Operations - Project Manager

Avove; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car

Enhanced annual leave

Company pension scheme

Family friendly policies

Lifestyle benefit options

Financial wellbeing programme

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Avove is seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead the delivery of complex clean water pipeline projects in Derby with hybrid working between office/site and home. You will manage from design through construction and commissioning, bringing strong leadership and NEC contract experience within the water/utilities sector.

Responsibilities include governance of scope, schedule, cost, risk and quality, plus coordination across engineering, commercial, environmental and delivery functions to

Qualifications

• Strong background in construction and project management.
• Experience delivering linear water pipeline projects.
• Experience with NEC contracts and commercial performance.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and complex interfaces.
• Knowledge of PMQ fundamentals or equivalent methodologies.
• Clean water/utilities sector experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead safe, compliant delivery of large-diameter water pipelines.
• Apply PMQ/EC fundamentals to govern lifecycle including scope, schedule, cost, risk, quality.
• Forecast costs, manage compensation events and risk.
• Coordinate design and construction teams across functions.
• Ensure delivery on time and within budget while maintaining safety and environmental standards.
• Engage with landowners, regulators and utilities.

Skills

PMQ fundamentals

NEC contracts

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Cost management

Job description

Working here isn’t just a job. You can advance your career at Avove, and we’ll reward you with a range of benefits that recognise great work. We provide full training and continuous development to help you reach your potential. We strive to create an inclusive working environment where everyone can be themselves. Join us and take the next step towards a fulfilling career.

We understand the impact our work has on our society and the environment. It’s the difference we make that improves people’s lives and helps the economy to grow. We work alongside our customers to deliver resilient, bespoke infrastructure solutions that keep the taps running, the energy flowing and people connected. The work we do together matters.

About the role

Due to continued growth, we are seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead the delivery of complex clean water pipeline projects. You will be responsible for managing projects from design through to construction and commissioning, bringing strong project management expertise, commercial awareness, and proven leadership experience within the water or utilities sector.

Location: Derby (Hybrid working with time split between office/site and home with occasional travel required)

Benefits: Company car, enhanced annual leave, company pension scheme, family friendly policies

Responsibilities

• Lead the safe, compliant and efficient delivery of large-diameter clean water pipeline schemes
• Apply project management fundamentals (PMQ or equivalent) to govern project lifecycle, including scope, schedule, cost, risk, and quality control
• Manage project performance under NEC contracts, including cost forecasting, compensation events, and risk mitigation
• Coordinate multidisciplinary design and construction teams, ensuring alignment across engineering, commercial, environmental and delivery functions
• Oversee delivery of linear infrastructure across rural and semi-rural corridors, addressing logistical and environmental constraints
• Manage trenchless crossings, tie-ins and complex interfaces with existing infrastructure and third partiesLead stakeholder engagement, including landowners, regulators, local authorities, and utility providers
• Drive programme certainty, productivity, and quality outcomes, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget
• Champion health, safety, and environmental compliance, embedding best practice across all stages

About you

• Strong background in construction and project management, with knowledge of PMQ fundamentals or equivalent methodologies
• Demonstrable experience managing NEC contracts and commercial performance
• Experience delivering linear works across challenging environments (rural, environmentally sensitive, or constrained corridors)
• Expertise in trenchless technologies and complex pipeline interfaces
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary site teams and coordinate multiple stakeholders
• Strong understanding of programme controls, risk management, and cost management
• Experience with land access, stakeholder negotiation, and environmental compliance
• Ability to make informed decisions under technical, programme, and environmental constraints
• Background within clean water / utilities infrastructure sector is essential

What’s in it for you

We offer a rewarding salary that is tailored to your skills and experience. But that’s not all! We celebrate hard work and give recognition to our colleagues. In addition to this, we understand that one size doesn’t fit all so everyone has access to a variety of flexible benefits that work for you.

• Company pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Family friendly policies
• A selection of lifestyle benefit options
• Financial wellbeing programme
• Employee assistance program for health and wellbeing and onsite mental health first aiders to support our colleagues.

We love to give back so we offer you volunteering days in your community and charity matched giving where we will boost your fundraising.

Rewards initiative for achieving recognised professional qualifications.

About us

We design, build and maintain the UK’s utilities infrastructure to help transform local communities for the better. We provide cutting-edge and sustainable engineering solutions and play a critical role in helping to keep the water running, the lights on and people connected.

We are an expert, responsible and agile partner, providing vital services to water, power and telecommunications sectors. We work closely with our clients to help protect and improve their assets, enhance customer experience and protect the natural environment. Everything we do is designed to drive continual improvement and move life forward.

We are proud to work in partnership with leading utility providers, including Severn Trent, United Utilities, Yorkshire Water, Northern PowerGrid, Northumbrian Water Group, Scottish Power Energy Networks and Scottish Water

We are an equal opportunities employer

We welcome applications from candidates of all races, genders, disabilities, religions, ages and sexual orientations. We know that having a diverse workforce encourages new perspectives, inspires creativity and creates an engaging workplace and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all colleagues can thrive. When it comes to inclusion, we’re making sure we keep up the progress with our Communities of Practice, who help us do just that.

What next

We encourage you to apply for this role as soon as you can. We recognise talent waits for no one, so we progress candidates individually through all stages of recruitment process.

If you have any questions, please reach out for an informal discussion.