Senior Project Leader

Working at the UK Parliament offers a unique and rewarding career at the heart of the UK’s democratic system. With a wide range of roles available, our impartial colleagues enable the day to day running of the House of Commons, House of Lords and Joint Departments. Together, we make Parliament happen.

The Project Delivery Team within Strategic Estates plays a crucial role in maintaining and improving the Parliamentary Estate, ensuring that it remains fit for purpose while preserving its historic significance. Our team is responsible for delivering large-scale construction, refurbishment, and conservation projects across the estate, which includes the iconic Palace of Westminster. Operating within a UNESCO World Heritage site, we work in a complex stakeholder environment, balancing conservation needs with the demand for innovation and modernisation. With a portfolio value of over £1bn, our team is dedicated to delivering projects on time, within budget, and to the highest quality and safety standards.

We are looking for experienced Senior Project Leaders to act as the client representative and perform the “informed client” role on behalf of the Project Owner or Project Board, as appropriate, to pro-actively lead on the delivery of estate-wide property, building refurbishment and conservation projects. You will be involved in leading and delivering a diverse and exciting range of projects typically ranging between £5m and £100m. As a Senior Project Leader you will be required to meet the needs of internal departments in the two Houses and to report to all interested parties, including project boards, clients and stakeholders.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Establish and communicate the overall budget and timescales for projects.
• Oversee the development of comprehensive Business Cases to the required standards and in accordance with House governance procedures, to obtain funding for the agreed scope of the project.
• Ensure projects are procured in accordance with House guidelines and procedures.
• Oversee the briefing, appointment and management of external consultant teams to enable successful project delivery.

Essential Qualifications:

An accredited qualification to a minimum of level 4 in a related technical subject such as Construction, Engineering or Architecture. On commencement of employment candidates with a level 4 or 5 qualification will be expected to have obtained full RICS, CIOB, CIBSE or similar Chartership within three years of commencing employment.

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Leadership and Governance: Provide demonstrable evidence of evaluation of your leadership role, motivating/ inspiring consultant project managers and evidence of evaluating and managing resources in specific cases. Providing demonstrable experience of cascading vision and translating into delivery objectives for the team.
• Health and Safety: Knowledge of and practical implementation of H&S legislation particularly CDM 2015.
• Commercial Knowledge: Experience setting, monitoring, and advising on project cash flows, KPIs, and financial implications. Understanding of construction contract administration, procurement routes, tendering, and reporting processes. Knowledge of heritage-related legislation and experience with NEC3/NEC4 contracts.
• Technical Knowledge: Extensive experience managing construction projects from inception to completion, ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and to quality standards. Proven delivery of major refurbishments, ideally including MEP elements. Experience in change management, contract management, and procurement.
• Risk and Issue Management: Experience in overseeing risk management, implementing mitigations, and resolving issues through negotiation. Knowledge of risk management, risk registers and qualitative risk management techniques.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Experience of establishing and developing productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, coordinating approaches across multi-disciplinary teams within a complex and challenging environment. Demonstrable commitment to a work environment of mutual trust and respect, where diversity and inclusion are valued.

Next Steps and Additional Information:

If you would like to apply for this role, please submit your CV and criterion responses to 2, 4 & 5 found in the person specification. The person specification and more information on the role can be found in the Job Description. Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances. Please ensure that you anonymise your application by removing any identifiable factors from your CV or Supporting Statement. We may close the vacancy prior to the closing date stated due to a high volume of applications.