Regional Director

Role Purpose:

You will be responsible for leading the Advisory business unit in the United States including:

·       sales and revenue accountability and overseeing both employees and contractors

·       the existing three teams which comprise of Consulting, Programs and Training and Improvement Services (TIS).

You have overall responsibility for the effective and efficient running of internal operations and ensuring the business is on a solid footing operationally while being able to address and overcome all kinds of growth-related challenges in terms of staffing, technology, financial planning and investment to deliver our ambitious targets as part of our full potential plan and Advisory Plan on A Page (POAP).

Your role, together with the Advisory Leadership Team, will support the delivery of a more structured product / service suite in the region and it will be critical to integrate and work more closely with the regional Commercial and Marketing functions and drive a mindset of relentless client focus.

Key Responsibilities:

Contribute to the development and implementation of a comprehensive and inter-connected Advisory strategy and business plan aligned with the Growth function, overall business vision and full potential plan including our orientation to a regional model.

Strategy/Full Potential Plan contribution

Ensure the region is able to address and overcome all kinds of growth-related challenges in terms of staffing, technology, financial planning and investment to deliver our ambitious targets as part of our Advisory strategy and full potential plan.

Develop and implement a comprehensive and inter-connected regional strategy aligned with the overall Advisory  vision and full potential plan to deliver against  actionable goals, sales and revenue targets provided  to ensure delivery against the performance and growth ambitions for the region. This includes value creation activities connected to the Advisory ambition.

Maintain financial discipline to control and support growth through the development and review of business plans and models to negotiate budget for sufficient investment to achieve growth targets in the short and medium term.

Reporting

Monitor and report on agreed regional KPIs, ensure client loyalty/satisfaction and employee engagement are key facets of measuring success and effectiveness.

Internal operations contribution

Support effective and efficient running of internal operations and ensuring the business is on a solid footing operationally.

Agree and drive the implementation of business plans, workforce plans and budgets to deliver the agreed P&L for the region including legacy Consulting, Programs and Training and Improvement Services (TIS) streams.

Continually analyse internal operations and sales / pricing performance and identify areas of business improvements to ensure that structures, systems, processes and procedures are co-ordinated, effective and efficient to meet business, budget, and commercial requirements aligned with current / future business demands.

Support with the:

• Team culture

Energise the organisation and role model LRQA’s and values to cultivate relentless client focus performance-oriented, and commercially accountable organisational culture.

Drive regional employee engagement  to ensure we create and maintain a positive, can-do culture with a particular focus on the well-being and development of our colleagues.

Ensure communication to key stakeholders, foster teamwork and strive to maintain an environment of openness and trust, facilitating problem solving to address obstacles and ensure agreement on resolutions.

• Client relationships/stakeholder management

Be the custodian for the Advisory client experience and monitor the NPS results for continuous improvement and foster a client centric culture within the Advisory remit, end-to-end regionally and the wider organisation.

• Competitor analysis//client acquisition

Monitor the marketplace and analyse opportunities, providing competitive analysis and stay well-connected with clients to ensure market needs are incorporated into business plans and lead on strategic growth initiatives in target markets.

Act to acquire new clients and grow relationships with existing clients. This includes (a) responsibility for the Region's Advisory sales goals (b) independent closure of your own business opportunities; and (c) collaboration across the business.

• Product/Service delivery contribution

Support the delivery of a more structured product / service suite and integrate and work more closely with the regional Commercial and Marketing functions.

Champion and promote technical innovation, standardised product development, client solutions and service excellence in Advisory to improve our competitive position and develop key selling point capabilities.

• Team leadership

Lead, manage and develop team members to build capacity and capability through recruitment, performance management, talent / succession planning, training and development to build and sustain a team of high performers.  Drive and encourage direct reports to do the same with their teams.

• Research/Thought Leadership

 Oversee the development, publication and promotion of world class Thought Leadership that contributes to our ability to maintain or begin a dialogue with our clients.

Technical / Professional Qualifications / Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent from a recognised university.  MBA or equivalent desirable.
• Substantial relevant experience to demonstrate comprehensive understanding specifically in ESG / sustainability specialist requirements, knowledge and application. More than 15 years relevant working experience.
• Deep expertise in a subset of ESG / sustainability e.g. strategy, responsible sourcing, or human rights or industry vertical.
• Ambitious and committed to winning. Demonstrates as much emotional intelligence as intellectual intelligence.
• Credibility and strength of personality to operate as part of an executive team with intellectual horsepower, innate curiosity and commercial insight to win trust.  Not afraid to challenge and push back at all levels of the organisation.
• Open, confident and diplomatic, with exceptional relationship management and presentation and communication skills.
  
• Has a growth mindset with the ability to successfully navigate complexity, autonomy, ambiguity and pace. Understands what it takes to be successful in different contexts, culturally sensitive, high integrity and values diversity.
• Proven track record in managing a fast growing and profitable medium sized business whilst building organisational and technical capabilities to deliver business solutions in the designated area. 
• Substantial experience in delivering top and bottom-line financial targets.
• Outstanding leadership skills with significant experience of successfully implementing sound people management practices (inclusive of recruitment, employee engagement, development and retention) to establish a high performance and client focused organisation. 
• The ability to balance strategic objectives with an operational and practical perspective; defining pragmatic solutions that are commercially viable for the organisation and translate them into actionable plans.
• Substantial experience in implementing change and risk management initiatives, building technology readiness and ability to manage teams through growth and change.
• Consultative in approach, able to challenge and influence as appropriate to overcome any obstacles on the path to change. A strong communicator who is able to deliver arguments in clear and logical manner, win trust and confidence at all levels of the organisation both internally and externally with clients.
• Result oriented, resilient, customer focused and process driven individual with the ability to build strategic relationships/alliances with multi-culture clients, identify and seize growth opportunities, influence multiple stakeholders at all levels both internally and externally and function within a complex highly matrixed organisation.
• Data-driven approach to decision making around commercial and operational practices with the intellectual capacity and operational grip to "hit the ground running" and deliver significant results quickly and efficiently.

At LRQA we focus on developing an enabling environment. One in which our people can flourish and succeed, by delivering insightful and innovative solutions to our clients while remaining knowledgeable and good partners.  Our workforce is made up of many individuals with unique skills, values, backgrounds and experiences. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we value diversity in our workforce and foster an environment that promotes inclusion, recognizing the organizational capability and business performance that diversity brings.