Third Party Agreements Manager

Senior Third Party Agreements Manager

Grays, Essex

Senior Third Party Agreements Manager

(Infrastructure / Utilities Focus)

The Role

This is a senior-level post within a nationally significant infrastructure programme (NSIP), where you\’ll take the lead on all things related to third-party legal agreements. Think high-stakes coordination, multidisciplinary interface management, and a healthy amount of legal and commercial negotiation. You\’ll be the thread that connects technical requirements with stakeholder expectations and regulatory obligations – all while keeping the programme moving.

You\’ll need to be confident working in the thick of a complex delivery environment, helping to untangle risk, bring clarity to negotiations, and ensure that every agreement is watertight before a single shovel hits the ground.

What You\’ll Be Doing

• Shaping and delivering the project-wide strategy for Third Party Agreements (TPAs) – from early engagement to close-out.
• Leading on the legal and commercial interface with statutory undertakers. You\’ll be the point person for negotiating, drafting, and resolving issues in protective provisions, side agreements, and other legal instruments.
• Collaborating closely with legal, engineering, stakeholder, and environmental teams to embed third-party requirements into both the DCO and the wider delivery programme.
• Developing and maintaining the TPA Management Plan, and making sure it aligns with project governance – from environmental assessments to design sign-offs.
• Keeping a firm grip on tracking tools and registers (Mitigation Tracker, Commitments Register, etc.) and ensuring everything is properly documented.
• Representing the project in meetings and negotiations with stakeholders – including technical working groups, legal workshops, and public consultations.
• Providing senior-level reporting on progress, spend, and risk – particularly where external parties are involved.

What You\’ll Need to Bring

Must-Haves:

• Proven experience managing statutory undertaker engagement and Third Party Agreements on major infrastructure schemes.
• Solid understanding of the DCO process or similar statutory consenting routes.
• A good commercial and legal head – especially when it comes to drafting and negotiating formal undertakings with utility companies, public bodies, and landowners.
• A history of getting things done across complex, multi-stakeholder environments and within tight statutory timescales.

Nice-to-Haves:

• Membership (or progress toward) a relevant professional body like RICS or RTPI.
• Practical knowledge of infrastructure planning and delivery.
• Experience drafting or reviewing legal documentation such as licences, MoUs, and protective provisions.

Your Day-to-Day Could Include

• Writing and owning the project\’s TPA strategy and governance framework.
• Taking charge of the drafting process – including negotiation, conflict resolution, and final wording.
• Running the TPA register, prioritising risks, and tracking programme impact through regular reporting cycles.
• Setting the engagement approach for a wide range of third parties – utilities, Network Rail, ports, local authorities, private landowners, and more.
• Monitoring TPA-related spend and tracking exposure against programme budget.
• Ensuring that no work starts without executed agreements in place – and flagging any issues that could delay delivery.
• Leading and mentoring a small team, and supporting package engineers with advice on statutory processes and consent pathways.

You\’ll also be expected to deliver:

• A robust TPA Management Plan
• A weekly dashboard and live register of third-party agreements
• Monthly reporting on accepted cost estimates
• A clear stakeholder engagement plan
• Up-to-date risk and opportunity logs
• Close-out packs for each agreement, including liabilities, cost, and IP documentation