Senior Project Manager in Colchester

To provide project management expertise on a major joint venture project, we are looking for a Senior Project Manager to join us. Working on a major highway's infrastructure project, you'll manage day‐to‐day performance of delivery partners, technical specialists, and internal teams, ensuring risks, interfaces, constraints and progress are effectively controlled to achieve project outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Manage day‐to‐day management, coordination and delivery of assigned project scope within the Kent Roads project, ensuring alignment with programme baselines, performance objectives and LTC strategy.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with the delivery partner, internal teams, project governance forums and external stakeholders to ensure shared understanding of project objectives—including safety, programme, carbon reduction and social value commitments—and to support informed decision‐making on progress, risks and issues.
• Ensure compliance with National Highways' Portfolio, Programme & Project Management System and LTC governance processes.
• Manage delivery partner and consultancy performance by clearly defining requirements, setting expectations for safety, time, cost and quality, and taking timely action to resolve emerging issues.
• Oversee commercial and contractual performance to secure value for money and maintain control over costs.
• Manage the identification, assessment and management of project risks, issues, interfaces and dependencies, implementing effective mitigation and escalation where required.
• Ensure all project activities are delivered safely, in accordance with safety leadership expectations, CDM regulations, and environmental commitments.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, collaboration and accountability across the team.
• Support, mentor and develop Assistant Project Managers and embedded functional staff.

Qualifications

• Possess Chartered status or APM PMQ (or equivalent).
• Previous experience leading teams to manage complex, medium/high risk or high‐profile projects with demonstrated success.
• Experience managing business or value management cases for new projects through company‐defined governance, review and approval gates.
• Experience managing and maintaining agreed project plans and detailed stage plans with delivery partners.
• Clear demonstration of commercial acumen with the capability to negotiate and oversee contracts to achieve results and ensure value for money.
• Experience in innovation, sustainability, and best practice in major programme delivery.
• Experience mentoring or coaching project managers to grow their project management skills and capabilities within a complex project environment.
• Solid strategic leadership, planning, organisational and decision‐making ability.
• Clear and effective communicator with the ability to persuade others, supported by sound commercial and financial knowledge.

Benefits

• 28 days' holiday plus all UK bank and public holidays.
• Formalised development plans and yearly promotion opportunities.
• Private health care, for you and your immediate dependents.
• Flexible and hybrid working conditions.
• Annual subscription fees paid for your membership of two Professional Institutions.
• Group personal pension scheme – salary exchange.
• Life assurance.

COWI provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to ethnicity, colour, religion, gender, national origin, age or disability. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.