leadership in this critical area.

You will be responsible for:

·       Growing the Heat Consultancy business in the UKIMEA and globally, including identifying and securing new opportunities.

·       Ensuring effective project delivery that upholds technical excellence and long-term value.

·       Building a resilient, future-ready team through thoughtful resourcing and capability development.

A key focus of the role is to accelerate the growth of the UKIMEA and global Heat Consultancy business over the next 12 months, supporting internal Arup projects and engaging with external client networks.

Is this role right for you?

We are looking for a candidate to provide strategic, business development, and technical leadership to the UKIMEA and global Heat Consultancy business, while supporting service and skills development across the Environmental Physics and Wind Practice.

You will lead and coordinate a diverse portfolio of Heat Consultancy projects, including:

• Extreme heat and climate change impact assessments
• Urban heat island analysis
• Thermal comfort and microclimate design
• Strategic heat planning and adaptation implementation

This role is inherently integrative, requiring collaboration across sectors, regions, and portfolios to embed Heat Consultancy into Arup’s most impactful work.

Our services span both established areas—such as thermal comfort analysis and microclimate assessment—and emerging areas like urban heat analysis and impact assessments. Heat is a cross-cutting issue that affects a wide range of sectors across Arup, including Property, Transport, Energy, and Cities, and impacts buildings, infrastructure, communities, and urban systems.

Strong interpersonal and leadership skills are essential to build trusted relationships both internally across global delivery teams and externally with clients and strategic collaborators.

You will drive innovation and technical rigour in addressing the impacts of heat on our clients’ activities—often working in areas where delivery methods are still evolving. This requires creative thinking and a pioneering mindset to help Arup lead in this increasingly prominent field. Your leadership will inspire confidence and enhance our work-winning capability both in the UKIMEA and globally.

The candidate will have:

·       Academic qualifications related to thermal science, applied physics, environmental engineering, environmental physics, building physics, urban climate, environmental design or a related discipline.

·       Professional qualification(s), publications and industry recognition in the field of heat.

·       Experience in the successful delivery of heat-related studies across a range of sectors.

·       A commitment to rigor and technical excellence in the delivery of projects and development of tools and guidance.

·       A high degree of motivation and comfortable taking ownership of designs and tasks.

·       Commercially astuteness, with proven experience of delivering projects independently and managing others to achieve strong outcomes.

·       Good capability in developing others, team management, project management and working in an exciting, innovative multidisciplinary environment.

·       Strong client-facing experience in projects, and a demonstrable track record of winning heat consultancy related commissions.

·       A fundamental appreciation of consultancy in the built environment and knowledge of commercial aspects of design delivery.

What We Offer you

At Arup, we care about each member’s success, so we can grow together. 

Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognises the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive – through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do.  

We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom, with personal responsibility, to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup’s legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities. Profit Share is a key part of our reward, enabling members to share in the results of our collective efforts. 

We also provide Private medical insurance, Life assurance, Accident insurance and Income protection cover. In addition, you’ll have access to flexible benefits to help you look after all aspects of your wellbeing and give you the freedom and flexibility to find the best solutions for you, your family, and your individual needs.

Different People, Shared Values

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age (within legal limits), gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, neurotype or mental health, race or ethnicity, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave. We are an open environment that embraces diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas – this drives our excellence.  

Guided by our values and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we create and contribute to equitable spaces and systems, while cultivating a sense of belonging for all. Our internal employee networks support our inclusive culture: from race, ethnicity and cross-cultural working to gender equity and LGBTQ+ and disability inclusion – we aim to create a space for you to express yourself and make a positive difference. Discover more about life at Arup at www.arup.com/careers/your-life-at-arup. 

We are committed to making our recruitment process and workplaces accessible to all candidates. Please contact sarah-x.graham@arup.com to let us know if you need any assistance or reasonable adjustments throughout your application or interview process, and/or to perform the essential functions of the role. We will do everything we can to support you.

Our Application Process

To understand what to expect next, please visit https://www.arup.com/careers/recruitment-process/

Stay safe online – Arup will never ask for your bank details as part of our recruitment process.

Recruitment Agencies - We have a Preferred Supplier List of trusted partners to assist us when required and do not acknowledge any speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions from agencies not on the list.

Closing Date: 19th September