Senior Project Manager - Water

Senior Project Manager - Design-Led Water Treatment
We are recruiting an experienced Senior Project Manager / Programme Manager to lead the design development of major water and wastewater treatment projects, with individual schemes valued at circa £40m.
This is a design-led project leadership role, not a construction management position. You will take ownership from project definition and option development through concept, detailed design, procurement readiness and transition into delivery.
Working within a lean client-side team, you will coordinate multidisciplinary designers, consultants, NEC4 delivery partners and operational stakeholders, ensuring projects are technically robust, buildable, commercially viable and ready for successful delivery.
The Role
You will be responsible for:

• Leading major water and wastewater treatment projects, typically valued at circa £40m, through the design lifecycle
• Managing multidisciplinary design consultants and NEC4 delivery partners
• Driving concept, outline and detailed design through to construction readiness
• Chairing design reviews, technical meetings and contractor progress meetings
• Managing change control and assessing impacts on cost, programme and scope
• Maintaining effective project governance, risk and issue management
• Producing clear programme reporting for senior stakeholders
• Ensuring constructability, operability, cost and delivery risks are addressed throughout design
• Coordinating consultants, contractors, engineering teams and operational stakeholders
• Supporting the transition into construction, commissioning and handover

About You
We are looking for candidates with:

• Proven experience as a Senior Project Manager, Programme Manager or Project Director
• A track record of leading complex capital projects of circa £40m through design
• Experience within water, wastewater, utilities or comparable process infrastructure
• Strong NEC4 contract management experience
• Experience managing multidisciplinary engineering and design teams
• Strong knowledge of project governance, risk management, change control and programme reporting
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• The ability to take ownership and operate effectively within a lean client-side delivery team

Direct water or wastewater treatment technical, process or design experience would be particularly valuable.
Desirable Experience

• AMP7 or AMP8 capital programme experience
• Water/wastewater treatment process or technical design knowledge
• Client-side experience within a regulated utility
• Chartered status or membership of a relevant professional body
• APM, PRINCE2 or equivalent project management qualification

What's in it for you?
Rate: Up to £600 per day, depending on experience
Contract: Long-term contract opportunity, initially 12 months+
Location: Poole, Dorset
Working pattern: 3 days per week on site
This is an opportunity to take genuine ownership of significant treatment infrastructure projects and influence their development from early design through to successful delivery.
If you have led major capital projects through design and bring relevant water treatment, technical or regulated infrastructure experience, apply today or contact Leon Smith, Murray McIntosh, for a confidential discussion.