Director of Construction

1. OverviewExperience: 7+ years construction / development delivery Start Date: Summer 2026 Location: Mayfair, London (with regular site visits across the UK)Contract Type: Full-time, on-siteSalary Range: c.£90k-£110k PA + benefits, depending on experienceThis is a senior design and delivery role for a construction professional with a strong background in engineering, system design, quality control, programme and/or cost optimisation to take a new step in their career in house with a developer to help with strategy and delivery across the SAV Group pipeline. We are looking for someone who is passionate about construction and the built environment, with ambitions to take the next step as a construction leader. Someone who understands how buildings go together, how systems behave, and where the cost and time sits. You will form part of the Development team, reporting directly to the Development Director and helping to manage an external construction team. Your focus will be feeding into product optimisation from a cost, quality, compliance and programme perspective and you will form a core part of the procurement and negotiation team, driving correspondence and relationships with external contractors.2. About SAV Group SAV Group is a specialist property investor and developer, focusing on repositioning and redeveloping assets across the UK. We aim to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we operate. The combined value of SAV Group’s completed and ongoing projects exceeds £800m, with a pipeline of over £150m in construction value. We specialise in enhancing hotels, student accommodation, apartment buildings, and retail properties through strategic asset management, repositioning, and redevelopment. We manage the full lifecycle of real estate: acquisition, planning, construction, delivery and asset management. This requires deep multidisciplinary thinking across planning, regulations, law, finance and construction.3. About the role We are seeking an experienced construction professional, ideally from an technical background (such as engineering), with construction expertise that will allow you to confidently feed into design, buildability, cost, quality and programme.You are likely the right candidate for this job if you have a good amount of experience across some or all of these elements but have the passion for construction and desire to grow further as part of a senior team. You will be technically credible and able to build relationships with contractors, consultants and suppliers.You will work very closely with the Development Director in forming and executing the construction strategy. The role is in essence split into two parts: (1) design and procurement, and (2) delivery and you will be expected to use your current skills and add new complementary skills to add value in both stages.Design and procurement This will include optimising design, challenging specifications, interrogating buildability, and making sure the design we contract with the right partners and manage those partners properly throughout the construction process. You will work alongside the Development Director to manage design progression and negotiate with external contractors through tenders, PCSA and into main contracts, keeping programme and quality aligned, and making sure every package is procured and sequenced to protect both cost and time. DeliveryYou will focus on monitoring construction and ensuring that the design intent is met through each stage of the build, reporting to the Development Director and feeding into model updates and product refinement. 4. Qualifications and SkillsQualifications A university degree is required, ideally in Civil, Structural, Mechanical or Building Services Engineering, Construction Management, or other engineering and construction-adjacent degrees will be considered where the candidate demonstrates suitable experience or knowledgeChartered status with a recognised professional body (MICE, MIStructE, CIBSE, MCIOB or equivalent) is preferredWorking knowledge of JCT contract suites Experience A meaningful track record at construction leadership level, ideally with contractor-side exposure Demonstrable experience supporting or leading delivery of mixed-use, residential, hotel or student accommodation schemes — repositioning and refurbishment experience with complex cut and carve particularly valuedHands-on experience running PCSA periods and transitioning schemes from pre-construction into construction Track record of delivering real cost and programme savings through construction strategy, packaging and procurement decisionsKnowledge & Skills Knowledgeable in materials with a good understanding of performance, sourcing, lead times and substitutability across structure, envelope, MEP and fit-out Strong grasp of how building systems behave and interact, not just how they are specified • Understanding of UK core construction regulations and their practical application on-site • Confident negotiator and relationship-builder, able to hold the line with contractors and consultants while maintaining long-term trust Commercially literate: able to read cost plans, appraisals and contract amendments and translate between engineering and investment teams Strong work ethic, ambition, and a proactive, hands-on approach5. Job BenefitsCompetitive salary of c.£90,000 – c.£110,000 per annum, dependent on experience and qualifications. Discretionary performance-related bonus Comprehensive benefits package, including phone, gym and pension Support for continuous professional development, including chartered body fees and CPD6. How to ApplyIf you are interested in this opportunity, please submit your CV via email to recruitment at recruitment@savgroup.co.uk. Please use the following subject line in your email: SAV Group Construction Director – [First Name and Last Name]