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Fawkes & Reece; Godalming; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to £100,000 salary

Package

4-5 developments across Sussex & S

Private-sale & partnership mix

Exposure to new & established sites

Regional influence

Mentoring construction teams

Senior regional role

Autonomy to implement improvements

Growth opportunities in Sussex & S

Job summary

Fawkes & Reece in the United Kingdom is seeking a Contracts Manager to lead 4–5 residential developments across Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey. You will drive site and project teams, set clear expectations for programme, safety, quality and commercial outcomes, and mentor regional construction staff to build capability.

Ideal candidates will have proven contracts management experience in residential housebuilding, the ability to oversee multiple sites, and the drive to influence cross‑department

Qualifications

• Proven experience operating at Contracts Manager level within residential housebuilding.
• Ability to manage several developments simultaneously across a region.
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills for construction teams.
• Commercial awareness of how decisions impact wider business.

Responsibilities

• Overseeing 4-5 developments across Sussex and Surrey, including new and live sites.
• Providing leadership to Site Managers, Project Managers and wider teams.
• Setting expectations around programme, quality, safety and commercial performance.
• Regularly reviewing site performance and challenging underperformance.
• Collaborating with Commercial, Technical, Land and Planning to resolve issues.
• Involvement in early-stage new sites to ensure proper resourcing and setup.
• Mentoring team members and developing future talent.
• Maintaining NHBC and internal quality standards across sites.

Skills

Residential housebuilding

People management

Cross-department collaboration

Contract management

Region leadership

Job description

We're working with a 5 star residential developer who is looking to strengthen its senior team across Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey with the appointment of an experienced Contracts Manager.

This is a key role within the region and one that goes beyond simply overseeing a group of sites. You'll have responsibility for around 4-5 developments at different stages, from new sites coming through to projects already well into construction, while also playing a part in helping the region grow.

The developments will be a mixture of private-sale and partnership schemes, so the ability to understand that different projects can require different approaches will be important.

The Role

You'll be responsible for providing clear direction across your developments, supporting your Site and Project teams and making sure everyone understands what good looks like.

This is a role for someone who naturally looks beyond the immediate issue in front of them. A good Contracts Manager should be able to walk onto a site, understand where the problems are, ask the right questions and then work with the team to put things right - without taking ownership away from the people running the site.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Overseeing 4-5 developments across Sussex and Surrey, covering both new and live sites
• Providing leadership and direction to Site Managers, Project Managers and wider construction teams
• Setting clear expectations around programme, quality, health & safety, customer care and commercial performance
• Regularly reviewing site performance and challenging where standards or targets aren't being met
• Working closely with Commercial, Technical, Land, Planning and other internal departments to resolve issues and keep developments moving
• Being involved in new sites from the early stages, helping ensure projects are properly resourced, planned and set up before construction gets underway
• Supporting teams through difficult stages of construction and helping find practical solutions rather than simply highlighting problems
• Monitoring build programmes, prelims, labour levels, subcontractor performance and overall site progress
• Ensuring NHBC and company quality standards are understood and consistently maintained
• Mentoring and developing members of the construction team, helping identify where individuals can improve and where future talent can be developed
• Creating consistency across the region while allowing Site Managers the autonomy to run their developments
• Bringing new ideas, better ways of working and practical improvements into the business
• Taking an active role in helping shape the future growth of the Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey region

The Person

We're looking for someone who has proven experience operating at Contracts Manager level within residential housebuilding and understands what it takes to manage several developments simultaneously.

The right person won't just be a strong construction manager. They'll be someone who can lead people, influence other departments and make decisions.

You’ll ideally have:

• A strong background in residential housebuilding
• Previous experience as a Contracts Manager, Senior Contracts Manager or similar regional construction leadership position
• Experience overseeing multiple developments rather than a single site
• A good understanding of both private-sale and partnership/affordable housing
• Strong knowledge of traditional housebuilding and NHBC requirements
• A commercially aware approach and the ability to understand how construction decisions impact the wider business
• Strong people-management and mentoring skills
• The confidence to challenge performance when required, but also the ability to bring people with you
• A genuine interest in improving processes and finding better ways of working
• The motivation to play a part in growing and developing a region, rather than simply managing what is already there

Most importantly, we’re looking for someone who takes ownership.

Someone who will see an issue across several sites and think about how it can be prevented in the future, rather than fixing the same problem five times. Someone who will develop their Site Managers rather than simply manage them. And someone who can work across the business to get the right people involved and keep projects moving.

What's On Offer

• Up to £100,000 salary
• Package
• Responsibility for 4-5 developments across Sussex & Surrey
• Mix of private-sale and partnership developments
• Exposure to both new and established sites
• A genuine opportunity to influence how the region operates
• The chance to mentor and develop the next generation of construction managers
• A senior position within a growing regional business
• Scope to bring your own ideas and make changes rather than simply following an established formula
• The opportunity to be part of the continued growth of the Sussex & Surrey region

If you're already operating as a Contracts Manager and want a position where you're able to influence more than just the build programme, this could be a very good next move.

Equally, if you're currently a strong Senior Contracts Manager or experienced Senior Site/Project Manager ready to step into a broader regional role, we'd be interested in speaking with you.