Project Director, Lower Thames Crossing; LTC), Roads North

About

The Role

Balfour Beatty is looking to make a critical hire and appoint a Project Director to lead one of the key sections on Roads North (£250m to £500m). As a Project Director, you will provide overall leadership, direction and accountability for the safe, predictable and productive delivery of the assigned scope within the Lower Thames Crossing—spanning pre‑construction enablement (land access, archaeology, utilities), main works (highways, structures, tunnelling interfaces), and handover.

You will set the vision, build a high‑performing team, and ensure outcomes on safety, quality, time, cost, sustainability, and community impact are achieved, while maintaining a Zero Harm culture across all operations.

The role will be based along the Kent/Essex route with regular travel between offices (e.g. Thurrock), compounds and stakeholder premises.

• Set clear strategic objectives and cascade priorities across delivery, commercial, engineering, and enabling functions; model collaborative, high‑trust behaviours with design partners, statutory undertakers and supply chain.
• Champion a Zero Harm mindset; ensure robust, visible safety leadership and compliance with HSW standards across all work fronts.
• Build leadership capability and clarify role responsibilities across the route/area leadership teams to align with the programme’s evolving needs.

• Own the integrated baseline and “right‑first‑time” delivery of milestones; chair reviews on progress, risks, opportunities and change.
• Drive predictable delivery through short‑interval control and disciplined performance management with Project Controls (planning, cost, risk, earned value, reporting).
• Ensure early identification and management of compensation events and approvals in line with client and DCO processes.

• Lead by example on HSW engagement (inspections, audits, safety tours, briefings), verify effective close‑out of actions, and continuously improve leading indicators and lessons learned.

• Provide senior oversight of design for manufacture & assembly (DfMA), temporary works, and technical assurance; ensure hold‑point discipline and compliance with standards.
• Manage interfaces with tunnelling, highways structures, and specialist systems; ensure buildability, maintainability and safe systems of work are embedded from design through delivery.

• Oversee DCO obligations, protective provisions and assurances; ensure timely approvals, stakeholder notifications and evidence trails.
• Lead the “clear the way” enabling philosophy for utilities and third‑party assets, coordinating with statutory undertakers and the Integrated Utilities leadership so main works can proceed predictably.

• Hold accountability for commercial outcomes; ensure robust change control, claims/compensation event management, and alignment with contract(s) (e.g., NEC).
• Build a high‑performing supply chain: set expectations for productivity, quality, sustainability, and social value; drive fair, transparent, and safe delivery.

• Act as a senior face of the project with the client and external bodies (local authorities, statutory bodies, communities), ensuring proactive engagement, responsiveness and credible reporting.
• Support community relations so construction activity is considerate and impacts are managed responsibly (traffic, noise, ecology, heritage, public safety).

• Drive decarbonisation, resource efficiency and circular practices; integrate carbon and environmental considerations into planning and delivery.
• Champion inclusion and workforce diversity commitments, aligning with project EDI targets and incentive frameworks.

• Chair/attend governance forums; ensure accurate monthly and weekly reporting packs, dashboards and board updates (progress, risks, resourcing, HSW, EDI, cost, forecast).
• Ensure readiness and evidence for internal/external audits and progressive assurance.

• Significant…