Lead Property & Construction Project Manager

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.  

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all. 

We are looking for a Lead Property & Construction Project Manager to join the UK Health Security Campus Programme. The overall aim of the programme is to deliver new modern fit for purpose science facilities, creating a hub for the critical scientific capabilities the UK needs to deliver on key health security objectives and National Biosecurity. The UK Health Security Campus Programme aims to enhance and replace existing UKHSA critical infrastructure, most importantly its aging high containment laboratories, which are essential for protecting the nation against potentially highly infectious diseases.

The programme has a small civil service core team to deliver high value complex capital infrastructure construction programme of works. It leads, directs, manages and controls the day-to-day work. Overall, this is headed by the Programme Director, supported by project teams, PMO and technical assurance team. The programme is supported by professional services delivery partners appointed through framework of specialist suppliers for design, technical, project management, commercial and cost management and other disciplines.

As Lead Property & Construction Project Manager, you will have expert knowledge and experience in both project delivery and property disciplines.

You will:

• lead on the day to day running of high complexity, high value (circa 150m+) infrastructure/construction projects throughout the RIBA stages within the UK Health Security Campus Programme
• be responsible for overseeing the end-to-end delivery, ensuring the project/s are delivered within the agreed time, cost, and specification
• have effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills and will play a key role in project governance, working with stakeholders to ensure the agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefit realisation.

The post holder leads a team of senior project managers and project managers and is supported by professional services providers/delivery partners and constructors to deliver the science facilities from concept through to handover including planning, design development, procurement, construction and handover.

This role is a government project delivery profession role and part of UKHSAs project delivery resource model. It is aligned to the Project Delivery Capability Framework - Project Manager G6 and also includes elements aligning to the Government Property Function Profession - Property and Construction Manager.

The job holder will be supported to work towards achieving Government Project Delivery Accreditation where they do not already hold this.

The main responsibilities for this role are as follows:

• Lead the day-to-day running of construction/infrastructure project/s, with accountability for delivering agreed outcomes within time, cost, and quality constraints.  
• Provide effective leadership and line management to a multi-disciplinary project team of internal and external members (including professional consultants and constructors), cascading the vision and setting team objectives.
• Timely assurance and submission of individual project option appraisals, feasibility reports, business cases, gateway reviews/control points and board papers; driving design innovation, efficiency and savings.
• Lead the development and maintenance of project plans and determine appropriate delivery methodology, appropriate to the stage. Setting project controls, managing performance and report progress to senior leadership.
• Responsible for the budget, financial management, spend forecast and tracking project spend against budget and programme.
• Timely procurement of supply chain resources, managing performance levels of supply chain partners and ensuring economies of scale and bulk buying initiatives
• Ensure projects meet all statutory and legislative standards/regulations and are delivered in compliance with government policies and estate related regulatory and professional requirements. (e.g H&S, CDM regulations, Building Safety Act, sustainability).
• Deliver the agreed business case benefits and outcomes. Monitor the longer-term delivery of benefits against the business case, ensuring an appropriate Benefits Realisation Strategy is in place.
• Identify key stakeholders, internal and external and effectively manage these relationships.
• Identify and monitor project risks and issues, including managing complex technical risks, seeking specialist expertise as necessary. Develop mitigating actions and escalating as appropriate. Identify and work with related projects to manage interdependencies.
• Support effective governance and decision making. Provide project reports, engaging in processes that hold you accountable for delivery.
• Engage with assurance reviews and support recommended action. Co-ordinate project assurance processes and gateway reviews.
• Set up effective change control processes, including documenting agreed changes to the project deliverables.
• Use digital tools to manage, interpret and utilise data to make informed decisions and improve outcomes
• Ensure lessons learned are carried out as best practice and post project evaluations are conducted and recorded, sharing findings across stakeholder groups.
• Role model commitment to personal development and promote individual and team performance, providing support, guidance and coaching for the project team.
• Be an active member of the UKHSA Project Delivery Profession Community and wider cross government professional communities. 

Please be advised this list is not exhaustive.

Essential criteria

• A proven track record of delivering large, high-complexity construction / infrastructure projects or programmes, ideally in a government or large-scale public sector environment. (Lead criteria)
• Expert knowledge of project planning and scheduling with significant experience of business case development, benefits management, budgeting and cost management, risk and issue management, governance, assurance and change control.
• Ability to use digital tools including experience of using the RIBA digital plan of works.
• A visible leader with experience of developing effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, collaborating across boundaries.
• Strong contract management skills with the ability to manage and negotiate with key suppliers and experience of using NEC3/NEC4 (preferable), PPC 2000, or JCT forms of contracts.
• Excellent communication skills demonstrated through the ability to influence and challenge effectively at a senior level.
• Holds a recognised construction qualification, such as the chartered institute of building (CIOB), Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)

Desirable criteria

• Experience working with modern methods of construction
• Awareness of the Government Construction Playbook