Technical Director – Water Team (Director Level) at ERM | October 2024

Ambition: Better supporting our clients by building a new growth engine for ERM

ERM recently completed a detailed ‘outside-in’ assessment of the water market. Climate change and severe weather, depleted water reserves, aging infrastructure, stakeholder demands, and more stringent regulations are pushing our clients harder than ever. Some 95% of ERM Key Clients have publicly committed to water strategies.

This assessment indicated that ERM has a ‘right to win’ in various segments of the industrial water professional services market because of our global reach, client relationships, and technical expertise.

We concluded that an ambitious growth target for this team is attainable with focused, strategic action – including acquisitions, partnerships and selective recruitment.

The leadership role outlined below is designed to bring this ambition to life in our Africa BU/Region as a critical part of ERM’s OneWater growth plan.

OneWater Lead Role – Two Key Accountabilities:

Sales

• ERM’s service and industry leaders have overarching accountability to drive sales success across the globe and within their regions respectively.

• OneWater Leads are expected to deliver the success of the water-focused go to market (GtM) campaigns, by being highly engaged in client conversations and opportunity pursuits, and helping others do the same. 

Hiring/team building

• ERM’s operational leaders have overarching accountability to drive profitable delivery of our growth ambitions across the globe and within their regions respectively.

• OneWater Leads are expected to build the team that will deliver the client projects that ERM will deliver – both through hiring of new talent, and upskilling/focus on existing ERMers.

The Role Profile

Bringing this to life in Africa BU will take strong, integrated leadership with the following characteristics key:

• Demonstrated capability to lead as an “influencer” in the market in which they operate.

• Credible business builder with proven ability to grow and scale business inclusive of sales, delivery, financials, people.

• Strong collaborator, engaging with ERM commercial and operational leaders (because all elements of the business are crucial to achieving the growth ambition).

• Constructive engagement with and contribution to the global OneWater team’s efforts to:

  • Help shape consistency, e.g. current ‘sprint’ work group to develop a common sales tracking framework, AND

  • Carry messaging/tools/methodologies into the region that are being developed elsewhere and offer ways to scale quickly.

Day-to-day responsibilities will include: 

• Lead the regional team across ERM’s advisory and infrastructure solutions to capture the OneWater opportunity in Africa

• Own accountability for the sales pipeline across all components of OneWater and ensure it is sufficient to achieve the budget requirements for FY26.

• Develop and drive a business plan that identifies success indicators at the 3-month, 6-month and 1-year milestones.

• Keep OneWater front of mind in the region leadership team (successes, challenges, and new opportunities to accelerate growth).

• Create and lead the conversation across the business (both Partners and staff) to fire up enthusiasm in the firm to get after the market and build the skills we will need.

• Identify the capabilities needed for delivery and work with recruitment to develop an ambitious hiring pipeline.

• Support new leaders (strategic hires and acquisitions) in their ERM integration

eporting lines and integration plan

Day-to-day you will report to the Africa BUMP and dotted line to two other global leads.

To Apply 

We aim to build an inclusive culture by identifying, acquiring, developing and retaining a highly skilled and high performing workforce that reflects the diverse global marketplace in which we operate, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religious preference, sexual orientation, physical attributes, or educational background. 

If you share our values and are interested in this role, please apply by sending your CV and a short cover letter explaining why you think you are suited to the role.  

ERM does not accept recruiting agency resumes and is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.