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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