Contracts Manager - Habitats (North West) in Manchester

The North West Contracts Manager is a strategic new appointment, responsible for developing and leading a North West England delivery team, supported by the wider business and our Head Office in South Gloucestershire. The role presents considerable opportunity for growth as this regional hub emerges and builds on relationships with existing clients within the area. We seek a highly-organised and personable team player, with a ‘can do’ approach and strong attention to detail.

As a proactive and driven individual, you will be primarily responsible for actively procuring, organising and delivering a range of land management schemes, whilst adhering to Keystone’s quality assurance standards and risk management procedures. A genuine alignment with Keystone’s vision and values, and a demonstrable willingness to contribute to the successful growth of the Habitats team, is essential. The ideal candidate will be able to embrace the challenge of delivering existing works, whilst growing our client base in the surrounding area.

You will therefore need to strategically balance sourcing new opportunities with practical delivery of projects, including but not limited to:

• prospective client networking
• client liaison
• project management
• budgeting
• practical implementation

Through close coordination with the existing team, you will be responsible for logistics, project planning and resourcing. You will lead on quoting and tendering for local works, whilst also supporting the wider Keystone Habitats team in bidding for more complex tenders and opportunities. You will also actively seek joint venture opportunities within the wider Origin Enterprises Group. You will have the support of our Habitats Administrator, yet be self-sufficient in administrative duties associated with efficient project management.

Keystone’s ability to offer end-to-end solutions, facilitated by our in-house consultancy offering, is our real strength. The successful candidate will work closely with our Head of Ecology and Head of Arboriculture & Forestry to ensure that our schemes are delivered with a focus on protected species and their associated habitats, and in compliance with relevant legislation.

Primary Responsibilities

• Seek and recruit new team members with the support of Origin’s HR team
• Line management and professional development of junior staff
• Contribute to wider business strategy
• Procurement of works including quoting and tendering of large scale projects
• Financial control including budget management & delivery of revenue targets
• Help to secure repeat and referral work through nurturing of new & existing clients
• Maximise opportunities to win new work from prospective clients including scheduling introductory meetings

Core Requirements

• Relevant industry experience. This could be in ecological contracting or practical land management, including but not limited to habitat creation and restoration, conservation, forestry and arboriculture
• Exceptional communication skills, evidenced via a track record of client, subcontractor and supplier communication and management
• Experience in organising and managing a team of operatives and associated vehicles and plant on projects
• Ability to identify risks and opportunities, avoiding/minimising the former and capitalising on the latter
• A proven aptitude for understanding clients’ requirements and delivering these on time and within budget, without compromising industry standards
• Demonstrable commercial acumen, both in profitable project delivery and in seeking future opportunities
• Ability to balance and manage priorities, and maintain good working relationships with clients and colleagues whilst working under pressure
• Solutions led and having an inherent ability to problem solve under pressure and in a range of environments
• Quoting, tendering and project delivery experience
• Experience in line managing and mentoring junior team members to achieve their full potential
• Experience in writing site-specific risk assessments and method statements for jobs covering a range of sectors
• Related qualifications or professional accreditations are preferred but not essential – SSSTS/SMSTS CSCS or similar industry equivalent
• Driving licence (clean) is essential, and towing experience would be advantageous

Location

This is an exciting new role, offering the flexibility to initially work from home whilst supporting the delivery of existing projects. With the support of the wider Keystone and Origin Enterprises network, we are committed to building a strong regional client base in Northern England. We will establish a locally based team and associated resources, with a clear ambition to create a dedicated Northern England delivery hub for the Keystone Habitats team. Ideally candidates would be situated within the Manchester/Warrington area with flexibility to commute to sites as required.

We offer a friendly, supportive, and welcoming work environment within our Head Office, situated in an idyllic rural setting just outside Tetbury. Our Habitats team operate out of our separate agricultural location locally, housing a range of specialist low impact machinery, which is regularly deployed nationwide, along with a comprehensive workshop area.

What’s in it for you?

• A supportive, experienced and friendly team
• 25 days annual leave per annum (plus bank holidays)