Schemes Project Manager - Rail Systems / Signalling

Construction, Property and Engineering; Greater London; On-site; GBP 83,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

£200 referral fee

Job summary

Randstad CPE seeks an experienced Schemes Project Manager with Signalling to join a high profile rail contract in West London on a freelance basis.

You will lead NEC3 contract administration, oversee EW/CE/GC, drive project execution to milestones, and maintain dashboards with data-driven health reporting. The role requires rail client-side exposure (Network Rail/HS2) and strong stakeholder engagement to support governance and audit readiness.

Qualifications

• Experience with NEC3 contract administration and client-side rail projects.
• Proven ability to manage EW/CE/GC under NEC3 and standards.
• Strong data-driven reporting, dashboards, and governance controls.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and leadership at senior levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead NEC3 contract administration with focus on EW, CE and GC.
• Oversee project execution to milestones, on time and within budget.
• Identify and log risks; escalate blockers to senior leadership.
• Own periodic project reporting and data integrity with dashboards.
• Ensure HS2 PMO compliance and audit readiness.

Skills

NEC3 contract administration

EW - Early Warnings

CE - Compensation Events

General communications

Project execution

Risk & issue management

Dashboards

Governance & audit

Earned Value Management (EVM)

CPI / SPI analysis

Schedule integration

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Civil Engineering degree or related infrastructure field

Tools

Project controls tools

Job description

Schemes Project Manager - Freelance - Rail Systems / Signalling

I'm seeking an experienced Schemes Project Manager with Signalling experience to join my client working on a large high profile contract in West London. This is a freelance position which will continue on an ongoing basis up until potentially 2033.

You will be the primary driver of project execution, sitting at the intersection of complex engineering and rigorous contract administration. We need a candidate who understands the unique rigors of client-side requirements (Network Rail/HS2) while having the \"boots on the ground\" commercial awareness of a Tier 1 / Principal Rail Civils contractor.

Duties

• NEC3 Contract Administration: Lead the administration of contract mechanisms, with a heavy focus on managing Early Warnings (EW), Compensation Events (CE), and General Communications (GC).
• Project Execution: Act as the primary lead for overseeing project activities, ensuring all milestones are achieved on time, within budget, and in accordance with the Project Control Execution Plan.
• Risk & Issue Management: Proactively identify and log project risks. You will work closely with the wider team to quantify impacts and elevate critical blockers to senior leadership.
• Periodic Reporting & Data Integrity: Own the narrative for periodic project reports. You will partner with Project Controls to utilize Dashboards and data-driven insights to provide a transparent view of project health.
• Governance & Audit: Ensure strict adherence to HS2 PMO standards and regulatory requirements, maintaining \"one version of the truth\" across all systems and ensuring the project is always audit-ready.

Requirements

• Rail Industry Experience: Proven track record working both client-side (e.g., Network Rail) and for Tier 1 Rail Civils and Rail Systens contractors.
• NEC Expertise: Advanced knowledge of NEC3 contract administration is non-negotiable.
• Project Controls Proficiency: Demonstrable experience with Earned Value Management (EVM), including CPI / SPI (SVI) performance analysis and schedule integration.
• Technical Background: Ideally, a degree in Civil Engineering, Project Management, or a related infrastructure field.
• Software & Systems: Proficiency in project controls tools and the ability to interpret complex data sets into actionable briefings.
• Soft Skills: Excellent stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to manage upwards to a Head of PMO/Board level.

Alternatively, if you know someone who may be interested we offer a £200 referral fee for successfully placed candidates.

Randstad CPE values diversity and promotes equality. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate against any of the protected characteristics that fall under the Equality Act 2010. We encourage and welcome applications from all sections of society and are more than happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and/or additional arrangements as required to support your application.

Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK.

For the purposes of the Conduct Regulations 2003, when advertising permanent vacancies we are acting as an Employment Agency, and when advertising temporary/contract vacancies we are acting as an Employment Business.