Project Manager - Water

AtkinsRéalis Group; Epsom; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working options

Competitive salary

Training and development opportunities

Travel across South East England

Job summary

AtkinsRéalis is seeking a Project Manager to deliver water infrastructure programmes across major UK water companies. You will manage projects from feasibility through handover, coordinate cross-disciplinary teams, and administer NEC3/NEC4 contracts while maintaining governance and KPI tracking.

The role requires travel across the South East and East of England, strong client relationships, and a collaborative leadership style to drive safe, sustainable outcomes for customers and communities.

Qualifications

• Years of project delivery experience, including UK water sector experience.
• Experience managing projects or substantial work packages in water infrastructure.
• Practical experience with NEC3 or NEC4 contracts and change control.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of water infrastructure projects or defined work packages from initiation through handover.
• Establish objectives, scope, delivery strategy and success measures with client and Project Director.
• Manage programme, cost, risk, opportunity, change, quality and interfaces.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams across engineering, environmental, commercial, planning and construction.
• Administer NEC3/NEC4 contracts, including early warnings and compensation events.
• Maintain governance, reporting and assurance aligned with requirements.
• Monitor performance against programme, budget, KPIs and regulatory commitments.
• Build relationships with water company clients, delivery partners and regulators.
• Plan work around assets, outages, commissioning and handover.
• Promote health, safety and wellbeing throughout delivery.
• Identify risks early and lead mitigation actions.
• Support continuous improvement and use of digital tools and data.
• Coach junior team members; travel to SE England sites as required.

Skills

Project delivery experience

UK water sector experience

NEC3/NEC4 contracts

Programme, cost, risk management

Stakeholder management

Multidisciplinary team leadership

Relationship building

Communication skills

Commercial awareness

Driving licence & travel readiness

Education

Project management/engineering/construction qualification

Job description

Overview

Our Infrastructure Project Delivery Practice is looking for Project Managers to support the delivery of capital investment programmes for major UK water companies, including opportunities across South East Water and Anglian Water programmes.

You will work within integrated client and multidisciplinary teams to manage projects across the full delivery lifecycle, from feasibility and design through construction, commissioning and handover. Projects may include water and wastewater treatment, networks, pipelines, pumping stations, storage, resilience and environmental improvement schemes. You will coordinate scope, programme, cost, risk, quality and stakeholders, helping our clients deliver safe, sustainable and measurable outcomes for customers, communities and the environment.

Your role

• Lead the delivery of water infrastructure projects or defined work packages from initiation through design, construction, commissioning and handover.
• Establish clear project objectives, scope, delivery strategy and success measures with the client and Project Director.
• Manage programme, cost, risk, opportunity, change, quality and project interfaces.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams, including engineering, environmental, commercial, planning, digital and construction specialists.
• Administer NEC3 or NEC4 contracts, including early warnings, compensation events, programme acceptance and contractual communications.
• Maintain effective governance, reporting and assurance in line with client and AtkinsRealis requirements.
• Monitor performance against programme, budget, quality, regulatory commitments and agreed KPIs.
• Build productive relationships with water company clients, delivery partners, contractors, regulators and other stakeholders.
• Plan work around operational assets, access constraints, outages, commissioning and handover requirements.
• Promote health, safety, environmental protection and wellbeing throughout project delivery.
• Identify delivery risks early and lead proportionate mitigation and recovery actions.
• Support continuous improvement, lessons learned and the effective use of digital tools and data.
• Coach and support junior members of the project team.
• Regular travel to client offices and operational sites across the South East and East of England will be required.
• Some South East Water assignments may require attendance at the client office in Snodland for two to three days each week.

Essential

About you

• Relevant years of project delivery experience, including experience in the UK water sector.
• Experience managing projects or substantial work packages within water infrastructure, utilities, engineering or construction.
• Practical experience of NEC3 or NEC4 contracts, including early warnings, compensation events, change control and programme requirements.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams and delivering against time, cost, quality and safety objectives.
• A practical understanding of project controls, including programme, cost, forecasting, risk, change and performance reporting.
• Experience building effective relationships with clients, contractors and delivery partners.
• Commercial awareness and the confidence to identify, manage and escalation delivery or contractual risks.
• Clear written and verbal communication, with the ability to present project information to different audiences.
• A collaborative leadership style and the ability to take ownership in a client-facing environment.
• An appropriate project management, engineering, construction or related qualification, or equivalent experience.
• A valid UK driving licence and the ability to travel to client offices and operational sites when required.

Desirable

• Formal NEC3 or NEC4 accreditation.
• Experience delivering projects for South East Water, Anglian Water or another regulated UK water company.
• Knowledge of AMP programmes and the regulatory water environment.
• Experience of water or wastewater treatment, networks, pipelines, pumping stations, reservoirs or other operational assets.
• Experience of commissioning, operational readiness and project handover.
• Experience using common data environments, project controls systems or digital reporting tools.
• Membership of APM, ICE, CIWEM, RICS or another relevant professional body.
• A recognised project management qualification or progress toward professional accreditation.

Rewards & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. Enjoy competitive salaries, employee rewards and a brilliant range of benefits you can tailor to suit your own health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle choices. Make the most of a myriad of opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise. And combine our hybrid working culture and flexible holiday allowances to balance a great job and fulfilling personal life.

Be rewarded. Find out more.

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's'infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Find out more.

Additional information

Security clearance

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.

We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to offering an interview to all applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria. If you would like to be considered under this commitment, please let us know at the application stage.