Director, Life Sciences (Health and Life Sciences)

WSP is a leading specialist consultancy, transforming environments for clients in health and life sciences. Our target market in life sciences is focused on client organisations operating in the fields of discovery and development, pre-clinical research and clinical research and clinical development. In doing so we interface with organisations involved in pharma manufacture and also with the academic and research arms of universities, health organisations and systems.

Help shape the future of life sciences real estate across England

WSP has one of the largest teams of life sciences programme and project managers in the UK, supporting the delivery of large, complex investment programmes through its work with DEFRA, UKRI, AstraZeneca and the Ellison Institute of Technology. Our focus is on collaboration between health, scientific research, the tertiary and private sectors, and the resultant translation into better health outcomes.

To support WSP’s continued growth within the Life Sciences sector, we are looking for an experienced Director to expand our Life Sciences real estate consultancy offer across England, building on WSP’s multidisciplinary capability and helping clients make robust, commercially informed decisions about their property portfolios.

This is a senior, market-facing role for someone who combines strong transactional and agency expertise with commercial leadership. You will be expected to originate opportunities, build profile in the life sciences real estate market and convert relationships into high-quality advisory, agency and transaction-led instructions. You will support occupiers, landlords, developers and investors with property advice that reflects market demand, operational need and long-term value.

With more than 30 offices across the UK, WSP offers a strong national platform for this role to be located across England, with access to regional markets, national client relationships and multidisciplinary support.

Our Property Advisory team forms part of WSP’s specialist Health and Life Sciences Advisory business (HLSA), where the Property team helps clients unlock value, manage risk and make informed property decisions. We advise on acquisitions, disposals, lettings, lease advisory, rent reviews, portfolio strategy, development appraisals, options analysis and property-led change.

We work at pace on targeted commissions and wider portfolio programmes, bringing together property, planning, cost management, programme delivery, sustainability, and technical expertise to support clients across the life sciences property lifecycle.

As Director, you will play a visible leadership role in shaping our life sciences growth strategy, generating pipeline, winning work and strengthening WSP’s profile with occupiers, landlords, developers, investors and professional partners across England. The role aligns to WSP Director-level expectations, with emphasis on strategic client impact, commercial growth, market positioning, portfolio leadership and people development. 
 

A little more about your role…

• Lead the growth of WSP’s Life Sciences Property Advisory offer across England, identifying target clients, shaping propositions, developing routes to market and converting new opportunities.
• Provide market-facing transactional, agency and strategic property advice to life sciences clients, helping them respond to occupier demand, market conditions, funding drivers and commercial objectives.
• Lead property transactions, including acquisitions, disposals, lettings, lease advisory, rent reviews and related client-side negotiations.
• Use market intelligence, sector networks and active client engagement to identify emerging requirements, create leads and position WSP for repeat and strategic advisory work.
• Advise on asset and portfolio strategies that enhance productivity, support expansion, mitigate risk and support long-term client objectives.
• Lead options appraisals, development strategies, market assessments and cashflow analysis to support acquisition, disposal, letting, rationalisation and redevelopment decisions.
• Work alongside WSP’s multidisciplinary teams, including planning, cost management, project and programme management and sustainability. 
   

You will bring the confidence, credibility and commercial focus expected of a senior Director, with the ability to grow a market, open doors, lead client relationships and shape high-quality advisory work that responds to live market opportunities. 

• Take an active leadership role in growing the team, supporting colleagues, sharing knowledge and creating opportunities for others to develop.
• Deliver work commercially, managing scope, quality, programme, risk and profitability across commissions.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively through reports, proposals, presentations, workshops and senior client conversations.
• Promote collaboration across HLSA and the wider WSP business to create stronger, broader client propositions.
• Understand the wider commercial, strategic and reputational impact of your work, balancing client value with WSP’s growth objectives.
• Champion technical quality, robust governance and effective review across the work you lead.
• Engage confidently with senior stakeholders, including executive teams, estate directors, commercial leads, clinicians, public sector partners and investors.
• Demonstrate WSP’s values in the way you lead, collaborate, make decisions and represent the business.
   

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate…

• A strong track record in transactional, agency or specialist property advisory work, ideally gained within a consultancy, agency, client-side property team or comparable advisory environment.
• Degree qualified, or equivalent, with a relevant professional qualification such as MRICS preferred.
• Excellent knowledge of property markets, transaction processes, occupier requirements, landlord and investor drivers, and wider economic and commercial trends.
• Strong client relationship, negotiation, networking, agency and business development skills, with evidence of originating, winning and growing market-facing work.
• Commercial confidence, sound judgement and the ability to manage priorities, risk and delivery across multiple client relationships and commissions.
• Experience leading, motivating and developing collaborative teams, with an inclusive and empowering leadership style.
• The ability to build capability in others, provide constructive feedback and foster long-term learning, collaboration and devolved leadership.
• An interest in how digital technologies, data and evidence-led insight can support market analysis, portfolio optimisation, investment planning and improved outcomes for life sciences clients.