Infrastructure Delivery Director

The Abbey; Manchester; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Abbey is recruiting for an experienced Infrastructure Delivery Director to lead a major regional capital investment programme. You will oversee delivery across transport, rail, highways, and related systems, shaping delivery strategy and governance at the executive level.

You will align multi-disciplinary teams, manage complex stakeholder relationships, and drive safety, quality and value for money across a substantial portfolio of projects.

Qualifications

• Proven executive leadership of large-scale capital infrastructure programmes.
• Strong track record delivering complex, multi-million-pound projects successfully.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams within complex stakeholder environments.
• Strong commercial, financial and contract management expertise.
• Experience developing programme governance and assurance frameworks.
• Ability to build influential relationships at Executive and Board level.
• Excellent communication skills, able to simplify complex technical issues.
• Experience within transport infrastructure is highly desirable; however, candidates with experience delivering major capital programmes in other infrastructure, engineering or built environment sectors will also be considered.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of a major capital infrastructure programme safely, on time and within budget.
• Provide strategic leadership to high-performing programme and project delivery teams.
• Drive programme governance, assurance, risk management and performance reporting.
• Lead commercial strategy, procurement and contract delivery across the capital portfolio.
• Build strong relationships with local authorities, government and delivery partners.
• Ensure seamless transition of projects from development into delivery.
• Champion health, safety, engineering assurance and quality across all programmes.
• Drive innovation, sustainability and continuous improvement throughout programme delivery.

Skills

Executive leadership

Programme governance

Commercial management

Stakeholder engagement

Transport infrastructure experience

Job description

This is a significant executive leadership opportunity to oversee a £2.5bn capital programme, averaging approximately £500 million per annum over the next five years. The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership across the infrastructure delivery function, ensuring complex programmes are delivered safely, on time, within budget and to the highest standards of quality, governance and commercial performance.

The portfolio will include expanding the tram network further, rail station upgrades, cycling priority lanes bus infrastructure, major highway improvements and new fare systems infrastructure. This range of different projects, both large and small, and across modes will require different contractual delivery models with the supply chain to successfully implement.

Working closely with the Executive Leadership Team, local authorities, government stakeholders and delivery partners, you will play a pivotal role in shaping infrastructure investment, strengthening delivery capability and delivering transformational projects that will create a lasting legacy for the region.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of a major capital infrastructure programme, ensuring projects are delivered safely, on time and within budget.
• Provide strategic leadership to high-performing programme and project delivery teams.
• Drive programme governance, assurance, risk management and performance reporting.
• Lead commercial strategy, procurement and contract delivery across the capital portfolio.
• Build strong relationships with local authorities, government and delivery partners.
• Ensure seamless transition of projects from development into delivery.
• Champion health, safety, engineering assurance and quality across all programmes.
• Drive innovation, sustainability and continuous improvement throughout programme delivery.

Key Requirements

• Proven executive leadership of large-scale capital infrastructure programmes.
• Strong track record delivering complex, multi-million-pound projects successfully.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams within complex stakeholder environments.
• Strong commercial, financial and contract management expertise.
• Experience developing programme governance and assurance frameworks.
• Ability to build influential relationships at Executive and Board level.
• Excellent communication skills, able to simplify complex technical issues.
• Experience within transport infrastructure is highly desirable; however, candidates with experience delivering major capital programmes in other infrastructure, engineering or built environment sectors will also be considered.

This is a rare opportunity to join a nationally significant organisation at a pivotal stage of its infrastructure investment programme. The successful candidate will shape the delivery of major infrastructure projects that will improve connectivity, support regional growth and leave a lasting legacy for future generations.

Job DescriptionWe have been exclusively retained by a major public infrastructure organisation to appoint an experienced Infrastructure Delivery Director to lead the successful development and delivery of one of the UK's largest regional transport investment programmes.