Permanent Working Supervisor / Ganger

Fawkes & Reece Group; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Accommodation provided

Overnight allowance £30/night

Job summary

Fawkes & Reece Group is recruiting an experienced Permanent Working Supervisor / Ganger to lead gangs across Water Framework Projects along the M4 Corridor. The role is hands-on with delivery, requiring leadership of labour, plant and materials while ensuring safety and quality.

The ideal candidate will oversee deep excavations, pipework installations and setting-out, with travel across sites and potential away‑from‑home assignments. An established civil/water contractor environment awaits.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Working Supervisor, Ganger or Site Supervisor in water/civils.
• Experience supervising water-main installation and deep excavation works.
• Good knowledge of excavation safety, temporary works and shoring systems.
• Experience reading civil, structural, mechanical and pipework drawings.
• Strong health, safety and quality awareness with leadership abilities.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and coordinate gangs on water-main and civil projects.
• Plan daily activities, labour, plant and materials.
• Set out pipe routes, levels and gradients from drawings.
• Read and interpret drawings and coordinate with site team and client reps.
• Deliver toolbox talks and maintain site records.

Skills

Supervisory leadership

Water/civil engineering

Reading drawings

Health & safety

Communication

Labour/plants coordination

Education

NVQ/Supervisor qualification

CSCS Gold Supervisor Card

TWS / Temporary Works Supervisor

Emergency First Aid at Work

Full UK driving licence

Job description

Reference: SRWORKINGSUPMOBILE_1791292721
Posted: October 6, 2026

Fawkes & Reece are currently recruiting for an experienced Permanent Working Supervisor / Ganger to join a major contractor delivering works across the Water Framework Projects along the M4 Corridor.

This is a hands-on supervisory position, ideal for an experienced Working Supervisor, Ganger or Site Supervisor with a strong background in water, civils, deep excavation and water-main installation.

You will be responsible for supervising the workforce on a day-to-day basis while remaining hands-on with the delivery of the works. The successful candidate will need to be confident organising labour, coordinating plant and materials, setting out works, reading drawings and ensuring that all activities are completed safely and to the required quality standards.

The ideal candidate will be based along the M4 Corridor.

Working away from Home will be a high possibility, accommodation provided and overnight allowance paid at £30 per night

Key Responsibilities

• Supervise and coordinate gangs working on water-main and civil engineering projects.
• Plan and organise daily activities, labour, plant and materials.
• Supervise deep excavations, shoring, pipe installation, chambers and backfilling.
• Set out pipe routes, chamber positions, levels and gradients.
• Read and interpret civil, structural, mechanical and pipework drawings.
• Use levels, rotating lasers, pipe lasers and survey information.
• Manage permits to dig and ensure appropriate service locating and trial-hole procedures are followed.
• Ensure excavations are safely supported, accessed and inspected.
• Monitor ground conditions, water ingress, surcharge loading and excavation stability.
• Coordinate lifting operations and ensure approved lift plans are followed.
• Supervise the installation of ductile iron and HDPE water mains.
• Oversee precast and cast-in-situ chamber construction.
• Check pipe bedding, alignment, gradients, cover, jointing and restraint.
• Coordinate concrete pours and inspect reinforcement, formwork and cast-in items.
• Ensure quality hold points and inspections are completed before works are covered.
• Assist with pressure testing, chlorination, flushing, sampling and commissioning activities.
• Deliver daily briefings and toolbox talks.
• Maintain site diaries, inspection records, pipe-joint records, photographs and as-built information.
• Coordinate with Site Managers, Engineers, client representatives and other contractors.
• Identify and escalation any technical, safety, quality or programme issues.
• Plan upcoming labour, plant, materials and temporary-works requirements.

Requirements

The successful candidate will ideally have:

• Proven experience as a Working Supervisor, Ganger, Site Supervisor or similar within water/civils.
• Strong experience supervising water-main installation and deep excavation works.
• Good knowledge of excavation safety, temporary works and shoring systems.
• Experience working with ductile iron and HDPE pipework.
• Ability to read drawings and understand levels, gradients and setting-out information.
• Experience coordinating lifting operations and plant.
• Strong understanding of health & safety and quality requirements.
• Good communication skills with the ability to lead and motivate a workforce.
• Ability to work closely with Site Management, Engineers and client representatives.

Essential Qualifications

• SMSTS or SSSTS or equivalent recognised Supervisor qualification.
• Relevant Supervisor/Gold Card or appropriate competency card.
• Excavation safety / competent-person inspection training.
• Emergency First Aide at Work.
• Full UK driving licence where required for travel between sites
• NVQ Level 3/4 in Occupational Work Supervision, Construction Site Supervision or Civil Engineering.
• CSCS Gold Supervisor Card.
• Temporary Works Supervisor (TWS).
• Confined Space training.

What's on Offer

• Permanent role
• Salary £45k to £52k depending on experience
• Whilst working away all travel, accommodation will be catered for plus an overnight allowance of £30
• Long-term opportunity working on a major Water Framework.
• Projects across the M4 Corridor.
• Opportunity to work with an established civil engineering and water contractor.
• Competitive freelance/contract rate, dependent on experience.
• Potential for ongoing work for the right candidate across the UK