Senior Project Manager

Manchester Arndale; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

OCS UK & Ireland is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to deliver refurbishment and building services on government frameworks across the UK. You will oversee multiple projects, including office refurbishments, HVAC upgrades, and building fabric works within live sites.

Ideal candidates have at least five years of delivery experience in occupied buildings, a strong understanding of RIBA processes, and proven leadership of diverse teams. Travel across the UK is expected.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years’ construction project delivery experience.
• Mechanical, electrical or building fabric background.
• Experience refurbishments in existing occupied buildings up to £5 million.
• Experience managing multiple projects with budgets and programmes.
• Experience working in live/occupied environments with phased works.
• Strong understanding of the RIBA design process and pre-construction activities.
• Ability to develop and manage construction programmes.
• Strong commercial awareness: cost control, forecasting, procurement, change management.
• Experience leading direct and subcontracted teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Manage multiple projects concurrently across budgets, programmes and client priorities.
• Develop client requirements into clear scopes of work and contractor proposals.
• Coordinate design development through the relevant RIBA stages alongside the Pre-Construction team.
• Lead site surveys and design coordination meetings, identifying existing building constraints and operational requirements.
• Plan phased refurbishment works around occupied buildings, managing access, service interruptions and business continuity.
• Manage subcontract tender packages, procurement schedules and supply chain appointments.
• Prepare and maintain project execution plans, risk registers and construction phase plans.
• Develop, monitor and update construction programmes throughout the project lifecycle.
• Lead direct employees, subcontractors and supply chain partners across mechanical, electrical and building fabric works.
• Ensure teams have the necessary skills, training and resources to deliver safely and effectively.
• Deliver projects on time, within budget and to the agreed quality standards.
• Coordinate commissioning, snagging, certification and final handover.
• Chair project progress and client meetings, recording decisions and tracking agreed actions.
• Monitor project costs, forecasts and commercial performance.
• Manage variations and contractual changes, ensuring they are recorded, assessed and reported promptly.
• Identify efficiencies and opportunities to improve margins while maintaining service quality.

Skills

Communication

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Project management

Tools

Microsoft Project

Excel

Word

Outlook

Teams

PowerPoint

Job description

About The Role:

We are looking for an experienced Senior Project Manager to join our Frameworks Division, delivering refurbishment and building services projects across our national government frameworks.

You will manage multiple projects concurrently across the contract, with individual project values up to £5 million. Projects will include office refurbishments, fit-outs, HVAC upgrades, mechanical and electrical installations, and building fabric works within live operational buildings.

Experience delivering refurbishment and upgrade projects within existing, occupied buildings is essential. Candidates whose experience is solely in new-build construction will not meet this requirement.

Working closely with the Operations Manager, Regional Operations Director and Pre-Construction team, you will manage projects from initial client brief through design development, tendering, construction, commissioning and final handover.

Key responsibilities

• Manage multiple projects concurrently, balancing programmes, budgets, resources and client priorities.
• Develop client requirements into clear scopes of work, design briefs and contractor proposals.
• Coordinate design development through the relevant RIBA stages alongside the Pre-Construction team.
• Lead site surveys and design coordination meetings, identifying existing building constraints and operational requirements.
• Plan phased refurbishment works around occupied buildings, managing access, service interruptions and business continuity.
• Manage subcontract tender packages, procurement schedules and supply chain appointments.
• Prepare and maintain project execution plans, risk registers and construction phase plans.
• Develop, monitor and update construction programmes throughout the project lifecycle.
• Lead direct employees, subcontractors and supply chain partners across mechanical, electrical and building fabric works.
• Ensure teams have the necessary skills, training and resources to deliver safely and effectively.
• Deliver projects on time, within budget and to the agreed quality standards.
• Coordinate commissioning, snagging, certification and final handover.
• Chair project progress and client meetings, recording decisions and tracking agreed actions.
• Monitor project costs, forecasts and commercial performance.
• Manage variations and contractual changes, ensuring they are recorded, assessed and reported promptly.
• Identify efficiencies and opportunities to improve margins while maintaining service quality.
• Work closely with Commercial, Procurement and Health & Safety teams.
• Maintain appropriate health and safety controls, technical compliance and project records.
• Build effective client relationships and apply lessons learned to improve future delivery.

Essential experience and skills

• A minimum of five years’ relevant construction project delivery experience.
• A mechanical, electrical or building fabric background, or experience across these disciplines.
• Proven experience delivering refurbishment, fit-out or building services upgrade projects within existing buildings, with project values up to £5 million.
• Experience managing multiple projects concurrently, including responsibility for budgets, programmes, resources and subcontractors.
• Experience working in live or occupied environments and delivering phased works with minimal disruption.
• Strong understanding of the RIBA design process and pre-construction activities.
• Ability to develop and manage construction programmes throughout the project lifecycle.
• Strong commercial awareness, including cost control, forecasting, procurement and change management.
• Experience leading and developing direct and subcontracted teams.
• Excellent communication, client relationship and stakeholder management skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Project, Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams and PowerPoint.
• Understanding of health, safety and legislative requirements relevant to construction project delivery.
• Willingness to travel between project sites across the UK.

Desirable experience

• Experience delivering projects within government estates or national framework contracts.
• Knowledge of NEC and other construction contract arrangements.
• Experience delivering multidisciplinary projects combining M&E, HVAC, fit-out and building fabric works.

About you

You will be organised, proactive and focused on finding practical solutions. You will be comfortable managing competing priorities, making sound decisions under pressure and recognising when additional support or resources are needed.

You will bring a professional, collaborative approach, with a commitment to client satisfaction, safe delivery and the development of your team.

Applications are welcome from experienced Project Managers and Project Engineers ready to progress, provided they can demonstrate the required refurbishment and project delivery experience.

About The Company:

OCS UK & Ireland is a leading facilities management company with 50,000+ colleagues and a turnover in excess of £2bn. We deliver innovative, award-winning services within facilities management, hard services, cleaning, security and catering.

Our mission is to make people and places the best they can be for our colleagues, customers and the communities we serve. Our commitment to doing business the right way is rooted in our TRUE values - Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment.

Why Work for OCS?

Award-Winning Employer: Ranked 36th on Glassdoor’s Best Companies to Work For 2025 — we value and motivate our people.

Digital Learning: The OCS Academy offers digital courses and resources to help you build skills and grow your career.

Retail Perks With our Hapi app, you can gain access to exclusive discounts, rewards and wellbeing resources.

Professional Growth: 600+ live learners across UK&I — Empowering colleagues with further development and qualifications!

Flexible Pay: Access a portion of earned wages before payday with our Wagestream App! (Contract Specific)

We are an equal opportunities employer and rely on a diverse workforce with a broad range of knowledge, skills, and backgrounds to deliver our goals. We offer an inclusive and welcoming environment and actively encourage applications from all individuals regardless of race, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age.