📍 Location: North Acton, London (Hybrid – 3 days office/site)
💰 Salary: Up to £83,500 + 12% Pension + Healthcare + 25 days holiday
📈 Next Step: Senior Project Manager (£100,000 – £120,500 + package)
🚄 Project: London Main Works Civils Contract (£4.2bn) – SCS Head Houses
Deliver Critical Infrastructure at the Heart of Britain's New High-Speed Railway
Are you a Project Manager with experience delivering complex, MEP-heavy buildings / infrastructure and a solid grounding in NEC contract management?
Are you ready to take ownership of the delivery of a Head House on one of the UK's most high-profile infrastructure programmes, with a clear pathway to Senior Project Manager?
This is an excellent opportunity to join High Speed Two Ltd and play a key delivery role on the £4.2bn London Main Works Civils Contract, working on Head Houses — the complex above-ground buildings constructed over tunnel ventilation shafts that house critical fire control, ventilation, electrical and MEP systems for the high-speed tunnels below.
Reporting to a Senior Project Manager, you'll work directly with the principal contractor joint venture (Costain, Skanska, Strabag), managing day-to-day delivery while building meaningful relationships and challenging the JV with confidence and credibility.
The Project
The £4.2bn London Tunnels contract covers 13 miles of twin-bore tunnels (26 miles total) between West Ruislip and Euston. Head Houses are the above-ground structures built over tunnel ventilation shafts, housing critical fire control, ventilation and electrical systems for the tunnels below while providing safe access and egress points for emergency services and maintenance crews. These are large, technically complex buildings with extensive MEP scope:- covering ventilation systems, power distribution, fire suppression, lifts, HVAC and associated controls, with multiple engineering interfaces across civils, rail systems and operational infrastructure.
The Role
Working directly for High Speed Two Ltd, you'll be an integral member of the Project Management team, reporting to a Senior Project Manager. You'll take day-to-day ownership of the delivery of your Head House scope, managing the principal contractor through design and construction phases and ensuring delivery to time, budget, scope and quality.
A key focus of the role is the management and coordination of complex MEP systems through design, procurement, installation and commissioning, ensuring that mechanical, electrical and public health elements are delivered in a fully integrated way alongside the civils structure.
You'll have strong support from your Senior PM and the wider Head of Delivery team while developing the autonomy and commercial acumen to progress to Senior Project Manager level.
Key Responsibilities
* Manage the principal contractor through design and construction to ensure successful delivery to time, budget, scope and quality
* Take active ownership of MEP delivery — tracking design progress, procurement, installation and commissioning of mechanical, electrical and public health systems
* Monitor and review main contractor programme schedules and cost performance, identifying and mitigating risks early
* Manage engineering change, including scope and cost changes, and assess impact on programme affordability
* Maintain risk and issue registers, escalating risks proactively to the Senior Project Manager
* Support and discharge NEC3 Project Manager duties as delegated
* Review and accept contractor design deliverables and construction progress submissions
* Produce clear, accurate progress reports on key deliverables for senior leadership
* Manage a complex stakeholder environment including internal HS2 teams, the JV contractor and third parties
* Ensure successful integration of your scope with other HS2 contracts and projects
* Support CDM duties as delegated by the Client Representative
* Promote a collaborative culture of innovation and knowledge-sharing across the supply chain
What We're Looking For
Essential Experience
* Proven project management experience delivering complex infrastructure or buildings with substantial MEP content this is a non-negotiable requirement. Relevant backgrounds include rail stations, airports, data centres, substations, power stations, Nuclear, control rooms, head houses, plant rooms or similarly MEP-intensive facilities.
* Knowledge of MEP systems mechanical & their risks (HVAC, ventilation, fire suppression), electrical (HV/LV power distribution, UPS, lighting) and associated controls and the ability to manage MEP contractors and designers with confidence
* Working knowledge of NEC3 or NEC4 contracts, including change control and cost management experience acting as or supporting the appointed NEC Project Manager is highly desirable
* Open to candidates from a range of backgrounds – Main Contractor, Client-side or consultant
* Demonstrable experience managing contractors through design and construction delivery phases
* Strong commercial awareness including understanding of contract management, change control (EW/CE’s) and cost awareness
* Experience on complex, multi-disciplinary projects with multiple interfaces and stakeholders
* Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
* Able to commute to North Acton with site attendance typically 3–4 days per week
Desirable
* Relevant qualification in engineering, construction or project management (APM, RICS, ICE, CIBSE or similar) desirable but not essential; right experience considered
* Experience on rail, aviation, defence, civils, nuclear or other safety-critical infrastructure programmes
* Familiarity with commissioning and handover of complex MEP systems in operational environments
Why Join HS2?
This is an outstanding opportunity to join one of the UK's most significant infrastructure programmes at a critical delivery stage. You'll gain hands-on experience managing complex, MEP-heavy building delivery within a major civils programme, with direct exposure to senior leadership and a genuine, structured pathway to Senior Project Manager (£100,000 – £120,500 + package).
With follow-on opportunities on major HS2 stations including Euston (£3–4bn) and Old Oak Common (£1.67bn), this role offers long-term career development on a programme that will define UK infrastructure for a generation
Salary description
£75000.00 - £83500.00 per year