Senior Project Manager - Higher Education, Commercial, Life Sciences

Rider Levett Bucknall RLB; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Working

Private healthcare

APC mentoring programme

Season ticket loan

Professional memberships

Competitive salary & holiday

Job summary

Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) in London seeks a Senior Project Manager to lead the delivery of Higher Education, Commercial and Life Sciences projects.

You will manage multi-disciplinary teams, maintain strong client relationships, and champion sustainability and innovation within a collaborative, hybrid-working environment.

The role offers APC mentoring and development opportunities across complex programmes.

Qualifications

• Degree-qualified in a relevant discipline.
• Professional accreditation (or working towards) such as RICS, CIOB or APM.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of construction projects from inception to completion.
• Manage multi-disciplinary teams and coordinate design, procurement, and construction phases.
• Monitor progress and report using project metrics to ensure on-time, on-budget, and to-quality delivery.
• Oversee tender processes and contract administration (NEC & JCT).
• Build and maintain strong client relationships and stakeholders across projects.
• Mentor and develop junior team members and support professional development.

Skills

Asta Powerproject

MS Project

Education

Degree-qualified in a relevant discipline

RICS / CIOB / APM accreditation

Job description

Department: Project Management

Location: London

Description

Title: Senior Project Manager

Seniority: Senior Project Manager

Sector: Higher Education, Commercial, Life Sciences

Discipline: Project Management

Location: London (With Hybrid Working)

Reporting To: Partner

Why RLB?

At RLB, we live by four simple ideas: Truth, Trust, Together, Tomorrow. Four values that live at the heart of RLB. A place where People Make Progress.

We value your skills, talents and unique perspectives – we think they are priceless.

Bring them to RLB and you’ll be empowered to shape our future and your career in new and meaningful ways.

We’ll give you opportunities to work on some of the most ambitious and exciting projects currently being designed and developed in the built environment sector.

You’ll continue to learn and advance as everyone who works for us is provided with a tailored training programme. Our mentoring and reverse mentoring schemes will enable you to share your expertise while gaining fresh insights.

What makes RLB unique is our inclusive culture. As an independent, employee-owned business, teamwork and collaboration lies at the heart of everything we do. Hybrid and flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies are just some of the ways we invest in employee wellbeing.

Join us and you will thrive personally as well as professionally.

Roel Overview

Our dedicated Project Management Team at RLB is responsible for seeing a project through the initial planning stages to completion. Their main task is to break down projects into stages, taking responsibility for monitoring and managing the programme, cost, quality, and risk of each stage of the project. We pride ourselves on the quality of our service to our clients and enjoy long term relationships with them.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to join our London team, specialising in Higher Education projects. You will lead the delivery of various projects withing the Higher Education sector, with transferable skills into commercial fit out and life sciences.

A key aspect of this role is working with RLB’s Higher Education clients, building relationships with senior client stakeholders to help develop our growing Higher Education business. The successful candidate will need to demonstrate strong collaboration skills, working with a wide range of stakeholders to effectively manage interdependencies and deliver objectives in complex environments to support the delivery of client’s projects.

The role offers an opportunity to work on high-impact projects, in a collaborative and people-focused culture, with a high level of commitment to sustainability and innovation.

Role Responsibilities

Project Leadership & Delivery

• Lead the delivery of construction projects from inception to completion.
• Work to structured and recognised project management processes and procedures using company management systems.
• Monitor and report on the progress and outcomes of the project or programme, using appropriate metrics and indicators.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget and to quality standards.
• Oversee tender processes and contract administration, including various building contracts.
• Identify and manage risks, opportunities, and project performance.
• Lead the project or programme team and delegate tasks, ensuring clear roles and responsibilities
• Manage multi-disciplinary teams and coordinate design, procurement, and construction phases.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Act as the main point of contact for clients for both delivery and as a central interface for Account Management roles.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships and maintain associated CRM’s internally.
• Foster and grow collaboration with contractors, consultants and stakeholders.

Team Leadership & Development

• Mentor and support junior team members.
• Manage resourcing to achieve target margin and support delivery of client projects.
• Promote a high-performance and collaborative team environment.
• Support professional development and chartership (APM / RICS / CIOB).

Business Development & Growth

• Monitor fee management and support the team to achieve financial targets
• Lead bid preparation and fee proposals.
• Contribute to business development and sector growth.
• Represent the company at industry events.

Candidate Profile

Qualifications

• Degree-qualified in a relevant discipline.
• Professional accreditation (or working towards) such as RICS, CIOB or APM.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience delivering higher education, commercial and life sciences projects from conception through to completion.
• Strong knowledge of construction project delivery and contract administration (NEC & JCT preferred).
• Consultancy or client-side experience.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and stakeholders.
• Experience of work winning and developing client accounts.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills both written and verbal.
• Excellent customer service, communication, and client/external interface skills.
• Programming / Scheduling experience in either Asta Powerproject, MS Project or similar
• A track record of working with teams and managing projects by prioritising workloads and delivering to deadlines.
• Key account management and business development skills business development skills.
• Demonstrable leadership skills

Behaviours

• Recognised as a client focused, positive collaborator who shares knowledge freely and offers support to their peers and seniors. Recognised as a team player with a strong willingness to learn.
• Demonstrates a positive and proactive approach to the role, and will be committed to delivering customer service excellence, with good commercial results.

RLB Employee Benefits

Hybrid Working - Working patterns to support your work-life balance. As well as competitive maternity and paternity packages.

Well-Rewarded - A competitive salary and generous holiday entitlement. As well as the opportunity to purchase up to five extra days.

Focus On Wellbeing - We offer a number of health and wellness options, including gym membership and cycle to work schemes.

Healthcare Packages - Private healthcare insurance and medical support, including dental insurance and eyecare vouchers.

Personal Development - A continuous learning and development programme, including established APC and in-house mentoring schemes.

Additional Benefits - We offer a wide range of benefits including a season ticket loan and professional membership subscriptions.

Exceptional Exposure - You’ll have the opportunity to work on diverse projects across different sectors and regions.

Social Responsibility - We hold team and social events as well as charity fundraising and volunteering activities.

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Promise

We believe in building a diverse and inclusive environment where each person can be themselves, feel valued for their contribution, and be challenged and supported to reach their full potential. We have a responsibility to support the communities in which we live and work, and that our workforce should reflect these communities and our clients. Our talent strategy should enable us to overcome bias in the construction industry by recruiting, retaining, developing, and promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce. Find out more here: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - RLB | Europe

If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you during any stage of the application or interview process, please contact our recruitment team at: [e-mail]