Project Director

Randstad Cpe London; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 126,000 - 154,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car Allowance

Bonus

Pension

Healthcare

Holiday

Job summary

Randstad CPE London is seeking a Project Director to lead a high-profile UK infrastructure scheme valued at £100m+. You will oversee a large, multidisciplinary team and navigate complex stakeholder environments to secure safe, on-time delivery.

The role requires senior leadership across pre-construction, design and construction, with mobilisation anticipated in 2027. You will balance programme, cost and quality while upholding NEC contract standards and ensuring excellent safety performance.

Qualifications

• Proven senior leadership experience on major infrastructure projects.
• Experience delivering £100m+ schemes from pre-construction through to delivery.
• Strong stakeholder management across clients, partners and regulators.
• Knowledge of NEC contracts or similar frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for a major infrastructure project.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary project team of ~80 people.
• Take accountability for programme, cost, value, safety, quality and performance.
• Lead the project through development, design, pre-construction, mobilisation and construction.
• Manage a senior leadership team across project, construction, commercial and HSE functions.
• Develop and maintain relationships with client representatives and delivery partners.
• Drive the programme to achieve milestones against a fixed completion date.
• Oversee design development and ensure deliverability within budget and constraints.
• Provide senior oversight of contractual and commercial performance.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

NEC contracts

Programme management

Health and safety leadership

Multidisciplinary teams

Job description

Are you a Project Director with proven experience leading major, multidisciplinary infrastructure projects for a Tier 1 or leading main contractor?
Do you have experience taking responsibility for complex infrastructure schemes valued at £100m+, ideally from pre-construction and design through to construction and delivery?
Are you looking for the opportunity to take overall leadership of a high-profile infrastructure project, managing a large project team and complex stakeholder environment through a challenging delivery programme?

Location: Home Counties - predominantly site based, with potential for 1 day per week working from home

Salary: up to £140,000 per annum DOE + up to 30% bonus and £8000 car allowance

• Car Allowance: £8,000
• Bonus: up to 30%
• Pension: 6% company contribution
• Healthcare: Family private healthcare and additional healthcare benefits
• Holiday: 26 days annual leave, increasing with service to a maximum of 30 days, plus holiday purchase scheme

Role Overview

A leading UK infrastructure main contractor is looking to appoint an experienced Project Director to take overall responsibility for the delivery of a major infrastructure project. The scheme is currently progressing through the development and design stages, with enabling works and mobilisation planned for 2027. This is a complex, multidisciplinary project incorporating significant civil engineering, building, architectural and MEP elements alongside interfaces with specialist infrastructure systems. The Project Director will take overall leadership of a project team of approximately 80 people, with a senior management team reporting directly into the position. A major focus of the role will be successfully transitioning the scheme through pre‑construction and design into full delivery, ensuring programme, commercial, safety and technical requirements remain aligned. The programme is particularly challenging, and the successful candidate will need to demonstrate experience delivering complex infrastructure projects against demanding timescales while maintaining the highest standards of safety and quality. The position will also involve significant senior‑level stakeholder management across the client, delivery partners, designers, statutory bodies and other external organisations.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for a major infrastructure project.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary project team of approximately 80 people, establishing the culture and standards required for successful delivery.
• Take overall accountability for programme, cost, value, safety, quality and project performance.
• Lead the project through development, design, pre‑construction, mobilisation and construction.
• Manage a senior project leadership team including project, construction, commercial and health and safety functions.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with senior client representatives, delivery partners, designers and external stakeholders.
• Drive the project programme and ensure key milestones are achieved against a challenging fixed completion date.
• Oversee design development and ensure the emerging solution remains deliverable, commercially viable and aligned with the agreed budget.
• Provide senior oversight of NEC contractual requirements, project risk and commercial performance alongside the commercial leadership team.
• Ensure subcontractors and supply chain partners are effectively procured, integrated and managed throughout the project lifecycle.
• Identify and manage significant programme, commercial, technical, stakeholder and delivery risks.
• Provide visible leadership around health, safety and wellbeing, ensuring programme pressures never compromise safe delivery.
• Lead the project through the necessary contractual and pre‑construction stages before transition into the main construction phase.
• Maintain effective communication with internal directors and provide clear reporting on programme, commercial position, risk and overall project performance.

Essential Requirements

• Previous experience operating at Project Director, Programme Director, Delivery Director or equivalent senior project leadership level.
• Strong background working for a Tier 1, major main contractor or comparable major infrastructure delivery organisation.
• Proven experience taking overall responsibility for infrastructure projects or major project packages valued at £100m+.
• Experience leading large multidisciplinary project teams and senior management functions.
• Strong understanding of major infrastructure project delivery from pre‑construction and design through to construction.
• Exceptional leadership capability with the ability to establish culture, direction and accountability across a large project organisation.
• Strong senior stakeholder management experience within complex client and delivery environments.
• Commercially astute with experience overseeing project cost, value, risk and contractual performance.
• Experience working with NEC contracts or comparable major infrastructure contracting arrangements.
• Strong understanding of programme management and experience delivering complex projects against challenging timescales.
• Demonstrable commitment to health and safety leadership within major construction or infrastructure environments.
• A stable career history demonstrating progression and sustained responsibility within major project environments.

Desired Requirements

• Experience taking a major project from development or pre‑construction through into construction and subsequent delivery.
• Experience working on multidisciplinary projects incorporating significant civils, building, architectural and MEP interfaces.
• Experience managing major projects involving multiple delivery partners, specialist contractors and high‑profile external stakeholders.

The Candidate

This position will suit an established major‑project leader who is comfortable taking overall ownership of a complex and highly visible infrastructure scheme.

You do not necessarily need to come from one particular infrastructure sector. The priority is demonstrable experience leading £100m+ projects within a Tier 1 or major main contractor environment and the ability to manage large teams, challenging programmes, commercial performance and complex stakeholder relationships.

You will need to be a visible and engaging leader who can establish the right project culture while maintaining accountability across programme, safety, commercial and delivery performance.

The role requires someone comfortable operating both strategically with senior stakeholders and practically with the project leadership team to resolve issues and maintain momentum.

This is an opportunity to take overall leadership of a significant UK infrastructure project from its current development stage through mobilisation and major construction.