Contract Manager - Construction

In April 2020 Buckinghamshire Council became the UK’s newest unitary council, ensuring that the residents of Buckinghamshire are served by a single, unitary council.

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage.

The Construction Team sits within the Communities directorate Portfolio and has one of the largest revenue income and expenditure budgets. It also has an ambitious capital programme covering commercial, operational and community development.

We have an exciting opportunity within Construction where we are seeking an Interim Contract Manager (Construction), to be part of the organisations Construction team. Reporting to the Senior Contracts Manager this is a key role that will bring together skills in service provision delivery as well as the ability to work in a changing operational environment and the continuing work of bringing together the service provision from all the legacy organisations.

The appointment will be for a 12 month FTC/Secondment to cover maternity with the potential to extend a further 2 months.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

Our key priorities include developing the economic narrative for Buckinghamshire, creating more jobs and delivering the right infrastructure to help businesses and residents thrive. This will in turn support community services and create new schools, housing, regeneration, and income to support public services.

We also aim to provide a proactive construction management service that is responsive, whilst making the best use of the Council’s land and property portfolio. Our Construction Team provides a consistent, high quality professional service that is responsive to customer demands. We are expanding the team to meet increasing demands on the services we offer.

As part of the Communities function you will not only get to help shape the economic future of Buckinghamshire; you’ll also be involved in delivering high-profile construction projects and work on some of the biggest infrastructure projects in the UK.

About the role

As an experienced Construction Professional, you will assist in the management and deliver an expert professional/specialist service providing commercial guidance in relation to capital projects pipeline up to a value of £100m per annum. Provide commercial guidance in relation to capital projects commencing at pre-tender/pre-appointments stage (RIBA 0-1) and through the project life cycle (end of RIBA 7), you will need to influence and motivate stakeholders, internal and external, to be able to assess and take the best commercial solution for risk management for the Council.

You will assist and lead where required on the day-to-day delivery of Strategic and Major projects. Including the adoption and management of project standards/governance, terms and conditions of appointment and contracts to meet the council requirements.

We want to play to your strengths but also provide support and the opportunity for you to develop and broaden your skills and experience.

We also want you to help others to grow and develop by mentoring and supporting colleagues enabling them to progress as they gain more experience and responsibility.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. Not only will you be an integral part of the unique and exciting transition through the unitary process, you will also be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

On-the-go:

Our ‘on-the-go’ roles mean you’ll usually start and finish your day from a base, moving around between different locations throughout the day. You won’t need a fixed desk to work from, but you’ll have access to our network where you can keep up to date with admin and the latest staff updates.

About you

We are seeking an individual with significant demonstratable experience in the field of property construction with a preferable understanding of the Buckinghamshire County area would be helpful. An understanding of how construction can support the regeneration and place-making aims of the Council as well as experience of managing construction projects across the entire range preferably including housing.

A degree in a relevant subject (or substantial relevant work experience) is a must in this role, in addition full membership of RICS/CIOB is essential. You should apply if you have as a minimum:

• A proven track record of managing and delivering major construction projects from either a client side or main contractor environment.
• Have significant demonstrable experience of appointing and managing external consultants related to the delivery of construction projects.
• Have a proven track record of effectively managing significant budgets.
• Have an excellent understanding of procurement, building contracts and services.
• Have a proven ability to work effectively in a professional and/or political environment establish positive and productive relationships with services providers and stakeholders.
• Have substantial demonstratable experience of administering the terms of JCT Standard Forms of Contract, predominantly managing Design & Build Contracts via a 2 stage tendering procurement as the Employer and experience in other JCT form of Contract i.e. SBCXQ, SBCQ

Other information

Number of positions available: 1

Who to contact for additional information: Andy Martin – Senior Contract Manager

For an informal chat about this role in more detail, please contact Andy Martin on 01296 382187, [emailprotected]

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day.

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• Licensing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards
• Cemeteries and Crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment.

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement – whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

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