Mechanical Project Manager

Raven Search; Preston; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full company benefits package

Job summary

Raven Search invites applications for a permanent Mechanical Project Manager based in the Blackburn area. You will take full ownership of mechanical project delivery from award through to completion, managing both directly employed operatives and subcontractors across concurrent schemes.

You’ll act as the main client/consultant contact, oversee programmes, procurement, commissioning and handover, ensuring compliance and robust record-keeping throughout the project lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Solid mechanical contracting background with PM experience.
• Experience managing projects from award to completion.
• SMSTS qualified (or equivalent).
• Full UK driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of mechanical project delivery from award through to completion and handover.
• Manage directly employed operatives and subcontractors on multiple projects.
• Be the primary point of contact for clients and consultants, including main contractor schemes.
• Produce and manage project programmes, identify risks, implement solutions.
• Coordinate procurement of materials, plant and subcontract packages with the programme.
• Supervise works in live environments with careful continuity planning.
• Ensure installations meet specifications and current regulations.
• Manage commissioning, testing, handover, and O&M documentation.
• Maintain records and manage variations with the commercial team.

Skills

Project management

Client-facing communication

Programme management

Subcontractor coordination

Education

Mechanical qualifications

Tools

MS Project

Job description

The Opportunity

Our client is a Blackburn-based mechanical and building services contractor whose project list takes in everything from live hospital plant works to aerospace facilities, school refurbishments to fire and police buildings. That is an unusually wide sector spread for a business of this size, and it means the workload genuinely varies from one project to the next rather than running the same type of scheme on repeat.

This is a permanent Mechanical Project Manager role, taking full ownership of mechanical project delivery from award through to completion and handover. The business operates both as a specialist M&E subcontractor and, on certain schemes, as principal contractor, which gives this role a broader scope and a more direct client relationship than a typical subcontract PM position.

You will be managing site teams and subcontractors, working closely with the commercial function, and representing the business directly with clients and consultants across a portfolio that spans private, public and specialist sectors.

About the Business

Our client has been delivering mechanical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and associated electrical works since the late 1980s, building a reputation across the North of England for technically capable, well-managed project delivery. Their service runs from design and installation through to completion, and on a number of schemes they have taken on full main contractor responsibility, including strip-out, builders works and overall site coordination.

Their sector range is genuinely unusual: healthcare, education, local authority, retail, leisure, nursing homes, religious buildings, emergency services and aerospace facilities all feature in their project history. Recent work has included live plant modification at a major regional hospital, carried out using hot-tapping techniques to maintain continuous service throughout, which reflects the level of technical competence the business is trusted to deliver.

Accreditations include Constructionline, Gas Safe, WaterSafe, CHAS and membership of several recognised building services and plumbing and heating engineering bodies. For a Project Manager who wants variety and a business willing to take on technically demanding, operationally sensitive work, this is a strong fit.

What You'll Be Doing

• Taking full ownership of mechanical project delivery from award through to completion and handover

• Managing directly employed operatives and subcontractors across one or more concurrent projects

• Acting as the primary point of contact for clients and consultants, including on schemes where the business holds main contractor responsibility

• Producing and managing project programmes, identifying risks early and coordinating solutions with the wider team

• Managing procurement of materials, plant and subcontract packages in line with programme and budget

• Overseeing works carried out within live, operational environments, including careful planning around continuity of service

• Ensuring installations are delivered to specification and in compliance with current regulations

• Managing commissioning, testing and handover, including O&M documentation and defect resolution

• Maintaining accurate records and managing variations in conjunction with the commercial team

What We're Looking For

• A solid mechanical contracting background, with experience managing projects from award through to completion at Project Manager level

• Comfortable managing projects within live or operationally sensitive environments

• Experience working in a main contractor capacity is advantageous, though not essential

• Strong on programme management, subcontractor coordination and client-facing communication

• SMSTS qualified (or equivalent)

• Relevant mechanical qualifications

• Full UK driving licence

What's on Offer

• £60,000 - £70,000 depending on experience

• Full company benefits package

• A genuinely varied project portfolio spanning healthcare, education, aerospace, emergency services and more

• Broader scope and direct client exposure on schemes where the business acts as main contractor

• A well-established business with a strong regional reputation built up over almost four decades