Contracts Manager

Balfour Beatty plc; Inverness; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working

25 days annual leave (pro rata)

Family friendly policies

Pension

Job summary

Balfour Beatty –Scotland (MEP) is seeking an experienced Contracts Manager (Mechanical / Electrical) to lead major contracts across Scotland, including healthcare and infrastructure projects. The role offers flexible base locations with project-based opportunities and a focus on safe, commercially successful delivery.

Ideal candidates will have a strong track record in construction and MEP projects, with L2 leadership, commercial awareness and the ability to travel across Scotland as required.

Qualifications

• Proven contracts management experience within construction, MEP Building Services or major infrastructure.
• Healthcare or hospital project experience would be highly desirable.
• Strong leadership, commercial awareness and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the successful delivery of major contracts across Scotland.
• Mobilisation, pre-construction through delivery and completion.
• Manage client relationships, expectations and key stakeholder engagement.
• Develop contract strategies, business plans and delivery plans.
• Ensure programmes, KPIs and service agreements are achieved.
• Monitor financial performance including cost, margin and profitability.
• Lead, motivate and develop project teams.

Skills

Contract management

MEP Building Services

Infrastructure projects

Education

Relevant degree in construction management or engineering

Tools

MS Office (Word/Excel)

Job description

About the role

Job Title: Contracts Manager (Mechanical / Electrical)

Location: Flexible across Scotland – project-based opportunities across the Central Belt, Forres, Fort William, Inverness, Nairn and wider Scotland

Company: Balfour Beatty –Scotland (MEP)

Project: Major Building Services, Healthcare, Education and Infrastructure projects across Scotland

Shape a career to be proud of as part of an award-winning team.

Balfour Beatty continues to grow its portfolio of major projects across Scotland, and with a strong pipeline of work we are looking for an experienced Contracts Manager to join our team.

This role offers flexibility around location, with the successful candidate able to be based across Scotland and work in alignment with our key project locations. Depending on your experience and background, you could support significant Balfour Beatty projects including our Lochaber Hospital development in Fort William, major MEP Building Services projects, or our wider ASTI infrastructure programme across Scotland.

We are particularly interested in speaking with candidates who have experience delivering healthcare, hospital or other complex, highly regulated environments, although broader experience across major construction, building services or infrastructure projects will also be considered.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Contracts Manager to take ownership of significant contracts, lead high-performing teams, build trusted client relationships and play an important role in delivering some of Balfour Beatty’s most important projects in Scotland.

As Contracts Manager, you will ensure the right plans, resources, processes and relationships are in place to support safe, commercially successful and sustainable project delivery.

What you'll be doing

You will be responsible for leading the delivery and development of contracts, managing client expectations and ensuring projects are delivered in line with safety, quality, commercial and operational requirements.

Depending on the project, this could include managing construction, MEP and operational delivery, coordinating multidisciplinary teams and developing strong relationships with clients, consultants, supply-chain partners and key stakeholders.

You’ll also be responsible for developing business and contract strategies, securing the right resources, monitoring financial performance and identifying opportunities to maximise value, margin and future growth.

Our growing pipeline across Scotland includes opportunities within:

• Lochaber Hospital, Fort William – a major new healthcare development
• ASTI programme – supporting major infrastructure investment across Scotland
• Nairn Academy – Passivhaus new-build secondary school
• Forres and the Highlands – regional construction and building-services programmes
• Other significant Balfour Beatty projects across Scotland

The role provides the opportunity to work across different sectors and projects, offering variety, long-term career development and exposure to some of Scotland’s most important infrastructure and building programmes.

Key responsibilities

In this role, you will:

• Lead the successful delivery of major contracts across Balfour Beatty’s Scotland portfolio.
• Take ownership of projects from mobilisation and pre-construction through delivery and completion.
• Manage client relationships, expectations and key stakeholder engagement.
• Develop contract strategies, business plans and delivery plans.
• Ensure contractual requirements, programmes, KPIs and service agreements are achieved.
• Monitor and control financial performance including cost, margin, risk and profitability.
• Secure and manage the resources required to deliver projects effectively.
• Lead, motivate and develop project and delivery teams.
• Work collaboratively with commercial, design, engineering, planning and construction teams.
• Manage key suppliers and support complex contract and supply-chain negotiations.
• Ensure full compliance with Health, Safety and Environmental legislation and Balfour Beatty standards.
• Identify opportunities for improvement, innovation, additional value and future growth.

Who we're looking for

About you

We are looking for an experienced Contracts Manager with a strong track record of delivering complex construction, MEP Building Services or infrastructure projects.

Healthcare experience would be particularly advantageous, especially experience working on acute hospitals, healthcare facilities or similarly complex and highly regulated projects.

You’ll bring:

• Proven Contracts Management experience within construction, MEP Building Services or major infrastructure.
• Healthcare or hospital project experience would be highly desirable.
• Experience successfully managing complex, multidisciplinary projects and contracts.
• Strong people management and leadership capability.
• Strong commercial awareness, including financial control, margin, risk and profit.
• Excellent client and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working collaboratively with design, commercial, construction and supply-chain teams.
• Strong negotiation and supplier management experience.
• The ability to manage competing priorities and operate with a high degree of autonomy.
• Confidence communicating, presenting and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Word and Excel.
• A full UK driving licence and flexibility to travel to projects across Scotland.

Your experience, location and career aspirations will help determine which projects and parts of the Scotland business are best aligned to you.

Why join us?

This is an exciting time to join Balfour Beatty in Scotland.

With a substantial pipeline of major projects across healthcare, buildings, MEP, energy and infrastructure, you will have the opportunity to make a genuine impact, influence delivery strategy and build your career within one of the UK’s leading infrastructure groups.

Rather than being restricted to a single location, this opportunity provides flexibility across Scotland, opening up the potential to work on some of our most significant current and future projects.

You’ll be joining a business that values safety, collaboration, trust and delivery excellence — with the scale, stability and career opportunities that come with being part of Balfour Beatty.

We encourage and empower our employees to take control of their career and explore which part of the business they want to work in and what role is right for them. We actively encourage our managers and employees to have open communication throughout the year about wellbeing, development and career opportunities.

We're proud of the Balfour Beatty Academy. Whether it’s sharpening your technical expertise, improving your personal skills or seeking support to become professionally qualified, our 70:20:10 approach to development means we have a learning approach that suits everyone.

70% learning on the job, 20% learning from those around you, and 10% formal training courses and learning events.

For further information about Balfour Beatty Scotland, please visit the Balfour Beatty careers website.

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

• Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
• 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
• Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
• Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

About us

From Dunfermline’s tramways in 1909 to highland hospitals today, Balfour Beatty has been trusted for over a century to deliver the complex and critical infrastructure and iconic buildings Scotland relies on.

We have the people, knowledge and experience to safely deliver projects right first time, maximising value for money and ensuring a positive social impact and inclusive economic growth for local communities.

Our award-winning sustainable projects, including active travel, Passivhaus and retrofit, demonstrate our commitment to supporting Scotland’s transition towards net zero in the built environment.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

We are looking to continually improve our resourcing process and ensure that it is fair and inclusive for all.