SVP – Engineering — Project-Development Pipeline

The mandate

A deliberate change of pace is required to deal with engineering commitments exceeding delivery capacity and architecture coherence within a privately held infrastructure developer and asset operator. The immediate arena is the project-development pipeline during a balance-sheet rotation. For mandate 330, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The SVP – Engineering operating perimeter covers approximately £26,150 million in project and operating-asset portfolio, with activity spanning several project-development pipeline customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The SVP – Engineering Infrastructure remit carries direct influence over roughly 650 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The group board and the relevant risk and people committees want a SVP – Engineering who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the project-development pipeline. The SVP – Engineering Infrastructure seat must resolve a balance-sheet rotation, while preserving the underlying strengths of the project-development pipeline. For mandate 330, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The SVP – Engineering’s first year on the project-development pipeline is expected to end with roadmap predictability, quality and stronger technical leadership. In mandate 330, authority covers resources and leadership appointments; material trade-offs go directly to the board sponsor.

Why this seat is open

This is a newly created SVP – Engineering — Project-Development Pipeline seat, established because a balance-sheet rotation now requires one accountable executive rather than distributed ownership. The board has classified the appointment as urgent and intends to move from qualified shortlist to offer within 6–8 weeks. Interim governance protects the project-development pipeline, but it is not a substitute for a permanent appointee. The external search remains confidential to avoid unnecessary disruption before the appointment is agreed.

What you will own

• Set the SVP – Engineering value-creation thesis for the project-development pipeline, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately £26,150 million in project and operating-asset portfolio, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the SVP – Engineering Infrastructure organisation of about 650 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the project-development pipeline economics and execution constraints created by a balance-sheet rotation, with SVP – Engineering-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one SVP – Engineering operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the project-development pipeline; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Show end-to-end ownership of a material platform or value stream, including budget, talent and measurable operating outcomes in mandate 330.
• Build the SVP – Engineering’s three-year succession and capability plan for the project-development pipeline, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Infrastructure organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the project-development pipeline baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to engineering commitments exceeding delivery capacity and architecture coherence, assess the leadership team, stabilise immediate delivery risks and agree a board-owned scorecard with explicit decision gates.
• Months 4–9: Make the principal SVP – Engineering portfolio and organisation choices for the project-development pipeline, install the new operating cadence, fill critical leadership gaps and deliver the first measurable release of cash, capacity or customer value.
• Months 10–12: Demonstrate a repeatable project-development pipeline trend against roadmap predictability, quality and stronger technical leadership, lock the following year’s capital and talent plan, evidence control sustainability and present a credible three-year value case with downside actions.

What the board will measure

• Delivery of the SVP – Engineering’s agreed first-year project-development pipeline value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A SVP – Engineering forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the project-development pipeline’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the SVP – Engineering mandate’s highest-priority project-development pipeline risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical project-development pipeline talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the SVP – Engineering’s direct reports.
• A quantified SVP – Engineering-owned improvement in the project-development pipeline operating constraint behind a balance-sheet rotation, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 330: no unresolved high-severity escalation older than 30 days and no material surprise withheld from its agreed governance forum.

The person

You are currently a SVP Engineering, VP R&D or Engineering Centre Head in a privately held Infrastructure or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the project-development pipeline, your SVP – Engineering track record includes a transition where the original plan was no longer sufficient; you can explain your choices, evidence and numerical impact. Candidates from infrastructure, construction, utilities, transport assets or project finance will be considered where the operating model, customer stakes and governance intensity match this SVP – Engineering brief.

As a SVP – Engineering candidate, you bring 22–28 years of progressive Infrastructure or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 22-28 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of £15,150 million and led an organisation of at least 650 people.

For mandate 330, the board wants two transitions: a difficult project-development pipeline portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during a balance-sheet rotation. As the prospective SVP – Engineering for this project-development pipeline, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 330 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The SVP – Engineering must be based in London; international relocation is supported, but this Infrastructure role is not designed as a remote appointment.

Non-negotiables

• Current or recent accountability at the level of SVP Engineering, VP R&D or Engineering Centre Head, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Infrastructure governance forum.
• Proven SVP – Engineering ownership of at least £15,150 million and leadership of no fewer than 650 employees in a comparable project-development pipeline context.
• One completed Infrastructure or adjacent-sector example of engineering commitments exceeding delivery capacity and architecture coherence with outcomes sustained for at least two reporting periods after the initial intervention.
• Sector credibility from infrastructure, construction, utilities, transport assets or project finance; experience that is purely functional and lacks SVP – Engineering-level project-development pipeline consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the London location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 330.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated SVP – Engineering package is £210,000–280,000 base + annual incentive, calibrated to the final project-development pipeline scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 330 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The SVP – Engineering appointment in London, centred on the project-development pipeline, offers regular exposure to the group board and the relevant risk and people committees. A notice period of up to 6 months can be accommodated for the selected executive in mandate 330.

Confidentiality

To protect the board, incumbent team and candidate, the organisation remains unnamed until a confidential conversation confirms mutual relevance for mandate 330. The operating facts have been rounded and blended expressly to remove identifying signals for mandate 330.