Delay Analyst

You will work as part of a small but growing team of industry leading experts including Who’s Who Legal (WWL) recommended Expert Witnesses and Future Leaders.

Cultural fit, technical excellence and the ability to independently think, produce and deliver are the key qualities sought.

This is a great opportunity for a bright, motivated and ambitious construction professional with a sound understanding and some practical experience of carrying out delay analysis and forensic planning work on contentious projects.

You will work closely with expert witnesses and provide forensic analysis on numerous reports, all the time receiving training and support to develop your skills and capabilities.

The client’s office is in central London with a second office in Surrey, and the employer is happy to discuss flexible working arrangements, which will include regular days in the office as well as some home working where appropriate.

Project Details

Within this role you will gain significant experience supporting the lead testifying expert on a variety of dispute proceedings. Types of work that you will gain exposure to supporting the expert witness on include:

• Arbitration
• Adjudication
• Mediation reports
• General claims and disputes advisory work

Responsibilities and Duties

Your primary role will be to provide support to the lead delay expert in carrying out methodical and thorough forensic analysis related to multiple disputes. Specific duties may include but are not limited to:

1. Compiling as-built progress data
2. Investigating causes of delay
3. Developing factual chronologies of events

Whilst working with the expert, you will develop your skills and experience in a structured way with the long-term view of training you to eventually be able to carry out the lead delay expert role independently in the future.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Candidates will be required to have built up significant technical knowledge in a relevant role such as an engineer, planner or project manager. During this time, you will have gained exposure to several complex projects, the ability to use programmes and understand disputes that arise on projects.
• Ability to gain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the nature of the dispute being analysed based on a review of the claim documents / adjudication or arbitration submissions, factual witness statements and other briefing documents.
• An appreciation of the common methods of delay analysis, as set out in the Society of Construction Law Delay and Disruption Protocol.
• Ability to forensically investigate and analyse baseline and progress updated programmes using the industry standard programming software packages, including making appropriate logic changes to the programmes, as necessary, to analyse the nature and extent of both critical and non-critical delay.
• Ability to conduct methodical, thorough and detailed investigations and analysis (using a range of contemporaneous documents) to establish facts relevant to the nature, extent and causes of delay to all stages of the construction process on a wide range of construction and engineering project types, including (but not limited to) residential & commercial buildings, stadiums, conference centres, power plants, oil & gas-related projects, roads & bridges, schools, hospitals, hotels, railways, airports, pharmaceutical & research buildings and marine related projects.
• High quality of presentational skills, both written and oral. It is essential that all work generated is presented in a clear and structured manner (in the form of chronologies of events, internal file notes and spreadsheets), supported by clear cross-referencing to the relevant documents analysed. This is not only to ensure clear communication during the delay analysis process, but also to produce documents that can be used as appendices to the expert report that will stand up to scrutiny by the opposing party and Tribunal / Court.
• An appreciation for the time and cost constraints under which expert witness work is carried out. This requires the candidate to manage work delegated to him/her to ensure the timely completion of tasks (to the quality expected) having regard to the overall timescale for the delay analysis dictated by instructing solicitors / clients.
• Ability to take on board, and react positively to, constructive criticism. In this regard, the candidate should be driven and passionate about developing their skills and delivering a high standard of work.
• The ability to engage with confidence with solicitors and clients.

Qualifications/Educational Requirements

• A Degree in a relevant subject
• Membership of the appropriate professional body or working towards would be preferable.

Employing Company Overview and Profile

The hiring company is a highly reputable disputes consultancy with numerous industry experts including WWL recommended experts and future leaders, which proudly offers greater opportunity and responsibility than some of the larger firms in the market. They are looking to hire an individual who sees the benefits of working for a smaller business and will grasp opportunities to work in leading roles on a variety of disputes.

The client can offer flexible working arrangements to allow some work to be carried out at home. However, this role will require regular visits into London and candidates will need to be prepared to typically be in London a minimum of 2-3 days per week.

Additional Benefits Package and Incentives

Basic Salary in the region of £55k - £90k p/a dependant on experience

+ Contribution to the candidate’s personal pension plan
+ Mobile phone
+ Relevant professional fees paid
+ Annual discretionary bonus