Tunneling Construction Manager (TBM & Underground)

asia tunnelling & construction pte ltd; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Asia Tunnelling & Construction Pte Ltd in Singapore seeks a senior Construction & Tunnel Project Lead to oversee TBM operations, NATM/SEM, and civil works across major projects. You will coordinate planning, safety, QA/QC, and progress reporting with multidisciplinary teams.

The role demands extensive underground construction experience, strong leadership, and proven ability to manage schedule, resources, and risk under stringent safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Develop construction methods, work sequences, and execution strategies.
• Prepare construction schedules, resource plans, manpower deployment, and equipment requirements.
• Coordinate daily, weekly, and monthly construction activities.
• Monitor progress against milestones and implement recovery plans for delays.
• Ensure construction activities comply with contractual requirements, approved method statements, and ITPs.
• Oversee TBM excavation activities (EPB, slurry, or hard-rock) as applicable.
• Coordinate TBM launch, tunneling advance, breakthrough and retrieval.
• Monitor TBM performance indicators (advance rate, penetration rate, thrust, torque, cutterhead pressure, stoppages).
• Ensure proper coordination of segment erection, tail-void grouting, muck removal, and tunnel logistics.
• Monitor ground conditions, face pressure, settlement, groundwater inflow, and potential risks during excavation.
• Coordinate TBM maintenance, cutter changes, consumables, and critical spare parts with the TBM team.
• Supervise excavation sequences (top heading, bench, invert) where applicable.
• Ensure initial support such as shotcrete, rock bolts, steel ribs, lattice girders, and wire mesh is installed timely.
• Review geological conditions, rock mass classifications, and tunnel face mapping with the engineering and geotechnical teams.
• Ensure excavation rounds, support installation, and monitoring comply with the approved design.
• Coordinate probe drilling, pre-grouting, dewatering, and water-ingress control measures where required.
• Manage precast segment installation and quality control for TBM-driven tunnels.
• Supervise secondary lining, waterproofing membranes, reinforcement, formwork, and concrete placement.
• Coordinate invert slabs, cross passages, adits, shafts, portals, and underground structures.
• Ensure concrete quality, segment tolerances, gasket installation, bolt tightening, and watertightness requirements.
• Coordinate interfaces between tunneling, shafts, stations, utilities, and civil works.
• Implement project safety management plans and ensure compliance with legislation and client requirements.
• Conduct site inspections, toolbox talks, safety briefings, and risk assessments.
• Ensure permits to work, confined-space controls, gas monitoring, ventilation, and emergency arrangements are in place.
• Control risks associated with underground work, including fire, flooding, ground collapse, hazardous atmospheres, and equipment movement.
• Investigate incidents and near misses, implement corrective actions, and monitor closure.
• Manage noise, dust, slurry, groundwater discharge, spoil disposal, and other environmental impacts.
• Ensure work complies with drawings, specifications, ITPs, and quality procedures.
• Coordinate inspections, material testing, concrete testing, segment inspections, and survey checks.
• Review non-conformance reports (NCRs), corrective actions, and preventive measures.
• Maintain records of excavation, support installation, grouting, lining, and as-built information.
• Coordinate inspections and approvals with the consultant, resident engineer, client, and authorities.
• Coordinate monitoring of surface settlement, buildings, utilities, groundwater, and tunnel convergence.
• Review instrumentation data (settlement markers, inclinometers, piezometers, convergence points).
• Ensure monitoring trigger levels and action plans are implemented.
• Coordinate immediate responses when monitoring results exceed alert or action limits.
• Work with geotechnical engineers to assess ground conditions and implement mitigation measures.
• Plan manpower for engineers, supervisors, surveyors, operators, and skilled workers.
• Allocate plant and equipment according to construction priorities.
• Coordinate shift work and 24-hour tunneling operations, including shift handovers.
• Monitor labor productivity, equipment utilization, and material consumption.
• Resolve manpower shortages, equipment breakdowns, and logistical constraints.
• Monitor construction expenditure against the approved budget.
• Track productivity, quantities completed, material consumption, and subcontractor performance.
• Identify potential variations, additional works, and delay-related costs.
• Coordinate with the commercial and quantity surveying teams on progress claims, variations, and extensions of time.
• Minimize waste, rework, unnecessary stoppages, and inefficient resource utilization.
• Lead coordination meetings with project engineers, site supervisors, subcontractors, consultants, and the client.
• Coordinate interfaces between tunneling, shafts, stations, utilities, and associated civil works.
• Resolve technical and construction issues and escalate risks promptly.
• Coordinate permits, inspections, traffic management, utility protection, and authority requirements.
• Maintain effective communication between site teams, design teams, project management, and head office.
• Prepare daily, weekly, and monthly construction progress reports.
• Track tunnel advance, excavation quantities, lining completion, labor productivity, and equipment downtime.
• Maintain records of TBM performance, geological conditions, stoppages, and ground movement.
• Report construction risks, delays, mitigation measures, and forecast completion dates.
• Maintain accurate site diaries, progress photographs, inspection records, and handover documentation.

Job description

1. Construction Planning and Project Execution

• Develop construction methods, work sequences, and execution strategies in accordance with approved drawings and specifications.

• Prepare construction schedules, resource plans, manpower deployment, and equipment requirements.

• Coordinate daily, weekly, and monthly construction activities.

• Monitor progress against project milestones and implement recovery plans for delays.

• Ensure construction activities comply with contractual requirements, approved method statements, and inspection and test plans (ITPs).

2. Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Operations

• Oversee TBM excavation activities, including EPB, slurry, or hard-rock TBM operations, as applicable.

• Coordinate TBM launch, tunneling advance, breakthrough, and retrieval activities.

• Monitor TBM performance indicators, including advance rate, penetration rate, thrust force, torque, cutterhead pressure, and stoppages.

• Ensure proper coordination of segment erection, tail-void grouting, muck removal, and tunnel logistics.

• Monitor ground conditions, face pressure, settlement, groundwater inflow, and potential risks during excavation.

• Coordinate TBM maintenance, cutter changes, consumables, and critical spare parts with the TBM team.

3. NATM/SEM and Conventional Tunneling

• Supervise excavation sequences, including top heading, bench, and invert construction, where applicable.

• Ensure timely installation of initial support, such as shotcrete, rock bolts, steel ribs, lattice girders, and wire mesh.

• Review geological conditions, rock mass classifications, and tunnel face mapping with the engineering and geotechnical teams.

• Ensure excavation rounds, support installation, and monitoring comply with the approved excavation and support design.

• Coordinate probe drilling, pre-grouting, dewatering, and water-ingress control measures where required.

4. Tunnel Lining and Civil Works

• Manage precast segment installation and quality control for TBM-driven tunnels.

• Supervise secondary lining, waterproofing membranes, reinforcement, formwork, and concrete placement.

• Coordinate invert slabs, cross passages, adits, shafts, portals, and underground structures.

• Ensure concrete quality, segment tolerances, gasket installation, bolt tightening, and watertightness requirements are met.

• Coordinate civil, mechanical, electrical, ventilation, drainage, and fire-life-safety interfaces.

5. Safety, Health and Environmental Management

• Implement the project safety management plan and ensure compliance with applicable legislation and client requirements.

• Conduct site inspections, toolbox meetings, safety briefings, and risk assessments.

• Ensure permits to work, confined-space controls, gas monitoring, ventilation, and emergency arrangements are in place.

• Control risks associated with underground work, including fire, flooding, ground collapse, hazardous atmospheres, and equipment movement.

• Investigate incidents and near misses, implement corrective actions, and monitor closure.

• Manage noise, dust, slurry, groundwater discharge, spoil disposal, and other environmental impacts.

6. Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC)

• Ensure construction work complies with approved drawings, specifications, ITPs, and quality procedures.

• Coordinate inspections, material testing, concrete testing, segment inspections, and survey checks.

• Review non-conformance reports (NCRs), corrective actions, and preventive measures.

• Ensure accurate records of excavation, support installation, grouting, lining, and as-built information.

• Coordinate inspections and approvals with the consultant, resident engineer, client, and relevant authorities.

7. Geotechnical Monitoring and Ground Settlement Control

• Coordinate monitoring of surface settlement, buildings, utilities, groundwater, and tunnel convergence.

• Review instrumentation data, including settlement markers, inclinometers, piezometers, and convergence points, as applicable.

• Ensure monitoring trigger levels and action plans are implemented.

• Coordinate immediate responses when monitoring results exceed alert or action limits.

• Work with geotechnical engineers to assess ground conditions and implement mitigation measures, including grouting or changes to excavation procedures.

8. Manpower, Equipment and Resource Management

• Plan manpower requirements for engineers, supervisors, surveyors, operators, and skilled workers.

• Allocate plant and equipment according to construction priorities.

• Coordinate shift work and 24-hour tunneling operations, including shift handovers.

• Monitor labor productivity, equipment utilization, and material consumption.

• Resolve manpower shortages, equipment breakdowns, and logistical constraints.

9. Cost Control and Commercial Management

• Monitor construction expenditure against the approved budget.

• Track productivity, quantities completed, material consumption, and subcontractor performance.

• Identify potential variations, additional works, and delay-related costs.

• Coordinate with the commercial and quantity surveying teams on progress claims, variations, and extension-of-time submissions.

• Minimize waste, rework, unnecessary stoppages, and inefficient resource utilization.

10. Coordination and Stakeholder Management

• Lead coordination meetings with project engineers, site supervisors, subcontractors, consultants, and the client.

• Coordinate interfaces between tunneling, shafts, stations, utilities, and associated civil works.

• Resolve technical and construction issues and escalate critical risks promptly.

• Coordinate permits, inspections, traffic management, utility protection, and authority requirements.

• Maintain effective communication between site teams, design teams, project management, and head office.

11. Progress Reporting and Documentation

• Prepare daily, weekly, and monthly construction progress reports.

• Track tunnel advance, excavation quantities, lining completion, labor productivity, and equipment downtime.

• Maintain records of TBM performance, geological conditions, stoppages, and ground movement.

• Report construction risks, delays, mitigation measures, and forecast completion dates.

• Maintain accurate site diaries, progress photographs, inspection records, and handover documentation.