Construction Manager in Manchester

Costain has been appointed as Delivery Integration Partner by National Highways (NH) for delivery of the £240m improvement of the Simister Island M60/M62/M66 interchange (M60 Junction 18), north of Manchester. As Delivery Integration Partner, Costain will overhaul the busy junction involving complex traffic management to keep tens of thousands of vehicles moving whilst construction takes place.

The Works Consist Of:

• A new free flow 'northern loop' link road to take drivers directly from M60 eastbound to M60 southbound without exiting the motorway
• M66 mainline southbound widening and southbound slip road realignment to allow for construction of the northern loop
• A widened connector road from M60 northbound to M60 westbound – replacing the current single lane with two lanes
• Adding an extra lane in each direction on the M60 Junctions 17 to 18 (increasing from 4 to 5 lanes) while retaining the hard shoulders
• Upgrades to drainage, lighting, motorway technology, signage and signalling

Working directly under the Project Director/Manager as part of the Senior Management Team, this role is to lead construction operations to ensure all elements are delivered safely, to the required quality, on time and within budget, all in line with the scheme design and associated highway specifications and in compliance with the Development Consent Order requirements. This will include managing a team of engineering staff and subcontractors, working alongside the site supervisory team and other disciplines (SHE, Stakeholder, Design/Engineering/Quality, Commercial etc.). Applicants with motorway experience are preferred.

The role involves a mobilisation stage of 3-5 months before approximately 3 years of construction starting in June 2026. Post-construction support for handover into operations will also be required.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide construction leadership and manage all aspects of construction.
• Ensure all works are carried out in accordance with The Costain Way.
• Put safety above all else and lead by example.
• Promote a Right First-Time approach to quality and avoid rework.
• Manage a team of 20+ engineering staff and collaborate with other members of the project leadership team.
• Support the Project Director/Manager in all construction matters including handover.
• Provide planning and procurement support, implementing product control and all related subcontract activities.

ESSENTIAL – KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE

• Substantial experience in construction delivery with 3 years+ in a management position (e.g. Agent/Senior Agent)
• Knowledge and experience of relevant standards and procedures
• Experience of working within a Principal Contractor environment
• Knowledge and experience of Temporary Works procedures
• CSCS & SMSTS qualifications
• Behavioural Management training

DESIRABLE – EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience as a Lean Practitioner
• Understanding of handover processes
• Motorway environment construction experience
• Professionally qualified or working towards professional qualification
• Construction or Engineering Professional Membership

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree (or equivalent) in Civil Engineering.

Costain helps to improve people's lives with integrated, leading edge, smart infrastructure solutions across the UK's energy, water, transportation and defence markets. We help our clients improve their business performance by increasing capacity, improving customer service, safeguarding security, enhancing resilience, decarbonising and delivering increased efficiency. Our vision is to be the UK's leading smart infrastructure solutions company. We will achieve this by focusing on blue-chip clients whose major spending plans are underpinned by strategic national needs, regulatory commitments, legislation or essential performance requirements. Our culture and values underpin everything we do.

Costain appreciates the time and effort taken when applying for one of our positions but, due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to provide individual feedback on candidates at application phase. We do share individual feedback following an interview.

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that discloses they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.