Associate Director - Freshwater Quality

Ocean to Earth Recruitment is proud to be supporting a leading, high-growth environmental consultancy in the search for an Associate Director – Freshwater Quality.

This is a rare opportunity to step into a senior leadership role within a rapidly expanding Water Quality division, where you will play a central part in shaping service delivery, driving growth, and influencing long-term strategy across the UK water sector.

The Opportunity

Our client is an established, technically respected consultancy with a strong reputation for delivering complex environmental solutions to water companies, regulators and infrastructure clients.

Following significant recent growth, their Water Quality division has brought together freshwater investigations, monitoring, assessment and interpretive consultancy into a single, integrated offering. This role sits at the heart of that evolution.

As Associate Director, you will join the Water Sector leadership team with responsibility for operational delivery, commercial performance and team development—working closely with senior leadership to build a resilient, high-performing and future-focused service.

The Role

This is a broad and influential position spanning delivery, growth and leadership.

Operational Excellence

• Lead the delivery of freshwater quality projects across rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds and transitional environments

• Oversee multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring performance against time, budget and quality expectations

• Drive best practice in environmental monitoring, data collection and interpretive consultancy

• Maintain strong governance across health & safety, technical quality and commercial controls

Growth & Client Development

• Manage and grow key client relationships within the UK water sector

• Lead and support bidding, tendering and work-winning activity

• Identify opportunities for service expansion, cross-sell and strategic partnerships

• Contribute to financial planning, forecasting and overall commercial performance

Leadership & Culture

• Lead, develop and mentor high-performing, multidisciplinary teams

• Build a collaborative, inclusive and high-performance culture

• Support long-term capability development, succession planning and organisational growth

• Work closely with business partners across finance, people and business development

About You

We are keen to speak with individuals who bring:

• Strong experience within the UK water sector, ideally from a consultancy background

• Proven leadership of teams delivering to water company clients

• Deep technical expertise in freshwater quality and environmental monitoring

• A track record of delivering complex projects across the full lifecycle

• Commercial awareness, including tendering, budgeting and financial delivery

• Excellent stakeholder management skills and established industry relationships

• The ability to operate effectively within a senior leadership team

Desirable Experience

• Chartered status or membership of a relevant professional body

• Postgraduate qualification in a related discipline

• Experience in water quality modelling, data analysis or applied consultancy

• Exposure to international consultancy delivery

• Strong contractual and commercial management expertise

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to join a business at a pivotal stage of growth, where you will have genuine influence over direction, capability and impact.

You will be part of a collaborative leadership team, working across a diverse and technically strong organisation, with the platform to shape both service delivery and long-term strategy in the water sector.

Diversity & Flexibility

Our client is committed to building an inclusive and supportive working environment. They recognise that no candidate will meet every requirement and are open to supporting development, flexible working arrangements and role shaping based on individual strengths.

Next Steps

For a confidential discussion or to apply, please contact Ocean to Earth Recruitment with your CV.