Preconstruction Project Manager

Preconstruction Project Manager

Due to a strong pipeline of work Willmott Dixon are looking for a dynamic Preconstruction Project Manager (Second Stage Bid Manager) to join our Wales & West region in Exeter.

Supporting our preconstruction team in the South West, you will be based in our Exeter office but we also know that work isn't the only important aspect of your life so we are happy to support flexible working and working from home wherever possible.

Reporting to the Preconstruction Manager, the successful person will demonstrate true leadership and manage both internal and external resources to deliver successful bids, on time, within budget and to the highest quality, ensuring our customers' expectations are met and, wherever possible, exceeded. Essentially project managing the preconstruction bid process.

With a proven track record of successful projects, you will be responsible for leading two-stage/negotiated tenders for projects ranging in value from £10m to £80m across a range of sectors, including Education, Leisure, Health, Blue Light, transport and Commercial. At Willmott Dixon we operate through several frameworks, allowing for a greater probability of seeing your hard work come to life.

As a Preconstruction Project Manager, you will be responsible for:

Motivating and leading a bid team that includes both internal (estimators, design professionals, MEP professionals and planners) and often external (supply chain and consultants) resource.
Working closely with your team to develop the commercial strategy.
Managing the customers' expectations through informal and formal 'health checks', adopting a professional and considerate approach to maintain good working relations
Developing and incorporating project strategies to achieve the company's sustainability objectives
Ensuring regular monitoring and reporting on progress, managing potential risks and opportunities, and instigating pre-emptive and corrective actions as required
Maintaining continuous professional development of yourself and your team to ensure appropriate technical awareness, implementing best practices and driving continuous improvement
Maintaining a 'one team' approach throughout to create a seamless transition from preconstruction to operations
Coordinating inception workshops with our customers and using your proven listening skills to ensure we truly understand our customers 'Why', gaining vital information that will enable your bid team to go the extra mileEssential and Desirable Criteria

Experience in managing diverse technical input, understanding complex construction schemes and leading the bid process will help you thrive in this role. If you have previously worked in a construction technical role, including but not limited to Operations, Planning, Commercial, Design or Estimating this will help you hit the ground running. In addition to this, we'd be interested to review CVs of those with a construction consultancy background, provided there is experience with managing the preconstruction process from RIBA stages 2-4.

This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for you to become a key part of our pre-construction team, if you will enjoy understanding the challenges our customers face and are motivated by finding innovative solutions, please follow the link to apply.

In Return

We reward our people generously with a competitive salary and a market-leading benefits package that gives you flexible benefits to fit your lifestyle and priorities. This includes but is not limited to, an enhanced pension scheme, full private medical for you and a partner, life assurance, incentive bonus and a car scheme which will make us a market leader in sustainable company travel.

Additional Information

At Willmott Dixon we provide an inclusive and flexible working environment for people to thrive in and we are happy to support agile working wherever possible.

We are a proud member of the Disability Confident Scheme.

About Us

With over 170 years of rich history, Willmott Dixon's purpose is beyond profit; delivering brilliant buildings, transforming lives, strengthening communities and enhancing the environment so our world is fit for future generations. Ensuring that we add lasting value to the neighbourhoods we work in; our values, people, innovation, partnerships and focus on sustainability has allowed us to build a successful and solid privately owned business where our people can thrive.

Willmott Dixon was recognised by The Sunday Times as one of the Top 10 "Big" Companies to Work For in 2025, named among the Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality in 2024, and ranked in the Top Five of Europe's 1,000 best workplaces by the Financial Times in 2025. Willmott Dixon is also the first major contractor and developer to win a King's Award for Enterprise in the category of sustainable development