NEC Project Manager

Arcadis; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Arcadis is seeking a Senior Project Manager/Associate Project Manager with strong NEC4 ECC experience to act as NEC4 Accredited Project Manager on National Highways infrastructure schemes. You will manage full NEC4 ECC contract administration, decisions, and certification, with on-site leadership three days per week and mentorship for junior staff.

The role demands delivering high‑value projects (£200m+) with impartial oversight, complex stakeholder engagement, and strict governance while

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required.
• Chartered Engineer or Chartered Surveyor (CEng, MRICS, FRICS or equivalent) required.
• NEC4 Project Manager Accreditation (current) required.
• Delivery at Competent to Specialist level under the NEC Competency Framework.

Responsibilities

• Act as named Project Manager under NEC4 ECC contracts, administering the contract per NEC4 conditions and amendments.
• Independently perform all Project Manager duties, including Early Warning management and Risk Reduction Meetings.
• Oversee Compensation Event assessment, programme acceptance, and payment certification.
• Provide clear commercial and contractual advice to senior stakeholders and ensure value for money.

Skills

NEC4 ECC

Project management

Stakeholder management

On-site leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

CEng MRICS FRICS or equivalent

Tools

NEC4 Project Manager Accreditation

Job description

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role description

We are looking for Senior Project Managers / Associate Project Managers with strong NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) experience to act as NEC4 Accredited Project Managers on National Highways major infrastructure schemes.

The role holder will operate at Competent to Specialist level, as defined by the NEC Competency Framework (Version 1, 2022), and will be responsible for the full administration of NEC4 ECC contracts, including all decisions, acceptances, assessments, notices, and certification required under the contract and National Highways amendments.

The role requires the ability to perform all NEC4 Project Manager functions without supervision, while supervising and mentoring less experienced staff, and acting impartially to achieve project objectives on high-value, strategically significant schemes (£200m+).

Role accountabilities

• Act as the named Project Manager under NEC4 ECC contracts, administering the contract in full compliance with NEC4 conditions and National Highways amendments
• Independently undertake all Project Manager duties, including:
• Early Warning management and Risk Reduction Meetings
• Compensation Event assessment and determination
• Programme acceptance and time management
• Payment assessment, certification, and final account processes
• Issue of contractual notices, acceptances, and decisions
• Act impartially at all times, in accordance with NEC principles and professional obligations
• Deliver major infrastructure projects and programmes in line with agreed scope, budget, programme, compliance, and governance requirements
• Manage commercial risk and change proactively using NEC mechanisms
• Provide clear, defensible commercial and contractual advice to senior stakeholders
• Ensure value for money and protection of client and project objectives
• Apply in-depth technical knowledge (engineering or surveying) to the analysis of design and technical solutions
• Integrate design development into NEC decision-making, programme acceptance, and Compensation Event assessment
• Ensure technical compliance aligns with contractual and National Highways requirements
• Supervise, mentor, and support Assistant Project Managers and less experienced NEC practitioners
• Provide technical assurance and NEC subject-matter leadership within the project team
• Contribute to continuous improvement of NEC capability and best practice across the business
• Build and maintain strong relationships with National Highways, contractors, designers, and key stakeholders
• Maintain a minimum site presence of two (2) to three (3) days per week, ensuring effective on-site leadership, timely decision-making, and visibility as the NEC Project Manager
• Represent Arcadis professionally on site and at senior stakeholder forums for high-profile strategic infrastructure projects

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• Chartered Engineer or Chartered Surveyor (CEng, MRICS, FRICS or equivalent)
• NEC4 Project Manager Accreditation (current)
• Delivery at Competent to Specialist level under the NEC Competency Framework
• Significant experience undertaking the NEC4 ECC Project Manager role over a sustained period
• Proven experience as named Project Manager on National Highways contracts
• Experience managing major infrastructure schemes valued at £200m+
• Demonstrated ability to perform NEC4 Project Manager duties without supervision
• Experience supervising and developing less experienced staff
• Willingness and ability to meet minimum site attendance requirements (3 days per week)
• Strong commercial acumen and ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas. Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams: Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+ and Race. A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.