Project Director (Programme Manager – Pre-Construction & Project Development)
Location
Glasgow / HMNB - Clyde
Reporting To
Operations Director - FNICAP
Job Purpose
The Programme Manager is responsible for the strategic coordination of multiple construction projects from early concept and feasibility through pre-construction and handover into delivery. The role ensures that projects are developed in a structured, coordinated, and commercially viable manner, aligning design, cost, programme, risk, and stakeholder requirements prior to site commencement.
The Programme Manager will act as the central point of integration between clients, consultants, internal teams, and external stakeholders, ensuring projects are fully defined, approved, and ready to proceed to construction.
Key Responsibilities
Programme & Project Development
- Manage and coordinate a programme of construction projects from concept, feasibility, and planning through to handover into construction teams.
- Working with project controls functions develop and maintain integrated schedules, key milestones, and interdependencies across multiple projects.
- Ensure projects progress through defined stage gates (RIBA, or bespoke DIO frameworks as applicable).
- Monitor progress against programme, identifying risks, constraints, and opportunities at an early stage.
Pre-Construction Management
- Lead and coordinate all pre-construction activities, including feasibility studies, design development, cost planning, risk management, and procurement strategy.
- Work closely with design teams to ensure solutions are buildable, compliant, and aligned with cost and programme objectives.
- Coordinate the preparation of pre-construction programmes, logistics strategies, and construction sequencing inputs.
- Support tendering strategies, contractor engagement, and early supply chain involvement where required.
Cost, Commercial & Risk Control
- Collaborate with commercial teams to ensure robust cost plans, budgets, and cash flows are developed and maintained.
- Lead programme-level risk and opportunity management, ensuring mitigation strategies are embedded early in project development.
- Support value engineering and option appraisals to optimise cost, quality, and programme outcomes.
Stakeholder & Consultant Coordination
- Act as the primary interface between clients, consultants, statutory authorities, and internal stakeholders during the pre-construction phase.
- Chair and manage programme and project meetings, ensuring actions are tracked and resolved.
- Coordinate planning, technical approvals, and stakeholder engagement processes.
Governance, Reporting & Assurance
- Prepare and present programme reports, dashboards, and progress updates to senior management and clients.
- Ensure projects comply with organisational governance, approval processes, and quality standards.
- Maintain accurate programme documentation, decision logs, and change control records.
Handover to Delivery
- Ensure a structured and controlled handover of projects from pre-construction into delivery teams.
- Confirm that scope, programme, cost, risk, and design information are fully aligned prior to site start.
- Support early delivery phases to maintain continuity and programme integrity.
Key Skills & Experience
Essential
- Proven experience in a Programme Manager, Project Manager, or Pre-Construction Manager role within the construction or built environment sector.
- Strong understanding of construction project lifecycles, particularly early-stage development and pre-construction.
- Experience managing multiple projects or complex programmes concurrently.
- Excellent knowledge of construction planning, design coordination, cost management, and risk control.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Ability to interpret and challenge programme, cost, and design information.
Desirable
- Experience working for a main contractor, developer, consultancy, or infrastructure client.
- Familiarity with RIBA Plan of Work, NEC/JCT contracts, or equivalent frameworks.
- Knowledge of planning processes, statutory approvals, and stakeholder engagement.
- Experience supporting or leading early contractor involvement (ECI).
Qualifications
- Degree or equivalent qualification in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a related discipline.
- Professional membership or working towards membership (e.g. APM, CIOB, RICS, ICE).
- Project or programme management qualification (e.g. APM PMQ, PRINCE2, MSP) – desirable.
Personal Attributes
- Highly organised with strong programme control capability.
- Proactive, solutions-focused, and commercially aware.
- Confident communicator able to influence at all levels.
- Collaborative approach with the ability to challenge constructively.
- Calm under pressure with the ability to manage complexity and change.