Project Manager, Project & Program Management, Operations Management

Project Manager role within Major Projects team

Role involves managing the closeout stage of projects based in any UK office with travel to Birmingham and Manchester

Responsibilities include managing defects resolution, final handover, and long-term commitments

Qualifications include full membership of the Association of Project Managers or aspiration to achieve this

Salary at the lower end of the pay scale for external candidates

National Highways have an excellent opportunity for a Project Manager to join our Significant Projects team within Major Projects. The Project Manager will plan and manage the delivery of projects, managing the performance of a project team, external contractors and consultants, ensuring adherence to effective governance, quality assurance, health and safety, technical and specialist standards across the supply chain and National Highways, to ensure successful delivery of agreed project outcomes.

This role will be based within Project Control Framework (PCF) Stage 7 - the Closeout stage. At this point in the project lifecycle, the focus is on ensuring all elements of delivery are brought to a successful conclusion, lessons are captured, and commitments are honoured. While some closeout activities are completed promptly within the first year, others such as aftercare, safety monitoring, and evaluation can extend over several years.

As a Project Manager, you will play a central role in steering projects through these critical closeout stages balancing the need to wrap up delivery efficiently with the responsibility of managing longer-term obligations.

This role can be based from any of our UK offices, however travel to Birmingham and Manchester to attend monthly team meetings will be required.

• Lead the closeout of complex projects through Stage 7, ensuring defects are resolved, handover activities are managed, and long-term commitments are captured.
• Oversee activities within Stage 7, including the completion of the defects period, collation of records, and delivery of all documentation required for final handover / manage Stage 7 responsibilities, including ongoing aftercare, fulfilment of safety obligations, post-project evaluation, and monitoring of environmental or community commitments.
• Provide clear direction to your project teams by defining roles, responsibilities, and ways of working, ensuring alignment with project and organisational objectives.
• Produce high-quality project management documentation, including baseline management products, risk registers, and timely performance reports.
• Identify, monitor, and manage risks, issues, dependencies, and constraints specific to closeout, ensuring appropriate solutions are developed and escalated when necessary.
• Capture lessons learned and best practice from the project, embedding them into future delivery programmes and champion best practice in governance, safety, sustainability, and stakeholder engagement during the closeout process.

• Full membership of the Association of Project Managers (or another relevant professional body), or an aspiration to achieve this.
• Exceptional stakeholder management experience, with a track record of influencing relationships for positive outcomes across multi-disciplinary teams and building trusted relationships at all levels.
• Demonstrable experience in implementing and embedding safety standards within a project closeout or complex operational environment.
• Proven ability to capture lessons learned, manage post-project evaluation processes, and ensure commitments are followed through after completion.
• Experience of leading teams through the complexities of project closeout, including contract management and risk mitigation is desirable.

Here at National…