Senior Project Manager - Painter Brothers

Balfour Beatty; Hereford; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working up to 40% remote

25 days annual leave

Pension

Share incentive plan

Volunteering leave

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc in the UK seeks a Senior Project Manager to lead complex, customer-facing steelwork and transmission projects across multiple sites.

You will own portfolio delivery, manage safety, quality, cost and timelines, line-manage PMs, and drive improvements across the delivery chain from fabrication to site handover.

Join a team focused on safe, efficient delivery with strong client relationships and continuous improvement, in a hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• A substantial track record of leading complex, customer-facing projects, programmes or portfolios in steel fabrication, power transmission, construction, infrastructure, manufacturing or a comparable engineered environment.
• Experience line-managing and developing project management teams, including remote and hybrid teams, and balancing resources across competing priorities.
• Strong client and stakeholder management skills, including leading governance reviews, negotiating outcomes and handling senior-level escalations.
• A practical understanding of contracts, change control, commercial risk, cost control and forecasting, backed by strong programme, project-control and reporting disciplines.
• The ability to coordinate multidisciplinary delivery, with a sound understanding of safety, environmental, quality and compliance responsibilities in an operational manufacturing or comparable environment.
• Experience implementing business systems or operational process change, from defining requirements and testing through to training, adoption and continuous improvement.
• Strong knowledge of materials management, particularly goods-in and goods-out, identification and traceability, inspection status, stock accuracy, certification and despatch.
• Confidence using Microsoft 365 and relevant planning, ERP/MRP, document-control, materials, quality and reporting systems.

Responsibilities

• Own portfolio delivery: take senior accountability for safety, quality, programme, cost and customer outcomes across multiple projects and work packages, from mobilisation through to handover and commercial close-out.
• Lead customer relationships: act as the senior point of contact for internal and external clients, building clear communication, managing expectations and resolving escalated issues.
• Develop your team: line-manage, coach and support Assistant Project Managers, Package Managers and Project Coordinators, setting clear priorities and aligning resources with delivery needs.
• Connect the full delivery chain: coordinate engineering, procurement, materials management, fabrication, galvanising, quality, logistics and site teams to meet customer milestones.
• Keep delivery commercially sound: oversee project controls, forecasting, contractual obligations, notices and change control, managing risks and opportunities while protecting cash, margin and contractual entitlement.
• Drive better ways of working: sponsor systems and process improvements, particularly goods-in and goods-out controls, material traceability, stock accuracy, certification and despatch, with effective links to planning and ERP/MRP systems.
• Champion safe, responsible delivery: maintain a focus on Zero Harm, environmental performance, compliance and continuous improvement, supporting Balfour Beatty’s values and sustainability objectives.
• Inform decisions and future opportunities: provide clear, reliable portfolio reporting, capture lessons learned and contribute delivery expertise to bids and pre-contract planning.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Contract management

ERP/MRP systems

Materials management

Line management

Planning software

Microsoft 365

Education

Engineering background

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Planning software

Microsoft 365

Job description

About the role

Lead complex projects. Connect teams. Shape how we deliver.

Ready to take ownership of a portfolio where engineering, manufacturing and project delivery come together?

Join Painter Brothers as a Senior Project Manager and lead the delivery of high-voltage transmission steelwork projects supporting electricity infrastructure across the UK.

This is an opportunity to combine senior client leadership with hands‑on delivery oversight. You’ll bring people, plans and processes together, develop your project management team and champion improvements that strengthen the journey from materials receipt to finished steelwork arriving on site.

What you'll be doing

• Own portfolio delivery: take senior accountability for safety, quality, programme, cost and customer outcomes across multiple projects and work packages, from mobilisation through to handover and commercial close-out.
• Lead customer relationships: act as the senior point of contact for internal and external clients, building clear communication, managing expectations and resolving escalated issues.
• Develop your team: line-manage, coach and support Assistant Project Managers, Package Managers and Project Coordinators, setting clear priorities and aligning resources with delivery needs.
• Connect the full delivery chain: coordinate engineering, procurement, materials management, fabrication, galvanising, quality, logistics and site teams to meet customer milestones.
• Keep delivery commercially sound: oversee project controls, forecasting, contractual obligations, notices and change control, managing risks and opportunities while protecting cash, margin and contractual entitlement.
• Drive better ways of working: sponsor systems and process improvements, particularly goods-in and goods-out controls, material traceability, stock accuracy, certification and despatch, with effective links to planning and ERP/MRP systems.
• Champion safe, responsible delivery: maintain a focus on Zero Harm, environmental performance, compliance and continuous improvement, supporting Balfour Beatty’s values and sustainability objectives.
• Inform decisions and future opportunities: provide clear, reliable portfolio reporting, capture lessons learned and contribute delivery expertise to bids and pre-contract planning.

Who we're looking for

You’ll be comfortable taking ownership, building trusted relationships and turning complex requirements into practical delivery plans.

We’re looking for:

• A substantial track record of leading complex, customer-facing projects, programmes or portfolios in steel fabrication, power transmission, construction, infrastructure, manufacturing or a comparable engineered environment.
• Experience line-managing and developing project management teams, including remote and hybrid teams, and balancing resources across competing priorities.
• Strong client and stakeholder management skills, including leading governance reviews, negotiating outcomes and handling senior-level escalations.
• A practical understanding of contracts, change control, commercial risk, cost control and forecasting, backed by strong programme, project-control and reporting disciplines.
• The ability to coordinate multidisciplinary delivery, with a sound understanding of safety, environmental, quality and compliance responsibilities in an operational manufacturing or comparable environment.
• Experience implementing business systems or operational process change, from defining requirements and testing through to training, adoption and continuous improvement.
• Strong knowledge of materials management, particularly goods-in and goods-out, identification and traceability, inspection status, stock accuracy, certification and despatch.
• Confidence using Microsoft 365 and relevant planning, ERP/MRP, document-control, materials, quality and reporting systems.
• Clear communication, sound judgement and the ability to stay focused under pressure across multiple projects and customer priorities.
• A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel between Painter Brothers, customer, supplier and project locations as required.

The following would be an advantage, but are not essential:

• Experience with National Grid or SSEN transmission frameworks, overhead-line towers, substations or associated steelwork, including major transmission programmes in Scotland or the Great Grid Upgrade in England.
• Knowledge of structural steelwork fabrication, galvanising, inspection, certification and site delivery.
• Experience managing framework contracts and concurrent work packages, or improving ERP/MRP, warehouse, barcode, stock‑control or despatch systems.
• A relevant qualification in engineering, construction, project management, commercial management or operations, or equivalent experience.
• Professional qualifications or membership such as APM PMQ, APM ChPP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, MSP or Chartered Manager.
• Training or experience in NEC or bespoke transmission contracts, and familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, value‑stream mapping or root‑cause analysis.

#painterbrothers

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:
- Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
- 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
- Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
- Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more...

About us

Balfour Beatty works at the heart of the UK’s rail networks – designing, enhancing and maintaining thousands of miles of the railways that connect communities and underpin growth.

From feasibility studies, planning and design through to implementation and asset management, we provide multi-disciplinary rail infrastructure services across the lifecycle of rail assets. Our expertise covers electrification, track, power, civils, specialist rail plant, railway systems and technologies.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty, we want everyone to be able to thrive and achieve their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. We’re making great progress through our Value Everyone DEI Action Plan, but we know we’ve got more to do. Find out more about our values and DEI initiatives.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this role will be offered an interview.

We are committed to our processes being barrier-free and will support adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please let the recruiter for this role know if you require any adjustments.

We’re looking to continually improve our recruitment process, so if you have any feedback, please share this with us via [e-mail]