Project Manager

About the job.

Are you ready to shape nationally significant infrastructure while working in a way that works for you? As a Project Manager at National Highways, you will lead key highways and structures projects across our South West region.

In this client-side role, effective governance, assurance and stakeholder management will be central to your expertise as you oversee complex civil engineering schemes and manage the performance of external contractors and consultants to the highest standards of safety, quality and technical compliance.

Based from our Bristol office with a genuinely flexible hybrid approach, including part time and job share options, you will help deliver projects that keep our roads safe, reliable and future ready.

• Lead client‑side delivery of a portfolio of highways and structures projects in the South West, with particular focus on M48 Severn Bridge and M4 Prince of Wales Bridge capital programme, applying appropriate Project Control Systems and ensuring compliance with health, safety and technical standards.
• Drive robust governance and assurance, managing scope, cost, schedule and risk, and steering business cases through defined stage gates to demonstrate public value. 
• Manage consultants and contractors (including under NEC4) to deliver safe, high‑quality work, ensuring performance, commercial compliance and collaborative delivery.
• Engage and influence stakeholders including local authorities, communities and road users, providing clear communication and navigating complex issues effectively.
• Promote continuous improvement, sharing best practice to strengthen delivery resilience and operational excellence.

About you. 

• Relevant experience in the delivery of Civil Engineering projects and portfolios, ideally with a qualification in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Proven portfolio / project management experience with experience in a strong project governance environment (related qualifications e.g. MSP, APM, Prince2 is desirable).
• Evidence of contract management with specific experience of NEC 4 forms of contract.
• Good understanding of relevant legislation, technical standards, needs and practices in Construction.

About us. 

Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England’s motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership. 

Operations is at the heart of keeping the strategic road network moving and ensuring our customers get the best possible experience when using our roads. 

We address over 39,000 customer enquiries every month, plan and deliver all maintenance activities on the network, drive efficiencies and improvements across our systems and roads, and respond to incidents across 4,500 miles of motorways and major A-roads that we manage. All to make sure National Highways customers have safer, smoother, and more reliable journeys. 

External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy. 

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. 

Why you should join us

At National Highways we believe in a connected country. We are passionate about creating a culture where colleagues feel connected, included and enjoy greater wellbeing to achieve this. We’re proud that as an organisation we are continually striving to do better and actively encourage and support our colleagues to do the same with their careers. 

So, if you put safety first, take ownership of your work, show passion for what you do, work effectively in a team, and demonstrate integrity in how you do it – then you’ll be a great fit for our organisation.

A connected and sustainable working approach has been adopted across National Highways. For some roles, this means being able to work in a hybrid way spending up to 60% of time working from a remote location such as home.

We offer many different ways to work flexibly and we’re open to discuss part-time working, job shares, and flexible start and finish times. 

Please wait until the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.

 

Our benefits package

• Our total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus
• Contributory pension scheme with employer contribution of up to 10%
• Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
• Flexible hours and an approach driven by connected and sustainable working which includes hybrid working
• Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
• Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
• A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
• Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience

 

And we are

• Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
• Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
• Community friendly – offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year

If you are successful, it is key to know all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory completion of our pre-employment checks which include:       

• Right to work check
• 3 year employment history references
• DBS criminal record check
• Social media and adverse journalism check
• Driving licence check (if applicable)
• Fit to work questionnaire (for all), followed by a medical check (if applicable)
• Qualifications and/or professional membership check (if applicable)

 

And finally 

We reserve the right to close before the advertisement expires.