The posting
Job description
The Practice Resource Manager will be responsible for ensuring the Practice has the right people, with the right skills, allocated to the right projects at the right time.
The role will provide strategic oversight of resource planning across the Practice, using project and resource data, including information held within Rapport3, to improve forecasting, identify delivery risks, and support better decision making.
Working closely with key stakeholders the Practice Resource Manager will monitor project performance, identify project slippage, understand resource challenges, and ensure the Practice is proactively addressing capacity, capability, and delivery requirements.
The role will play a key part in improving project delivery, utilisation, forecasting accuracy, and the overall operational effectiveness of the Practice, while identifying opportunities to innovate and improve ways of working. Qualifications
- Relevant qualification or experience in resource planning, project management, operations, business management, or a related discipline.
- Experience working within an architecture, engineering, construction, or professional services environment preferred.
Skills and Experience
- Proven experience managing resources across multiple projects, teams, or disciplines.
- Strong understanding of project delivery, workflows, programmes, and the challenges of balancing competing priorities.
- Experience analysing workload, capacity, utilisation, project performance, and operational data.
- Experience using project management or resource planning systems.
- Ability to identify delivery risks, resource constraints, capability gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
- Strong organisational and problem solving skills with the ability to manage competing demands.
- Ability to communicate clear insights and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
- Strong relationship building skills with the ability to influence Directors, Project Leads, and teams across the Practice.
Qualities and Attributes
- Highly organised with excellent attention to detail.
- Able to see the bigger picture while understanding project level challenges.
- Proactive and solutions focused, identifying issues before they impact delivery.
- Confident challenging assumptions and encouraging better ways of working.
- Builds trust and credibility across all levels of the Practice.
- Strong communicator who can influence decisions through insight and evidence.
- Collaborative approach with a commitment to supporting teams to succeed.
- Curious and innovative, continuously looking for ways to improve processes and performance.
- Responds positively to changing priorities, project demands, and business needs.
Resource Planning and Allocation
- Lead the Practice wide resource planning process, ensuring projects are appropriately resourced with the right skills, experience, and capacity.
- Understand current and future resource requirements.
- Use Rapport3 information to maintain visibility of project workloads, team capacity, resource availability, and future demand.
- Identify resource conflicts, competing priorities, and potential delivery risks.
- Support effective allocation of people across projects, studios, and locations.
- Balance project requirements with Practice priorities, individual development needs, and long term capability planning.
Project Performance and Delivery Insight
- Establish regular reviews of project performance, resource allocation, and delivery pressures.
- Use project information from Rapport3 to identify:
- projects experiencing slippage or delays;
- projects where resource levels are insufficient or misaligned;
- projects where key skills or experience are missing;
- emerging risks that may impact programme, quality, or commercial performance.
- Work with Project Leads to understand the causes of project challenges and support recovery planning.
- Provide insight and recommendations to Directors to enable timely decision-making.
- Support a proactive approach to managing delivery risks.
Capacity Planning and Forecasting
- Maintain an accurate forward view of Practice capacity, workload, and resource requirements.
- Use resource and project data to identify future pressures, opportunities, and capability gaps.
- Align resource planning with project forecasts, utilisation targets, and business objectives.
- Improve visibility of future workload and capacity requirements.
Rapport3 Systems and Data Improvement
- Take ownership of improving the use of Rapport3 as a project and resource management tool across the Practice.
- Support teams to maintain accurate and timely project and resource information.
- Develop improved reporting, dashboards, and insights to support better decision making.
- Identify opportunities to improve data quality, consistency, and accessibility.
- Work with teams to embed effective use of systems and processes.
Innovation and Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to improve how the Practice plans, manages, and delivers projects.
- Explore new approaches, tools, and technologies that improve resource management, forecasting, collaboration, and efficiency.
- Use data and insight to challenge existing ways of working and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Support innovation in project delivery processes, operational systems, and Practice workflows.
- Work collaboratively with teams to test, implement, and embed improvements.
- Share learning and best practice across the Practice.
Collaboration and Practice Support
- Build strong relationships with Directors, Project Leads, and teams across the Practice.
- Promote a culture of forward planning, accountability, and collaboration.
- Support project leads to make informed decisions about resources and delivery.
- Help create greater visibility of Practice priorities, pressures, and opportunities.
- Contribute to improving the overall operational effectiveness of the Practice.
