Lead Commissioning & Handover Manager

Senior Project Manager – Assurance | High Speed Two Ltd
Lead Commissioning & Assurance Manager - is Senior Project Manager Assurance role must have previous experience closing our (handing over) a large complex infrastructure project.
Salary £100,000 – 111,578 £94,842 + 12% Pen Benefits
Employer: High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd – Direct Employment
Programme: £4.2bn+ EKFB Main Works Civils Contract
Working Pattern: Minimum 3 days per week in Milton Keynes office
Next Step: Senior leadership opportunities across HS2 Programme Assurance, Engineering & Delivery | HS2 programme continuing through to 2039
Make the Difference Between Documents Existing and Assurance Being Complete
On one section of HS2, close to half a million project documents will have been produced.
The challenge is not simply storing them.
Someone needs to make sure the right information gets to the right people, at the right time, through the right process and ultimately forms a complete, reliable assurance record for handover and the future railway.
High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd is looking for a Senior Project Manager to lead this process across the EKFB Main Works Civils Contract, Central Section.
This is a senior project management role within the Engineering and Technical Assurance environment. You will manage the people, processes, interfaces and workflow required to move a significant volume of assurance documentation through review, acceptance and close-out.
You will not be a Document Controller and you will not be expected to undertake detailed technical assurance yourself.
Instead, you will need to understand the bigger picture: why the information is required, who needs to review it, what needs to happen next, where the process is failing and what needs to change to get the project to successful completion and handover.
The Opportunity
Working directly for HS2 Ltd, you will take project management ownership of the assurance documentation and certification process across a major section of the EKFB works.
The process and governance framework are already established. Your role is to make the process work effectively through the people and organisations involved.
You will coordinate engineering, delivery, assurance, information management and supply-chain teams, ensuring responsibilities are clear, actions are followed through and documentation progresses through the appropriate routes.
You will also identify where existing processes are not working effectively and lead improvements, working with other HS2 teams and delivery partners to close gaps.
A key part of the role will be understanding the relationship between design, construction, testing, assurance and final handover.
You will need to recognise when missing, delayed or incomplete information creates a wider project risk and take ownership of getting it resolved.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead the project management of the Construction Assurance documentation and certification process across the EKFB Main Works Civils Contract.
* Manage and coordinate the people, processes and interfaces required to move assurance information through the agreed review, acceptance and close-out process.
* Interrogate documentation to understand completeness, quality, status and outstanding requirements, ensuring the right information reaches the right people at the right time.
* Coordinate engineering, delivery, assurance, information management and supply-chain teams, driving actions through to completion and holding stakeholders accountable.
* Identify process gaps, bottlenecks and systemic issues, designing and implementing improvements where required.
* Provide the Project Director and Head of Engineering & Environment with clear visibility of assurance progress, risks, dependencies and emerging issues.
* Ensure assurance activities remain aligned with the wider programme, construction completion, testing, commissioning and eventual asset handover.
* Manage key interfaces with EKFB, HS2 teams, future operators and other stakeholders, ensuring the assurance record supports successful project completion and handover.
What We're Looking For
This role will suit a strong Project Manager, Design Manager, Engineering Manager, Commissioning & Handover Manager, Assurance & Handover Manager or Systems Completion Manager who has experience and track record successfully managing complex technical processes through to completion.
You will bring:
* Significant project management experience on major infrastructure, engineering or construction programmes.
* Proven experience managing a complex project process involving multiple technical and delivery teams.
* Experience closing out a major project or major project phase through to completion and handover is essential.
* Strong understanding of how design, construction, testing, assurance and handover fit together.
* Experience managing large volumes of project, engineering or assurance information.
* Ability to interrogate documentation and identify what is missing, incomplete, incorrectly routed or preventing progress.
* Strong people management and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to hold teams and individuals accountable.
* Sufficient technical understanding to communicate confidently with engineers and understand engineering and construction terminology.
* Experience working within a client-side, Tier 1 contractor or major consultancy environment.
* Understanding of NEC3/NEC4 contract management.
* Strong understanding of project risk, programme management and performance monitoring.
* Understanding of CDM within a major construction or infrastructure environment.
Relevant Background
Your experience could come from major rail and infrastructure, major civils, nuclear, aviation, tunnelling, commissioning, systems integration or other complex engineering programmes. HS2, Crossrail, Thames Tideway, HS1, major airport programmes, Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C or similarly complex infrastructure would all provide highly relevant experience.
Why This Role?
This is an opportunity to work directly for High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd at an important stage of the programme, taking ownership of a process that is fundamental to successful completion and handover.
The EKFB Main Works Civils Contract is one of HS2's largest construction contracts, covering a significant section of the railway. The Central Section has also become particularly high profile as part of HS2's designated Core Test Area, increasing the importance of bringing together construction, assurance and project information as the programme moves towards testing and commissioning.
For someone who enjoys making complex processes work, getting people aligned and seeing a major project through to successful completion, this is a rare opportunity to have a tangible impact on one of Britain's most significant infrastructure programmes.
If you are an experienced Project Manager with a background in assurance, design management, engineering, commissioning, systems completion or major-project handover, we would be interested in hearing from you