Project Director

Westlakes Recruit; Warrington; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Company pension scheme

Private healthcare

25 days annual leave + bank holidays

Employee Assistance Programme

Employee discounts and rewards scheme

Recommend-a-friend scheme

Professional training and development

Job summary

Westlakes Recruit is seeking a Project Director to lead major infrastructure projects across highly regulated sectors. You will be accountable for safe, commercially successful delivery from tender handover to commissioning and handover, directing multidisciplinary teams and executive-level client engagement.

The role requires strategic leadership, significant E&I/M project experience, and a proven ability to drive performance while managing risks and contractual matters.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading large, complex E&I and Mechanical projects.
• Experience in regulated sectors such as Nuclear, Power, Water, Pharmaceutical or Industrial.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage client relationships.
• Strong knowledge of NEC, FIDIC or similar contracts.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across multidisciplinary project teams.
• Lead project mobilisation, execution, commissioning and close-out.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely, on programme and to required standards.
• Manage budgets, cash flow and profitability.
• Develop and implement commercial and contractual strategies.
• Oversee governance, reporting and risk management.
• Build relationships with clients, regulators and supply chain partners.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Health, Safety & wellbeing oversight

Contractual & commercial awareness

Team leadership

Tools

NEC contracts

FIDIC contracts

Job description

Project Director - Major Infrastructure Projects

Location: UK-wide / Major Project Locations

Salary: Competitive salary + car allowance / benefits

Sector: Infrastructure | Nuclear | Energy | Water | Pharmaceutical

Employment: Permanent

The Opportunity

Westlakes Recruit is currently supporting a leading multidisciplinary engineering and infrastructure organisation with the appointment of an experienced Project Director to lead the successful delivery of major, complex projects across highly regulated sectors.

This is a senior leadership position, offering the opportunity to take overall accountability for the safe, commercially successful and high-quality delivery of significant Electrical, Instrumentation & Mechanical (E&I/M) projects from tender handover through to commissioning, completion and final handover.

The successful candidate will provide strategic direction across multidisciplinary project teams, while acting as a key senior representative to clients, stakeholders and supply chain partners.

The Role

As Project Director, you will hold overall accountability for project performance, providing leadership across engineering, construction, commissioning, commercial, planning, project controls, quality and HSEQ functions.

You will be responsible for ensuring projects are delivered safely, on programme, to the required quality standards and in line with contractual and commercial objectives.

• Providing strategic leadership and direction to large, multidisciplinary project teams.
• Taking overall accountability for HSEQ, programme, commercial performance, quality and project delivery.
• Leading project mobilisation, execution, commissioning and close-out.
• Managing project budgets, cash flow, profitability, forecasting and commercial performance.
• Developing and implementing effective commercial and contractual strategies.
• Managing contractual obligations, change control, variations, claims and dispute avoidance.
• Establishing robust project governance, reporting, programme controls and risk management processes.
• Providing senior oversight of engineering, construction, quality assurance and commissioning activities.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with clients, regulators, senior stakeholders and supply chain partners.
• Leading governance and performance reviews, providing clear reporting to senior leadership.
• Developing high-performing teams and creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Identifying and managing strategic project risks and opportunities.
• Protecting the organisation's reputation while ensuring successful delivery against client and project objectives.

About You

We are looking for an accomplished Project Director / Senior Project Leader with a strong track record of delivering major E&I and Mechanical projects within complex, highly regulated environments.

You will combine strong technical understanding with commercial awareness and strategic leadership, with the confidence to operate at senior client and board level.

You will ideally bring:

• Significant experience leading large, complex Electrical, Instrumentation and Mechanical projects from concept through to commissioning and handover.
• Experience within sectors such as Nuclear, Power, Energy, Water, Pharmaceutical or Industrial Manufacturing.
• A proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams across engineering, construction, commissioning, commercial, planning, quality and project controls.
• Strong knowledge of E&I and mechanical installation, construction, testing, commissioning and engineering assurance.
• Significant experience managing major project budgets, cash flow, profitability, risk and change.
• Strong knowledge of NEC, FIDIC or similar forms of contract.
• Demonstrable experience managing client relationships, contractual matters, variations, claims and negotiations.
• A strong understanding of project governance, programme controls, reporting and performance management.
• A proven commitment to exceptional Health, Safety, Environmental and Wellbeing performance.
• Experience developing and leading high-performing teams, including mentoring and developing future leaders.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate confidently with clients, senior executives, regulators and supply chain partners.

Why Join?

This is an excellent opportunity to join an organisation delivering essential infrastructure across some of the UK's most important and technically challenging projects.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Lead major, high-value infrastructure projects.
• Work across highly regulated and technically complex sectors.
• Influence project strategy and delivery at senior level.
• Lead large multidisciplinary teams.
• Build long-term relationships with major clients and stakeholders.
• Contribute to the delivery of critical UK infrastructure.
• Develop your career within a growing engineering and infrastructure organisation.

Benefits

The role comes with a comprehensive package, including:

• Competitive salary
• Car allowance / salary sacrifice vehicle scheme
• Company pension scheme
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Opportunity to purchase up to 5 additional days' annual leave
• Private healthcare
• Death in Service benefit
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee discounts and rewards scheme
• Recommend-a-friend scheme
• Professional training and development opportunities