Development Project Manager (Education Civils and Buildings) in Essex

Permanent, Full Time up to £55,129 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 26th April 2026

This is a hybrid-working role. You will work from the Chelmsford office and/or across our operational area 2-3 days per week, depending on business need. This can be discussed further at interview.

The Capital Investment and Delivery team develop and deliver the capital Programme for Essex County Council. The team's focus is on developing opportunities for capital investment in order to secure financial returns to support the Council's strategic priorities.

The Project Manager role is accountable for managing a number of small to medium scale civil and/or building projects (up to £25m construction value) which contribute to the delivery of Essex County Council's (ECC) strategic aims and is responsible for driving and overseeing the delivery of project objectives ensuring they are clearly defined and can be delivered within the agreed timelines.

As an experienced manager familiar with working in a project environment, robust project management procedures are in place and that projects are underpinned by governance and assurance processes. Influencing and collaborating with stakeholders is also essential to ensure agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefits to be realised.

• Responsible for managing small to medium sized, complex projects to latest industry, legislation, and contract standards, contributing to ECC's strategic aims to deliver agreed outcomes within quality, time, and cost constraints.
• Responsible for efficient management of projects and project teams, including contractors, ensuring capability aligns with project objectives, to ensure successful delivery of project outcomes and develop innovative and improved ways of working.
• Responsible for providing expertise and specialist knowledge to develop robust substantiated business cases and project execution plans, that align project deliverables to the Council's expectations and maintain this throughout project delivery.
• Responsible for monitoring project delivery, ensuring alignment with the agreed budget, scope, specification, and Programme and reporting to senior managers.
• Clearly setting out and managing project resource to safeguard project deliverables.
• Responsible for warranting stakeholder agreement of quantified benefits to be realised.
• Responsible for coordinating, chairing, and accurately recording meetings with internal and external stakeholders and contractors.
• Responsible for designing and actively managing the project plan to ensure outcomes are delivered, and implementing metrics required to monitor impact to project plan.
• Responsible for overseeing risk management including highlighting project risks and opportunities, ownership, mitigation, and escalation as appropriate.
• Responsible for managing effective change management processes, supporting contract administration, and capturing and overseeing stakeholder Reviewable Design Data.
• Responsible for developing an effective governance and assurance framework which supports decision making and ensure regular reporting through pro‑active engagement with project sponsors and other professional resources.
• Work collaboratively with and manage internal stakeholder and external partner relationships.

• Educated to RQF level 6 (bachelor's degree) or equivalent by extensive experience.
• Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) and up to date knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Project Management qualification or accreditation such as, APM Practitioner, Prince 2, NEC3/4 Accredited Project Manager.
• Evidence of having successfully completed several projects in a similar role, speciality and experience contributing to a range of other projects and/or Programmes.
• Experience of delivering the full range of duties required of either an NEC3/NEC4 Project Manager or JCT Contract Administrator / Employers Agent.
• Experience of working with a diverse range of individuals at varying levels within a number of complex organisations and engaging with them, finding ways to overcome obstacles.
• Experience of working within a political environment with knowledge of a public sector setting and involvement in a large, complex environment.
• Good leadership and behavioural skills, with the ability to influence and motivate professional staff, building diverse teams, to achieve shared objectives.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.