Project Manager

OnSite Central Limited; Manchester; On-site; GBP 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to Work Scheme

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

OnSite Central Limited in Greater Manchester seeks an experienced Project Manager to oversee multi-project delivery across water, wastewater, and inland waterway sectors. You will lead from inception through construction, coordinating cross-disciplinary teams and ensuring safety, quality, and timely delivery.

The role requires expertise in ECI, cost planning, programme development, contractual management, risk control, and sustainability compliance, with travel as needed to support projects.

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering complex water and inland waterway civil projects through pre-construction and construction.
• Strong capability to manage budgets, schedules, risks, resources, and quality.
• Experience with NEC contracts, cost forecasting, and change management.
• Degree-qualified in Engineering, Construction or related discipline; SMSTS/CSCS/ NEC certifications preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of water, wastewater, inland waterway, and civil projects from inception to completion.
• Develop and manage execution plans, programmes, logistics, and phasing strategies.
• Support pre-construction activities and design development with input on buildability and value engineering.
• Manage multidisciplinary teams, subcontractors, consultants, and suppliers.
• Oversee budgets, forecasting, tendering, pricing, contract administration, and change control.
• Act as primary contact for clients, regulators, and stakeholders, ensuring clear communication.
• Direct project planning, risk management, and KPI monitoring; drive health, safety, and sustainability compliance.

Skills

Project management

Programme management

Cost control

Forecasting

Change management

ECI (Early Contractor Involvement)

Contract administration (NEC)

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Buildability / constructability

Education

Engineering degree or related discipline

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Project Manager

Salary: Up to £80,000 (DOE)

Location: Greater Manchester

Contract: Full-Time | Permanent | 40 hours per week

About Us

OnSite is one of the UK’s leading providers of professional contracting services. With a proven track record in the successful delivery of projects and contracts across a broad spectrum of market sectors, OnSite consists of specialist operating areas – drainage, sewer rehabilitation, pipelines, civil engineering, specialist maintenance and rail services.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced and driven Project Manager to oversee the successful delivery of multiple projects across the water, wastewater, and inland waterway sectors. Based from our Northwest office in Altham, the role will require flexibility to travel and work away from home when necessary to support the safe, efficient, and effective delivery of projects. This is a key leadership position responsible for managing projects through both pre-construction and construction phases. The successful candidate will provide expertise in areas including Early Contractor Involvement (ECI), cost planning, programme development, contractual management, design coordination, risk management, and the implementation of health, safety, environmental, and sustainability best practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the successful delivery of water, wastewater, inland waterway, and civil engineering projects from inception to completion, ensuring safe, timely, cost-effective, and high-quality outcomes.
• Develop and manage project execution plans, delivery strategies, programmes, construction methodologies, logistics plans, and phasing strategies.
• Support feasibility studies, optioneering, pre-construction activities, and design development by providing buildability, constructability, and value engineering input.
• Manage multidisciplinary teams, subcontractors, consultants, suppliers, and project interfaces to ensure seamless project delivery.
• Oversee project budgets, forecasting, tender preparation, pricing strategies, contract administration, change management, and profitability.
• Act as the primary point of contact for clients, regulators, navigation authorities, and key stakeholders, ensuring effective communication and relationship management.
• Lead project planning, scheduling, critical path management, risk identification, mitigation planning, and performance monitoring against key milestones and KPIs.
• Promote and ensure compliance with health, safety, environmental, sustainability, quality, and regulatory requirements while driving continuous improvement initiatives.
• Oversee the delivery of specialist infrastructure projects, including canals, locks, sluices, weirs, flood defence schemes, water treatment facilities, clean water networks, pumping stations, and waterfront civil works.
• Provide technical leadership by reviewing engineering solutions, construction methodologies, project documentation, and ensuring compliance with client specifications and industry standards.
• Mentor and develop junior team members, manage subcontractor performance, and foster a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and operational excellence.
• Drive innovation and business growth by identifying emerging technologies, market trends, strategic opportunities, and translating business objectives into actionable improvement initiatives.

What You'll Need

• Proven experience delivering complex water, wastewater, flood defence, river engineering, and inland waterway civil engineering projects through pre-construction and construction phases.
• Strong project and programme management skills with the ability to manage budgets, schedules, risks, resources, and quality requirements to achieve successful project outcomes.
• Solid commercial and contractual knowledge, including NEC contract administration, tender development, cost control, forecasting, change management, and value engineering.
• Sound technical understanding of water and inland waterway infrastructure, including canals, locks, pumping stations, watercourses, flood defence assets, treatment facilities, and associated civil engineering works.
• Experience in Early Contractor Involvement (ECI), feasibility studies, optioneering, constructability and buildability reviews, pre-construction planning, and design development.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, subcontractors, consultants, and supply chain partners while building strong relationships with clients, regulators, and stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of health, safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements, including CDM Regulations, permitting processes, sustainability principles, and industry best practices.
• Degree-qualified in Engineering, Construction, or a related discipline (or equivalent experience), with excellent communication skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office, relevant certifications (SMSTS, CSCS, NEC), and a professional, customer-focused approach driven by integrity, accountability, and continuous improvement.

What You'll Get

• Family-Friendly Leave: Enhanced Maternity, Adoption, Paternity & Shared Parental Leave, Fertility Support, and up to 5 paid Carer’s Days
• Financial & Life Assurance: Company Pension Scheme with salary sacrifice options
• Health & Wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme and 24/7 Virtual GP access for you and your dependents
• Lifestyle & Perks: Cycle to Work Scheme and My Premier Benefits discounts, cashback, and vouchers
• Professional Development: Hands‑on training and ongoing career development opportunities
• Inclusion & Belonging: Active People Networks – Disability & Neurodiversity, Unity+, Women’s Network, Parent & Carer Networking Group and more
• Performance & Recognition: Annual salary review, Reward & Recognition Scheme, and Long Service Awards.

At South Staffordshire Group, inclusion matters. We have a wide range of employee networks which are employee‑led communities that bring our people together, support different perspectives and create a strong sense of belonging. Our people are encouraged to get involved as members or allies.

We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including all genders, ethnicity, sexual orientations, and physical and neurodiverse abilities.

We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and encourage you to let us know how we can best support you throughout the recruitment process.