Senior Project Manager

EMEA3 Recruitment; Chichester; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 59,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

38 days leave

Pension scheme

Training opportunities

Professional body membership fees

Discounts

Job summary

West Sussex County Council is seeking a Senior Project Manager to shape the future of our communities through high-impact highways and transport projects.

You will oversee capital projects from feasibility to delivery, coordinating with government bodies, communities and suppliers while building a capable project team to ensure delivery excellence.

Qualifications

• Post graduate professional qualification relevant to management or programme, project or change management or PRINCE 2 practitioner.
• Significant experience in civil engineering, transport planning, or highway disciplines.
• Knowledge of planning, CDM, Health and Safety at Work Act, Equalities Act, contract management.

Responsibilities

• Provide customer-focused project management expertise.
• Lead major capital projects (up to £50m) from feasibility to implementation.
• Collaborate with government agencies, community groups, and suppliers.
• Build and lead a small project team, ensuring delivery excellence.
• Act as a technical advisor on high-value projects.

Skills

Problem solving

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Analytical

Leadership

Project management

Education

Postgraduate management qualification or PRINCE2 practitioner

Job description

Are you a driven project leader ready to shape the future of our communities? At West Sussex County Council, we’re looking for a passionate Senior Project Manager to join our forward-thinking team and deliver transformative Highways and Transport projects.

You’ll be at the forefront of impactful capital projects that align with our bold strategic objectives—enhancing infrastructure, accessibility, and economic development in West Sussex.

Location: County Hall, Chichester – with flexible hybrid working options
Salary: £55,057 - £58,829 per annum
Contract: Full-time (37 hours/week), Permanent

What we offer:

• 38 days leave (30 days annual leave + bank holidays)
• Commitment to staff development and training including gaining your professional qualifications through a range of institutions.
• Subscription fees paid for one relevant professional body.
• Lead projects with budgets from £0.5m to £50m!

The Role:

As a Senior Project Manager, you’ll:

• Provide customer-focused project management expertise.
• Lead major capital projects (up to £50m) from feasibility to implementation.
• Collaborate with government agencies, community groups, and suppliers.
• Build and lead a small project team, ensuring delivery excellence.
• Act as a technical advisor on high-value projects that truly matter.

Why Join Us?

Here’s your chance to make a real difference while enjoying:

• An empowering, collaborative with a friendly team.
• Hands‑on responsibility for projects that shape the future.
• A supportive culture that values personal growth and impact.

Bring your ambition, leadership, and passion to the table.

What we need from you:

• Strong problem solving skills.
• Communication and interpersonal skills.
• Analytical to organise, plan and meet targets.
• Advanced analytical skills to interpret and manipulate complex information.
• Ability to organise and plan and meet set targets.
• Ability to deliver a demanding project management service.
• Effective people management skills including performance management skills and the ability to provide direction and support to individuals and teams.
• Post graduate professional qualification relevant either to management or programme, project or change management or PRINCE 2 practitioner, or equivalent level of significant experience demonstrating applied application of the above levels of knowledge in a relevant setting.
• Significant experience in relevant subject areas such as civil engineering, transport planning, or highway disciplines.
• Knowledge of key legal processes such as planning, compulsory purchase, CDM, Health and Safety at Work Act, Equalities Act, contract management etc.
• Political awareness when working with members/senior management.
• Demonstrable experience of providing professional/specialist advice on developing and implementing projects.
• Financial management experience with developed numeracy skills and having accountability for large budgets.

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

Rewards and Benefits

We care hugely about wellbeing, you'll be joining a team that cares passionately about staff development and training, and how we support our teams to develop to be the best they can be. Alongside this, we also offer the below benefits:

• 30 days annual leave + bank holidays.
• A generous pension scheme.
• A strong supportive management team.
• Training and development opportunities, including a range of apprenticeships, technical training, coaching and mentoring opportunities.
• Subscription fees paid for one relevant professional body.
• A range of discounts including Argos, Samsung, Asos, B&Q and many more.
• Free access to employee assistant programmes.
• Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres.
• A range of commuting and business travel discount and initiatives.

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is EIE01559.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Alex Sharkey [e-mail].

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [e-mail].

The role includes meeting or speaking with customers and members of the public who may be upset or defensive. The role holder will need to be able to travel independently to sites across the county, carrying out walked inspections with equipment on construction sites and highways. There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.

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.