Contract Manager in Brentwood, Essex

Location: Brentwood (covering London & surrounding social housing contracts)

Salary: £55,000 – £60,000 (DOE)

Contract Type: Permanent, Full-time

About Wiggett Group

At Wiggett Group, we deliver planned and reactive security works across social housing contracts, focusing on safe, compliant installations and excellent service in occupied properties. We’re committed to improving resident safety and ensuring systems are reliable, secure, and maintained to a consistently high standard.

Role Purpose

As the Access Control Contracts Manager, you will take ownership of the delivery and performance of our Access Control, Door Entry and Intercom contracts. You will manage engineers and subcontractors, oversee programme delivery, ensure compliance and quality, control costs, and act as the key point of contact for client stakeholders. This is a delivery-focused role requiring strong operational management, technical understanding, and the ability to drive performance across planned works, repairs, and upgrades in occupied social housing environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Contract & Operational Management

• Manage the day-to-day delivery of Access Control, Door Entry and Intercom works across assigned contracts.
• Plan and coordinate resources to meet client SLAs, KPIs, and programme deadlines.
• Oversee both reactive repairs and planned replacement/upgrade programmes.
• Ensure effective scheduling, productivity, and workflow management across sites and estates.

• Lead, manage and support a team of engineers and approved subcontractors.
• Allocate works, set priorities, and monitor performance to ensure targets are met.
• Conduct regular site visits to support delivery, resolve issues, and maintain standards.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and ongoing performance management where required.

• Provide technical leadership on complex faults, commissioning, and installation challenges.
• Ensure correct testing, configuration and commissioning before handover to the client.
• Implement QA processes: inspections, snagging, audits, and right-first-time standards.
• Drive consistency of installations and repairs across the team.

• Ensure all works comply with relevant standards, client specifications, and Wiggett Group procedures.
• Ensure RAMS are in place and followed and that safe systems of work are maintained.
• Oversee job documentation, test results, photos, handover packs and certification as required.
• Identify risks early and take corrective action to prevent service failures.

• Act as the key operational contact for clients, site teams, and housing stakeholders.
• Attend client meetings, provide progress updates, and manage expectations professionally.
• Escalate and resolve issues promptly including access constraints, resident concerns, and delays.
• Support reporting on performance, progress, defects, and recurring issues.

• Control labour and materials spend, ensuring jobs are delivered efficiently and within budget.
• Forecast and manage material requirements, ordering and availability to prevent delays.
• Monitor subcontractor performance, costs and outputs.
• Support quotations/variations and planned works pricing where needed (depending on contract setup).

Scope of Systems (Access Control Only)

• Access control systems (fobs, proximity, maglocks, strikes, controllers)
• Door entry systems
• Intercoms (audio/video)
• Associated power supplies, wiring, containment and basic networking where required

Skills, Experience & Qualifications

Essential

• Strong experience in Access Control, Door Entry and Intercoms (install, service, maintenance).
• Previous experience in a Contracts Manager / Operations / Supervisor / Lead Engineer capacity with responsibility for delivery.
• Confident understanding of fault finding, testing and commissioning.
• Experience working in occupied social housing or similar resident-facing environments.
• Strong leadership and communication skills with the ability to manage engineers and subcontractors.
• Organised, KPI-driven and able to manage multiple live jobs/sites.
• Full UK driving licence.

Desirable

• Manufacturer experience (e.g., Paxton, Entrotech, Videx, Comelit, BPT, Aiphone, Fermax, etc.)
• Experience managing SLAs/KPIs and client reporting
• Knowledge of communal door entry upgrades across blocks/estates
• SSAIB/NSI exposure (if applicable to your contract requirements)

What You’ll Get

• A key role within a growing division with real responsibility and progression opportunities
• Supportive leadership team and long-term social housing contract work
• Competitive salary (DOE) and the chance to build a high-performing delivery function