Contract Manager

Contract Manager – Civils & Highways

Salary:
£70,000 – £80,000 + Company Car + Benefits (DOE)

Location:
North West England (Greater Manchester)

About the Company

Our client is a long-established, family-owned civil engineering contractor in the North West, with a turnover of around £30m. They have a strong reputation across highways and civils, delivering projects primarily for local authorities, with additional work from other established sources.

The civils / highways division currently delivers approximately £2m per annum, with a clear plan to grow this to £5–6m over the next few years. To support this, they are looking to appoint a senior Contracts/Business Development Manager to take ownership of this workstream and treat it as "their own business" within the wider group.

About the Role

This is a senior operational and commercial role with end-to-end responsibility for a portfolio of civils and highways projects.

You will lead a small existing team (including 3 gangs with Supervisors), manage local authority frameworks and projects, and be the main point of contact for clients. The role is office and site based (roughly 50/50), with a strong emphasis on being visible, hands-on and building structure around the division as it grows.

Key Responsibilities

• Take ownership of a civils & highways division currently at c.£2m turnover and help grow it towards £5–6m.
• Manage and grow local authority and related workstreams – including highways, Section 278 schemes, drainage, kerbs, car parks and associated civils.
• Lead and develop the existing team: approx. 3 gangs (each with a Supervisor) plus office/site-based support, drawing on wider planning, plant and commercial teams.
• Oversee the full project lifecycle: tendering, programming, resourcing, day-to-day delivery, handover and final accounts.
• Manage commercial performance – costs, margin, change, variations and forecasting, working closely with the Financial Director and wider commercial support.
• Act as the key point of contact for clients, ensuring strong relationships, clear communication and repeat work.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely, to the required quality and in line with agreed timeframes and specifications.
• Build systems, processes and reporting as the division grows – turning a solid operation into a scalable, well-controlled business unit.
• Work collaboratively in a hands-on, family-business environment where everyone "chips in" when required.

Key Requirements

• Proven experience as a Contract/Business Development Manager in civils / highways, or a strong Project Manager ready to step up.
• Strong civil engineering knowledge with a solid commercial / QS background.
• Experience in local authority highways / Section 278 / general civils – confident with drainage, kerbs, concrete, car parks and associated infrastructure works.
• Able to read and interpret drawings and turn them into realistic programmes, resources and delivery plans.
• Track record of running a stable, profitable business area or portfolio of contracts (ideally multi-million pound).
• Hands-on leadership style – "mucky boots", visible on site, credible with Supervisors and gangs.
• Strong communication skills – comfortable with clients, senior stakeholders and site-based teams.
• Personality and style to fit a family-run North West contractor – straight-talking, team-focused, and motivated by building something long-term rather than chasing a quick uplift.
• Based within reasonable commuting distance (around 1 hour) of Greater Manchester and happy with a roughly 50/50 office/site split.
• Formal civil engineering qualifications and site tickets (e.g. HNC/HND, SMSTS, CSCS, NRSWA) would be an advantage but are not essential where experience and credibility are strong.

Package

• Basic salary: £70,000 – £80,000 (depending on experience and what you can bring).
• Company car (to be discussed).
• Pension and wider benefits.
• Scope to discuss a performance-related element linked to division growth and delivery.

Apply online or contact Nathan Turley for a confidential discussion

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