Senior Project Delivery Manager

West Sussex County Council; England; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job description

Do you have a solid track record of managing complex capital projects? This is an exciting time to join WSCC as we embark on major renewable energy projects!

Leading the local fight against man-made climate change may just be the biggest task we've ever undertaken. Our communities look to us to make sure our services don't cost the earth and we need you to help us deliver on this expectation.

As our Senior Project Delivery Manager (Battery Storage), you will play a crucial role in our ambitious and award-winning programme of council-owned major renewable energy projects, including solar farms and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects. Delivery of BESS will form part of a growing portfolio of energy assets, supporting local decarbonisation and grid resilience through flexibility.

This delivery-focused and specialist role will sit in the Capital Projects team within Energy Services, who are responsible for the development of all major energy & water projects, from feasibility to completion.

The Opportunity

Salary: £46,731 to £49,764 per annum

Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week

Contract type: 2-year fixed term or secondment opportunity

Location: County Hall, Chichester and working from home (Hybrid working)

Interview date: weeks commencing 05 and 12 May 2025

As our Senior Project Delivery Manager (Battery Storage), you will be the client-side project manager for the delivery of our approved 16MW/32MWh Battery Storage project.

You will manage the established consultant team to complete the BESS design process, complete a successful procurement process and embed our Principal Contractor into the project. You will lead the following activities:

1. Oversee the final commissioning process through to energisation of the asset, including a systematic approach to full hand-over.
2. Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including the consultancy team, selected contractor, selected DSR aggregator, and the local Distribution Network Operator.
3. Proactively identify and develop opportunities to maximise the grid connection and planning considerations during project delivery.
4. Ensure client-side responsibilities under Health & Safety regulations are upheld and set a collaborative tone with colleagues, contractors, and clients/project team.
5. Apply appropriate oversight to manage operational project risks and independently manage project risks for the council.
6. Regularly report on the project to the Senior Energy Projects Manager, who oversees all major capital projects in the service.
7. Undertake regular site visits during the planning and construction phase.
8. Represent WSCC and present updates in public forums, such as town council meetings or resident association meetings.

What are we looking for?

1. You will have a solid track record of managing complex capital projects, preferably in the renewable energy or MW-scale Battery Storage areas, to a high-quality standard, with the ability to maintain project management documentation such as business cases, dashboard reports and RAID logs.
2. You will be able to demonstrate good working knowledge of the RIBA Plan of Work Stages.
3. You will be ambitious about using your communication and interpersonal skills to ensure cohesive project execution.
4. You will have experience of maintaining positive relationships with senior stakeholders, partners and contractors in a project setting and reporting to Directors, when required.
5. You will have experience managing large Capital budgets, with an understanding of Local Government procurement processes and contract management.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Working for us

As well as adding real value to our service users and our communities, as an employer we recognise our employees are central in being able to achieve this. To recognise this we want to help support your development and provide a great place to work ensuring you can fulfil your full potential, have access to a range of benefits including:

• an excellent local government pension scheme
• generous holiday entitlement of 30 days (plus opportunity to buy additional leave)
• a range of flexible working options, depending on your job role
• maternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leave
• volunteering opportunities
• training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
• a range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform
• health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and Voluntary Health Cash Plans

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further information

The reference number for this role is EIE01385.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Tom Coates (Senior Energy Project Manager). For issues or queries regarding your application please contact .

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to 3 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.