Senior Agent

Balfour Beatty plc; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working

25 days leave

Family-friendly policies

Pension plan

Share incentive

Volunteering leave

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc is seeking an experienced Senior Agent to lead a multi-disciplinary team on major infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom. You will oversee Agents, Sub Agents, Section Engineers, Site Engineers and Foremen to deliver projects on time, within budget, and to the highest safety and quality standards.

You will champion safety, manage resources, optimize programmes, and contribute to commercial decisions while driving continuous improvement across the works.

Qualifications

• Experience in a senior site or project management role within construction or infrastructure.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• In-depth knowledge of health, safety, environmental, and quality standards.
• Commercial awareness and experience managing budgets and subcontractors.
• Excellent planning, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, and manage a high-performing team.
• Monitor competency levels, providing mentoring and training.
• Champion a strong safety culture with focus on Zero Harm.
• Set and monitor HSE targets and KPIs in line with project objectives.
• Conduct regular Safety & Environmental Tours; support incident investigations.
• Ensure compliance with evolving health, safety, and environmental legislation.
• Ensure appropriate allocation of resources across the works section; identify capability gaps and training.
• Establish and monitor quality KPIs; lead site audits and ensure timely resolution.
• Manage progress, analyse and optimise programmes; monitor section performance.
• Set and monitor financial targets; contribute to subcontractor procurement and commercial decisions.

Skills

Leadership

Site management

Safety management

Budget management

Stakeholder communication

Job description

About the role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Agent to lead and manage a multi-disciplinary team across key infrastructure projects. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for delivering safe, high-quality, and efficient project outcomes while driving performance, innovation, and continuous improvement.

You will oversee a team of Agents, Sub Agents, Section Engineers, Site Engineers, and Foremen—ensuring works are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest safety and quality standards.

What you'll be doing

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, motivate, and manage a high-performing team
• Monitor competency levels, providing mentoring and training
• Champion a strong safety culture with focus on Zero Harm
• Set and monitor HSE targets and KPIs in line with project objectives
• Conduct regular Safety & Environmental Tours
• Support incident investigations and drive corrective actions
• Ensure compliance with evolving health, safety, and environmental legislation

Engineering & Resource Management

• Ensure appropriate allocation of resources across the works section
• Identify capability gaps and implement training

Quality Assurance

• Establish and monitor quality KPIs aligned with project goals
• Lead site audits and ensure timely resolution
• Implement robust systems to manage quality
• Take ownership of handover documentation

Productivity & Programme Management

• Monitor progress and report on section performance
• Analyse and optimise programmes
• Manage subcontractor performance against KPIs
• Lead Short Interval Control meetings to drive performance

Commercial Management

• Set and monitor financial targets in line with budgets
• Contribute to subcontractor procurement and commercial decision-making
• Provide input to weekly project meetings, identifying risks and actions.

Who we’re looking for

• Proven experience in a senior site or project management role within construction or infrastructure
• Strong leadership and team management skills
• In-depth knowledge of health, safety, environmental, and quality standards
• Commercial awareness and experience managing budgets and subcontractors
• Excellent planning, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

• Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
• 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
• Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
• Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

About us

Balfour Beatty’s Highways business delivers major schemes including motorway upgrade programmes, complex national infrastructure projects and regional investment programme works for National Highways. We have a strong orderbook and a positive pipeline of opportunities, we put the road user, at the heart of everything we do. We work safely, reduce carbon emissions and added social value to the communities within which we work.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

We are looking to continually improve our resourcing process and ensure that it is fair and inclusive for all. If you have any feedback on the process, please share this with us at [e-mail]