Plenty run teams. Few get to build Cambridge's electrical bench.

Plenty of associate directors inherit a team someone else built. This seat hands you the raw material and the mandate to build the bench yourself.It is an associate director role in the building services team of a global engineering consultancy with a growing Cambridge office. The local market, anchored by science and education clients, keeps producing work that needs senior electrical judgement, and the firm intends to meet it locally rather than ship it to London.You lead the electrical discipline in the office: technical direction, client leadership, recruitment and development of the engineers underneath you, with the national platform behind every decision. The role rewards someone who wants their fingerprints on how a team works, not just what it produces.The market context helps too. Cambridge keeps producing laboratory, research and education schemes that need senior electrical judgement close at hand, and the firm has decided to build that capability locally rather than serve it from London. You would be the person that decision was made for, with the hiring mandate to match.You would also keep technical input on the schemes that interest you most. The role is leadership first, but not leadership only, and the balance is yours to set.If you have outgrown a structure someone else designed, this is the chance to design one. Salary is between £78,000 and £105,000.People at this level prefer a quiet conversation. Easily done.If you've read this far and you're still unsure and would prefer a detailed market insight including salary bands and market trends - then check out our free guide here: https://www.responsumltd.com/uk-salary-guide-2026