Contract Manager

Job Description

Department: Civil Engineering
Reporting to: Senior Civil Engineer
Grade: 5
Salary: £52,945 per annum
Base: Gravesend, Kent
Closing Date: 3rd March 2024
Interview Date: 14th March 2024

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Who we are:

The Port of London Authority is the statutory harbour authority for the tidal Thames and responsible for 95 miles of the River Thames from the Estuary to Teddington Lock in West London. We work to keep river users safe, protect and enhance the environment and promote the use of the river for trade and travel.

The Civil Engineering team is responsible for all construction at the PLA, as well as management of all it’s built infrastructure, including piers and jetties, river structures such as locks, lighthouses and revetments, as well as buildings and radar towers.

The role:

As a key member of the Civil Engineering team, this role will provide PMO and commercial support to 5 Civil Engineers and Project Managers, with a wide range of project budgets varying between £50k and £5 million as well as an operational team of tradespersons and contractors.

As the Contract Manager, you will be responsible for coordinating the commercial and contractual aspects of construction projects at the PLA. You will support the Civil Engineering project managers with e.g., programming, setting and controlling budgets, management of both external and internal resources, as well as liaising with other departments within the PLA including H&S, Environment, Planning and Procurement.

What we are looking for:

The successful candidate will have:

Qualifications and Education Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying, Business Management, Construction Management, or similar relevant topics.
• Achieved or working towards membership of a professional body, such as RICS, QSi, SCQS, APM or CIOB.

Essential:

• Minimum of 5 years relevant experience in the management or administration of building and civil engineering works
• Strong experience of project management both in theory and practice.
• A sound knowledge of building construction and civil engineering procedure, incl. Health & Safety legislation.
• A knowledge and understanding of a range of standard forms of civil engineering contract.
• Advanced skills in preparation of construction programmes including Gantt charts, as well as preparation and communication of project budgets.

Desirable:

• Experience of line management of individuals or small teams
• Excellent organisational and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely and adapt style to audience and situation
• Able to develop effective working relationships and promote and encourage team working and efficient use of time and resources
• Able to influence and negotiate at an individual and team to team level
• Numerate, able to understand and interpret data, providing reports where required
• Assertive, dynamic and self-motivated with the ability to remain calm under pressure and prioritise with minimal supervision
• Able to devise appropriate processes and implement change at a team level
• Critical thinker with the ability to challenge appropriately and contribute to continual improvement
• Proactive with a problem-solving attitude and approach
• IT literate with excellent functional skills in relation to Microsoft Office products, Teams and Sharepoint

Role and Responsibilities

Management Support for Construction Projects:

• Creation and review of programmes/schedules, using relevant software such as MS Project
• Risk management, chair hazard identification workshops and author risk assessments
• Cost estimating and budget tracking, including creation of necessary simple tools eg spreadsheets
• Liaise with other PLA departments as necessary, including finance, planning, HSW and Environment

Technical Support for Construction Projects:

• Identify and assess potential procurement strategies, e.g. where traditional or D&C type approaches are more appropriate
• Preparation and compilation of tender and contract documentation.
• Work with the procurement department to assess and evaluate tenders and proposals.
• Contract management and administration (e.g. NEC, JCT contracts)

Portfolio management for Construction Projects:

• Resource management and planning
• Coordination of contractors and in house tradespersons
• Track outstanding actions across projects and other ongoing tasks.
• Exert financial control of all projects, and support Head of Civil Engineering with departmental budget management.

Health and Safety, in conjunction with Civil Engineering project managers:

• Develop and review H&S documentation including but not limited to risk assessments, method statements, COSHH assessments, safe working procedures.
• Manage contractors, ahead of works or site attendance, to ensure appropriate documentation and / or certification is received, and inductions are given as required.
• Coordinate discharge of CDM duties including appointment of Principal Designer and Principal Contractor
• Lead on the liaison with other related departments to ensure risks are highlighted and managed consistently across the PLA.

Maintenance and Replacement Programmes

• Work with the Team Support Officer to create scheduled maintenance and replacement programmes for our assets and manage the delivery of and compliance with these schedules.
• Manage the team’s asset register ensuring its completion for all new purchases and ensure it is kept up to date as assets are relocated or disposed of
• Manage and update the Fixed Asset Register as required by the Finance department.
• Manage procurement requests to ensure timely delivery of required equipment.

In return, we offer a competitive benefits package:

• Access to training with both internal and external courses provided
• 28 days annual leave + Bank Holidays
• Medical Cash Plan (Westfield Health)
• Generous pension
• Onsite parking with electric charging
• Access to Occupational Health, Mindfulness, Counselling and Physiotherapy
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Access to MyGymDiscounts

Our recruitment process may include both Virtual and Face to Face interviews as well as ability and psychometric testing.

For further information or if you would like to have an informal discussion about the position, please contact James Palmer, Head of Civil Engineering at James.Palmer@pla.co.uk.

The PLA are not registered with the UK Home Office and do not sponsor candidates who require a visa or work permit to work in the UK, therefore an offer of employment cannot be made unless you currently hold the rights to live and work in the UK.