Senior Project Manager (Major Projects

Associated British Ports; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private health insurance

Employer pension

Travel reimbursements

Job summary

Associated British Ports (ABP) invites applications for a Senior Project Manager to lead the development and delivery of a major regeneration initiative in the energy sector, part of the Future Port Talbot program.

You will oversee cross-functional delivery, with a capital value exceeding £500m, manage DCO processes, engage stakeholders, and ensure time, cost and quality targets while travel across the UK is required.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable track record of the successful development of complex capital infrastructure projects with a value in excess of GBP 50 million.
• Knowledge of infrastructure consenting routes, including experience in managing a project through the planning process (e.g. pre-application, examination, discharge of conditions).
• Demonstrable experience of leading high-performing teams across organisational functions and boundaries.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to understand functional drivers and effectively communicate with Executive level stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead a complex major infrastructure project from feasibility through to operational handover, ensuring integration across commercial, technical, environmental, legal, and operational workstreams by: establishing and maintaining proportionate project governance; overseeing development of DCO applications; leading interface with statutory bodies, local authorities, and community stakeholders; working with procurement and commercial teams to develop packaging strategies and contract models; establishing and actively managing project-level risk and change control processes; leading baseline development and change tracking; ensuring operational handover with safety and accountability.
• Working with asset team, engineering teams, customers and operators to ensure operational requirements are embedded in design and that safe, effective handover is achieved.
• Leading multi-disciplinary delivery teams (internal and consultant) with a focus on safety, accountability, delivery confidence, and capability development.
• Contributing to ABP’s project delivery capability, knowledge sharing across projects, and supporting more junior members of the team.

Job description

At Associated British Ports (ABP), we proudly serve our customers and our communities in pursuit of our ambitious missions which are ‘Keeping Britain Trading’ and ‘Enabling the Energy Transition’. These are underpinned by a strong commitment to safety, sustainability and our people.

Role: Senior Project Manager

To help deliver this transformation, we are expanding our Major Projects team and have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Project Manager to lead the development and delivery of a major regeneration initiative in the energy sector currently in its early stages: Associated British Ports | Future Port Talbot . a programme that will further support our twin missions of Keeping Britain Trading and Enabling the Energy Transition.

The purpose of this role is to ensure optimal delivery of the business case through strong cross‑functional project management, with the returns of the project optimised throughout its lifecycle. This position offers a long-term career path for project professionals that enjoy the challenge of varying project and geographical environments.

As a Senior Project Manager, you’ll provide leadership to the client-side delivery team working on a nationally significant port infrastructure project, with a capital value in excess of £500m. You will support design development, consenting, delivery and the operational handover, achieving time, cost and quality targets throughout.

The aim of the role is to bring major commercial opportunities to life, unlock efficiency in delivery and optimise the return on investment. The nature of infrastructure development means flexibility to travel across the UK to project locations is required.

What You’ll Be Doing

Lead a complex major infrastructure project from feasibility through to operational handover, ensuring integration across commercial, technical, environmental, legal, and operational workstreams by:

• Establishing and maintaining proportionate project governance, working with internal boards and external stakeholders to ensure transparent decision-making and rigorous assurance.
• Overseeing development of DCO (or equivalent planning) applications, including environmental impact assessment, statutory and non-statutory consultations, stakeholder engagement, and legal drafting.
• Leading interface with statutory bodies, local authorities, and community stakeholders to secure project support and resolve objections.
• Working with procurement and commercial teams to develop packaging strategies and contract models aligned to customer requirements, risk profile, consenting constraints, and market engagement outcomes.
• Establishing and actively managing project-level risk registers and change control processes, including interface risks with external parties and internal functions.
• Leading baseline development and actively manage change tracking across scope, time, cost, and benefits; ensure accurate performance reporting to internal governance and external stakeholders.
• Working with asset team, engineering teams, customers and operators to ensure operational requirements are embedded in design and that safe, effective handover is achieved.
• Leading multi-disciplinary delivery teams (internal and consultant) with a focus on safety, accountability, delivery confidence, and capability development.
• Contributing to the development of ABP’s project delivery capability, knowledge sharing across projects, and supporting more junior members of the team.

Skills and Experiences

• Demonstrable track record of the successful development of complex capital infrastructure projects with a value in excess of GBP 50 million.
• Knowledge of infrastructure consenting routes, including experience in managing a project through the planning process (e.g. pre-application, examination, discharge of conditions).
• Demonstrable experience of leading high-performing teams across organisational functions and boundaries.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to understand functional drivers and effectively communicate with Executive level stakeholders.

Ideal

• Degree (or equivalent) in Project Management or a relevant engineering discipline.
• Membership of appropriate professional body, with corresponding professional qualification, (e.g. Chartered Engineer MICE, Chartered Project Professional MAPM, etc).
• Experience of developing or delivering major projects in a marine or port environment
• Experience leading the development and consenting for nationally significant infrastructure projects
• Knowledge of relevant environmental regulations, ideally including across devolved governments.

The job holder must be flexible to travel and work at any location in the UK as per the needs of the role and project requirements. The expectation is that the job holder role will plan their time to be at project location(s) for face-to-face meetings, site visits, and stakeholder engagement. Travel costs will be covered in line with company policies and procedures.

Want to see what it’s like to work for the UK’s largest port operator? Our virtual work experience programme gives you an inside look at trade, sustainability, safety, and careers in one of the UK’s most vital indutries- https://www.talentxp.co.uk/track/e2e029cd

Additional Information:

When joining ABP you will find an environment that is both welcoming and challenging. We reward our employees well and offer a generous remuneration package, employer pension, private health insurance and a range of other benefits.

Please note that ABP undertake random screening for substance abuse and operate a zero-tolerance policy. A medical will be required before starting this position also.

We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their background, which helps us to provide a diverse and inclusive working environment.

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Drafting, Engineer, Procurement, Engineering, Operations