Senior / Associate Project Manager

MOTT MACDONALD; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Life assurance 4x basic salary

Employee ownership

Job summary

Mott MacDonald is looking for a Project Manager to lead day-to-day delivery of multidisciplinary buildings projects across sectors, including defence-related environments. You’ll plan, coordinate and control projects under a Project Principal, ensuring programme, cost, quality and safety targets are met.

The role suits individuals with Design & Build or contractor-led delivery experience, with readiness to travel to project sites and client locations.

Qualifications

• Degree (or equivalent) in Project Management, Construction Management, Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience delivering medium to large buildings projects in a consultancy, contractor, or professional services environment.
• Experience in Design & Build and/or contractor-led delivery models.
• Working knowledge of NEC or similar collaborative forms of contract.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams and managing interfaces.
• Strong project planning, scheduling and project control skills.
• Experience managing project risks, issues and change.
• Good communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Willingness to travel to project sites and client locations.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day delivery of buildings projects with scope, programme, cost, quality and safety requirements.
• Develop and maintain project plans, programmes, schedules and resource profiles.
• Coordinate design coordination activities in Design & Build and contractor-led environments.
• Administer contracts within agreed commercial frameworks; support change control and early warnings.
• Identify and manage risks and issues; maintain risk registers.
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholders including clients, contractors, designers and suppliers.
• Prepare and contribute to project reports, governance reviews and performance updates.
• Support health, safety and wellbeing processes on projects; ensure compliance with statutory and contractual requirements.
• Manage project information, QA and document control processes.
• Contribute to tender submissions and early project-shaping activities.

Skills

Project planning

Scheduling

Stakeholder engagement

Risk management

Communication

Independent working

Travel to sites

Education

Degree in Project Management or related

Tools

NEC contract knowledge

Job description

Location/s:

Bristol, Glasgow, Cambridge, Sheffield, Leeds, Plymouth, Manchester; UK

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you're surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee‑owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit

The Buildings Unit (BLD) has a major presence in Mott MacDonald's regional offices throughout the UK and mainland Europe and focuses on the delivery of complex buildings projects across a range of sectors. Our work spans health, defence, education, justice, aviation, commercial and mixed-use developments, as well as major and complex buildings programmes within cities and communities. We provide both local delivery and technical leadership across the Group's buildings portfolio.

Overview of the role

The Project Manager is responsible for the successful day-to-day delivery of multidisciplinary buildings projects across a range of sectors, working under the direction of a Project Principal, including projects supporting defence infrastructure and secure government estates.

The role leads project planning, coordination and control activities across the project lifecycle, ensuring delivery to programme, cost, quality and safety requirements. It suits individuals with experience working in Design & Build and contractor‑led environments, managing complex interfaces between design teams, contractors, clients and stakeholders.

The role is particularly well suited to those with experience operating within highly regulated, secure or mission‑critical environments, where effective stakeholder management, governance and risk control are essential to successful delivery.

This role provides a clear development pathway towards Project Principal roles.

Key responsibilities and duties include:

• Manage the day-to-day delivery of buildings projects, ensuring scope, programme, cost, quality and safety requirements are met
• Develop and maintain project plans, programmes, schedules and resource profiles, coordinating inputs from multidisciplinary teams
• Manage design coordination activities, supporting delivery in Design & Build and contractor‑led environments
• Administer contracts in line with agreed commercial and contractual frameworks, supporting change control, variations and early warnings where applicable
• Identify, track and manage project risks and issues, maintaining risk registers and escalating matters as required
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholders, including clients, contractors, designers and specialist suppliers
• Prepare and contribute to project reports, governance reviews and performance updates
• Support health, safety and wellbeing processes on projects, working with project safety advisors and site teams to ensure compliance with statutory and contractual requirements
• Manage project information, quality assurance activities and document control processes
• Contribute to tender submissions, bids and early project shaping activities as required
• Promote a collaborative, inclusive and delivery‑focused culture within project teams
• Support project delivery for clients operating within regulated, secure or defence environments, ensuring effective coordination of stakeholder and project requirements where applicable

Candidate specification

Essential:

• Degree (or equivalent) in Project Management, Construction Management, Engineering or a related discipline
• Experience delivering medium to large buildings projects within a consultancy, contractor or professional services environment
• Experience working in Design & Build and/or contractor‑led delivery models
• Working knowledge of NEC or similar collaborative forms of contract
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams and managing interfaces
• Strong project planning, scheduling and project control skills
• Experience managing project risks, issues and change
• Good communication skills, including reporting and stakeholder engagement
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a wider project team
• Willingness to travel to project sites and client locations as required
• Experience delivering projects within highly regulated, secure or mission‑critical environments, such as defence, government, aviation, nuclear or similar sectors

Desirable:

• Experience delivering projects within the defence sector, including secure facilities, operational estates, training environments or wider defence infrastructure programmes
• Experience supporting bid and tender activities
• APM PMQ, MAPM or equivalent professional qualification
• NEC Accreditation (or working towards)
• Experience working on live construction sites
• Experience operating in regulated, security‑cleared or security‑sensitive environments with an understanding of project assurance and information security requirements
• Existing UK Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV), or eligibility and willingness to obtain clearance subject to project requirements

Agile working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well‑being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at [e-mail] and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Employee Ownership

• Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.
• Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.
• As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long‑term impact and contribution.
• Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.
• For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years' service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high‑street retailers.

Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self‑development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.