VolkerRail Major Projects is an expert in collaborative working through joint ventures and alliance schemes. Collaborative working agreements are a proven strategy for delivering large, complex railway projects, and through its strong relationships with other major contractors, VolkerRail Major Projects has helped to deliver several of the biggest rail projects over the last decade.
The SID is a fully integrated team that will bring together the strengths, capabilities, and knowledge of the partners and Network Rail. It will own the renewals work bank, manage it at portfolio level and drive a transition to a production management ethos. The SID is commercially aligned and jointly incentivised creating a ‘share in success’ environment. Business partners within the alliance will generate profit through performance against the Final Determination. The four partners, VolkerFitzpatrick, Octavius, Atkins, and VolkerRail are aligned to the core asset disciplines with the fifth partner, Network Rail Minor Works, being multi- disciplinary for low complexity, low value works.
Senior Project Manager – Southern Renewals Enterprise (SRE)
VolkerRail is a leading railway infrastructure contractor delivering projects across heavy and light rail networks, from local schemes to nationally significant programmes.
We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead the project management function within the Southern Renewals Enterprise (SRE). This strategic role will provide leadership, governance and delivery assurance across one of the UK's largest rail renewals programmes, with a strong focus on cost control, commercial performance, quality and predictable project outcomes.
Working closely with delivery, commercial and client teams, you will ensure projects are planned, controlled and delivered safely, on programme and within budget. You will champion robust project controls and VolkerRail's Right First Time principle, driving accountability, quality and effective management of risk and change.
You will lead and develop Project Managers across multiple projects, establishing consistent standards, effective resource planning and strong delivery performance.
Key Responsibilities
Project and Portfolio Leadership
- Lead the SRE project management function, setting standards, priorities and accountability.
- Provide oversight of scope, programme, cost, quality, risk and change.
- Use project controls and performance data to support decision-making and recovery actions.
- Support delivery of VolkerRail's core principles: Safety of Our People, Right First Time and Our Sustainable Future.
Team Leadership and Development
- Lead, manage and develop the project management team.
- Set objectives, monitor performance and allocate resources effectively.
- Coach Project Managers to improve commercial awareness and delivery discipline.
- Promote collaboration, accountability and consistent ways of working.
Cost and Commercial Control
- Drive robust cost planning, forecasting and reporting.
- Work with commercial teams to maximise value, manage change and improve margin performance.
- Challenge cost variance and inefficiency, ensuring recovery actions are implemented.
- Support procurement decisions that improve value and programme certainty.
Quality, Governance and Assurance
- Maintain effective governance and assurance arrangements.
- Ensure adherence to quality plans, project baselines and defect management processes.
- Lead reviews, escalate significant risks and recommend corrective action.
- Ensure compliance with VolkerRail procedures, client requirements, Network Rail standards and contractual obligations.
- Provide portfolio reports and recommendations to senior leadership.
Performance and Continuous Improvement
- Review project performance and identify improvement opportunities.
- Embed lessons learned, standard controls and best practice.
- Promote early intervention and recovery planning where required.
- Build strong relationships with clients and partners to improve delivery confidence and customer satisfaction.
About you
You will be an experienced senior project leader with a proven record of managing project teams and delivering complex rail, construction or infrastructure programmes with strong cost control and high standards of quality.
You will be confident leading experienced professionals, influencing senior stakeholders and providing constructive challenge. You will combine commercial judgement with a practical understanding of railway delivery, quality assurance and project controls.
Essential
- Degree or equivalent professional qualification in project management, engineering, construction or a related discipline.
- Substantial experience leading project teams within major rail, construction or infrastructure environments.
- Strong knowledge of project and commercial controls, including budgets, forecasts, change, risk and cost-to-complete.
- Demonstrable experience improving quality performance and driving right-first-time delivery.
- Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills.
- Experience working with clients, designers, commercial teams and supply chain partners in a collaborative environment.
- Full UK Driving Licence.
- Sentinel PTS competency, or the ability to obtain it.
Desirable
- Chartered status or membership of a recognised professional body such as APM, ICE or CIOB.
- Recognised leadership or management qualification.
- Experience working within rail renewals or maintenance frameworks.
- Experience developing Project Managers, graduates or emerging project professionals.
- Experience of collaborative contracting and managing multidisciplinary supply chains.
Joining VolkerRail means becoming part of a business where safety, quality and sustainability are embedded in everything we do. Through the Southern Renewals Enterprise, you will have the opportunity to lead a capable project management team and help deliver one of the UK's most significant railway infrastructure programmes with greater cost certainty and consistently high-quality outcomes.
This is an opportunity to shape project delivery standards, strengthen commercial and quality performance and leave a lasting impact across a major rail framework while continuing to develop your career within one of the UK's leading railway infrastructure organisations.
If you're ready to lead a project management team and drive excellence in cost, quality and delivery, we'd love to hear from you.
If your past experience doesn’t match perfectly with every requirement of the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for us.
Why work with us?
VolkerRail is under the umbrella of VolkerWessels UK which is a multidisciplinary contractor that delivers innovative engineering solutions across the civil engineering and construction sectors including rail, highways, airport, marine, energy, water, and environmental infrastructure.
By utilising the specialist skills of each business unit within VolkerWessels UK, VolkerRail are able to ensure our staff provide unrivalled resources and expertise to our clients.
We offer competitive rewards and benefits, recognising the value we place on our employees.
We offer a range of benefits, including:
- Competitive salary
- Competitive annual leave and an additional day off on your birthday
- Pension
- Life Assurance
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Shopping and restaurants vouchers, rewards, and discounts
- Training and development opportunities-comprehensive skills-based training
- Family friendly polices including enhanced maternity benefits
- Flexible working opportunities
- Employee Assistance programme
- Mental health, physical health, and financial support
Fairness, inclusion and respect
We believe in pushing boundaries in the pursuit of fairness, inclusion and respect. So, our teams can be comfortable that, whatever their background, VolkerWessels UK is a place where they can be themselves and thrive. You can read more about our FIR Strategy as well as our partners here Fairness, Inclusion and Respect | VolkerWessels UK
If you need support with your application, please contact us at careers@volkerwessels.co.uk
Additional information
Note for Recruitment Agencies:
Our preference is to hire directly, and we will reach out to our Preferred Supplier List (PSL) agencies if this particular role qualifies for release.
We kindly request that you refrain from sending speculative CVs. In the event of speculative CV submissions, no fees will be applicable, and we kindly ask that all inquiries to be directed to careers@volkerwessels.co.uk
VolkerWessels UK is committed to maintaining healthy, safe and productive working conditions for its entire staff and therefore a drugs & alcohol screening is mandatory for all.
