Project Principal in Cambridge

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do.

About The Buildings Unit

The Buildings Unit (BLD) has a major presence in Mott MacDonald’s regional offices throughout the UK and mainland Europe and focuses on the delivery of complex buildings projects across a range of sectors. Our work spans health, defence, education, justice, aviation, commercial and mixed‑use developments, as well as major and complex buildings programmes within cities and communities. We provide both local delivery and technical leadership across the Group’s buildings portfolio.

Overview of the Role

The Project Principal is a senior leadership role providing single‑point accountability for the successful bidding, mobilisation and delivery of complex, multidisciplinary buildings projects across multiple sectors. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, the role sets delivery strategy, assures performance and provides senior oversight across the full project lifecycle. The Project Principal acts as the senior authority on assigned commissions, intervening where necessary to protect programme, commercial, safety and quality outcomes. The role is particularly suited to individuals with experience operating in Design & Build and contractor‑led environments, where strong commercial judgement, governance, and the ability to manage delivery risk and interfaces are critical.

Responsibilities

• Provide end‑to‑end leadership and accountability for complex buildings projects, from bid stage through mobilisation, delivery and close‑out.
• Set and approve the overall project delivery strategy, including scope, programme, resources, budget, risk profile and governance arrangements.
• Lead projects delivered in Design & Build, framework and contractor‑led environments, ensuring appropriate oversight of design development, interfaces and delivery risk.
• Act as the senior escalation point for delivery, commercial, safety, quality or reputational issues, intervening decisively where outcomes are threatened.
• Provide senior commercial oversight, including fee strategy, forecasting, change management and contract administration, ensuring projects remain financially robust and contractually compliant.
• Lead and assure multidisciplinary teams, providing challenge and guidance to project managers and technical leads to maintain high standards of design quality and delivery performance.
• Sponsor and chair key project reviews at critical stages, ensuring risks are understood, controlled and appropriately escalated.
• Ensure that projects are resourced with appropriately skilled and competent teams and that effective assurance arrangements are in place.
• Maintain oversight of health, safety and wellbeing risks, ensuring safe systems of work and compliance with relevant legislation and standards.
• Act as a trusted senior advisor to clients, contractors and delivery partners, building strong relationships and managing expectations at an executive level.
• Mentor and support senior project leaders, contributing to capability development and continuous improvement across project delivery.

Candidate Specification

Essential

• Degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management or a related discipline.
• Significant experience delivering complex, multidisciplinary buildings projects within a consultancy or professional services environment.
• Proven track record operating in a senior project leadership role (e.g. Project Principal, Project Director or equivalent), with accountability for delivery outcomes.
• Demonstrable experience working in Design & Build and/or contractor‑led delivery models, including managing design risk and interfaces.
• Strong commercial acumen, including experience of contract management, forecasting, change control and risk management.
• Sound working knowledge of collaborative contract forms (e.g. NEC or equivalent).
• Experience leading and influencing multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders.
• Ability to operate with authority, sound judgement and autonomy in complex delivery environments.
• Strong client‑facing capability, including managing senior client and contractor relationships.

Desirable

• Experience across multiple buildings sectors (e.g. healthcare, education, defence, aviation, infrastructure‑related buildings).
• Experience supporting or leading bids and early project shaping activities.
• Chartered status (e.g. APM, ICE, CIOB, RICS or equivalent).
• Experience operating in regulated or security‑conscious environments.
• Security clearance or eligibility to obtain clearance (subject to project requirements).

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile Working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well‑being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

Benefits

• Financial wellbeing: We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%. Life assurance equal up to 4 × your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 × your salary. Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long‑term illness or injury. Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will‑writing. As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.
• Employee Ownership: Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success. Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses. As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long‑term impact and contribution. Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future. For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.
• Health and wellbeing: Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues. Health cash plan to support you with everyday health costs and treatments. Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues. A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing programme, including access for you and your family. Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.
• Lifestyle: A minimum of 33‑35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme. Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service. Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high‑street retailers.
• Enhanced family and carers leave: Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave. Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay. Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
• Learning and development: Primary annual professional institution subscription. A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self‑development options.
• Networks, communities, and social outcomes: Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities. Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Locations: Birmingham, Southampton, Manchester, Cambridge, Glasgow, London, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Croydon, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Contract Type: Permanent

Work Pattern: Full Time

Market: Buildings

Discipline: Project programme and commercial management

Job Ref: 14581