Civils Project Manager in Portsmouth

The Service

We are the Infrastructure Section, which forms part of the City Council's Economy, Transport and Planning Directorate. We focus on four core areas, which are coastal and drainage, highways design, highways maintenance and project management. We work on a variety of civil engineering projects across the city of Portsmouth to support the realisation of the Council's Plan. We aim to produce exemplar work, through recordable and monitored processes, to a high standard, that others aspire towards. As a service we take pride in our work by valuing others, focusing on what is important so that we make a real and positive difference. Our values are outlined in our Ways of Working and our Guiding Principles and if they reflect how you are and how you work then this could be the role that meets your expectations.

The Role

This is a temporary Project Manager role to support in the successful delivery of the Bus Service Improvement Programme of capital works that are scheduled for completion in 2026. Your role will be to successfully support the project management of major civil engineering schemes from inception through to completion. You will work closely with officers, contractors and elected members to ensure that the highest standards are achieved within the constraints of time and budget.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

• Project Management: To support the project management of major civil engineering schemes supporting the growth and regeneration of Portsmouth. Work to recognised project management standards following Government guidance and to the council's own project management requirements. Direct and monitor staff in the completion of projects and products. Manage external consultants, as well as project staff to ensure targets are achieved.
• Financial Control: Prepare estimates, monitor and review project costs to ensure completion within agreed budgets. Achieve required level of quality and ensure value for money. Support to agree the final measures and payments.
• Scheme Implementation and Delivery: To provide successful project management throughout the life of a project from implementation through to and including construction. To ensure design and construction works are to programme, within project budget and that risks and benefits are appropriately managed and tracked. Support the management of the preparation and assessment of tenders and contract documents with support from legal, procurement, finance and technical teams. To appoint and manage contractors. Produce and maintain accurately the Project Initiation Documentation (PID) (mandate, business case, programme, risk register, budget etc.). Work closely with relevant technical teams to develop and deliver projects in accordance with the PID.
• Communication: To represent the team and ultimately City Council at meetings, to assist and carry out consultations on scheme proposals and to advise members as necessary. To liaise with the project client, project team, consultants and the general public. To prepare reports (including regular reports to Project Boards) as required. Liaise with other departments, such as the Highways Maintenance PFI team, to ensure that the project interlinks as seamlessly as possible with the existing highway network. Have strong links with internal and external stakeholders such as external funders and various government departments. Ensure design works and construction of works are to programme and within project budget.
• Training: To maintain personal technical expertise in new methods and technologies. To encourage junior project managers to pursue personal development through effective supervision and allocation of work.

Who is the person?

You need to be/have:

• An appropriate professional project management qualification (e.g. Prince 2) and ideally membership of an appropriate professional body (e.g. APM) or clear evidence that you are working towards these.
• Minimum 3 years of relevant post graduate experience.
• Ability to manage small scale civil engineering projects (values up to £500,000) from initiation through to successful completion.
• Experience of contracts such as NEC.
• Ability to lead small project teams through delegation and management.
• Commercial awareness and experience of working within strict budgetary controls, including the analysis and interpretation of financial information.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skill, with an ability to prioritise workload to manage time effectively. This includes being able to work on own initiative and respond positively to workload pressures.
• Good and relevant experience of working with stakeholders, contractors and agencies. Excellent interpersonal, communication and written skills and be able to deal effectively with members of staff at all levels and (at a non-technical level) with councillors and the public.
• Experience of preparing reports and correspondence, using research and information gathering techniques.
• An awareness of relevant legislation and regulatory framework for environmental issues is desirable.
• Knowledge and familiarity of Microsoft Office applications, ideally including Microsoft Project.