Project Manager

Construction Project Manager opportunity for national leisure club

Your new companyYou will be working for one of the fastest growing national leisure clubs.Their estate spans both large-scale external canopy schemes and internal warehouse conversions, they are scaling rapidly across the UK.To support this growth, they are bringing their project management function fully in-house. This is a pivotal hire that will sit at the heart of their development programme and play a defining role in how the leisure club scales.Your new roleYou will take full ownership of delivering the leisure club's venues end-to-end - from initial site identification through to opening day. Acting as the central point of accountability, you will work closely with the Director of Property, external design and build partners, consultants, and the operations team to ensure each scheme is delivered on time, on budget, and to the required standard.This role requires strong commercial acumen. You must be confident analysing cost plans, challenging contractor pricing, identifying inflated variations, and protecting the clubs financial interests throughout the lifecycle of each project. While not a Quantity Surveyor, you will be expected to operate with commercial awareness and discipline at every stage.
Key ResponsibilitiesSite Inception & Feasibility

Partner with the Director of Property from day one to define briefs and establish scheme requirements before costs are committedProduce initial feasibility layouts, including court configurations, clubhouse placement, and key spatial planning, to support early site viability assessmentsReview and challenge feasibility cost plans alongside the independent QS, identifying inconsistencies or risksCarry out early-stage risk assessments to minimise abortive spendMaintain a live pipeline tracker across all active and prospective sitesPlanning & Design CoordinationManage planning activity across all schemes, ensuring submissions, approvals, and condition discharges remain on programmeAct as the primary liaison between the club and external consultants, driving responsiveness and eliminating bottlenecksTrack planning milestones and proactively escalate risks to programme deliveryReview design outputs to ensure alignment with brief, budget, and operational requirements, challenging unnecessary complexity or costCoordinate landlord approvals, including licences to alter, ensuring timelines are metProcurement & Contract ManagementLead all contractor and consultant appointments from a client-side perspectiveOversee contract management across schemes, scrutinising payment applications prior to approvalProcure and manage specialist suppliers, including courts, security systems, AV, FF&E, surfaces, signage, and operational equipmentEvaluate and benchmark supplier pricing, negotiating commercially advantageous termsWork with insurance brokers to ensure appropriate coverage is in placeEnforce robust change control, ensuring all variations are costed and agreed before instructionProgramme & DeliveryOwn and manage the master programme for each scheme, with clear milestones and accountabilityChair regular progress meetings and provide clear, accurate reporting to HQIdentify and mitigate programme risks early to avoid delaysManage the transition from practical completion through to operational readinessEnsure utilities are procured and delivered in line with programme requirementsCommercial OversightWork closely with finance to manage payment schedules in line with programme deliveryFlag disputes or cash flow risks proactivelyMaintain accurate cost-to-complete forecasts and regularly report on financial performanceReview valuations and payment applications against progress and scopeTrack budget performance, providing clear variance reporting with recommended actionsSupport final account negotiations alongside the QSChallenge scope creep and cost escalation at sourceHandover & CloseoutLead practical completion across all schemesManage snagging through to full resolutionEnsure a seamless handover to operations, with venues fully ready to tradeCompile and maintain all project documentation, including O&M manuals, warranties, and compliance records What you'll need to succeedProven track record delivering leisure, hospitality, or retail construction or fit-out projects - including both ground-up builds and warehouse/industrial conversionsDemonstrable commercial awareness: able to read a cost plan, challenge a contractor's numbers, and manage a budget with confidence - without being a qualified QSStrong experience managing D&B contractors and fit-out contractors as the client-side PMConfident coordinating multidisciplinary teams of external consultants - architects, planning consultants, building control - keeping them aligned and on programme without doing their job for themAbility to produce basic site feasibility schematics to support early-stage site assessmentAbility to manage construction programmes confidentlyExcellent supplier and contractor management skills including direct procurement of FF&E and specialist packagesStrong communicator - able to give clear, concise programme and cost updates to senior stakeholdersHighly organised, self-sufficient, and comfortable managing multiple schemes concurrentlyA natural pushback instinct - you spot when something isn't right and you say so, constructivelyWhat you'll get in returnSalary £70,000Flexible hybrid working- 1 office day per week, 2 days on the road for site visits and 2 days wfh per week
Holidays
Pension
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