Project Director
2 days ago
Durham
Legacie Group is currently recruiting for a construction Project Director for one of our up and coming projects in Durham starting early 2027. The Construction Project Director will take overall responsibility for the successful delivery of a high-rise residential apartment development, from pre-construction and mobilisation through to construction, commissioning, handover, and project close-out. The role will provide strategic leadership and direction to the project team, ensuring the development is delivered safely, on programme, within the approved budget, to the required quality standards, and in accordance with the design brief, contractual obligations, planning conditions, building regulations, and all applicable statutory requirements. The Project Director will lead the integration of design, procurement, construction, commercial management, quality assurance, building services, and stakeholder coordination to achieve the successful completion of the development. Key Responsibilities. Project Leadership and Management Provide overall leadership, strategic direction, and management of the high-rise residential project from inception through to final completion. Establish project objectives, delivery strategies, governance arrangements, reporting procedures, and performance targets. Develop and maintain the master programme, key milestones, critical path, and project execution strategy. Lead the project management team, including project managers, construction managers, commercial managers, design managers, planning managers, HSE personnel, and quality managers. Ensure effective coordination between the client, developer, consultants, architects, engineers, main contractor, subcontractors, suppliers, and statutory authorities. Chair project progress meetings, executive reviews, risk workshops, and key stakeholder meetings. Monitor overall project performance and implement corrective actions where required. Promote a collaborative, accountable, and performance-driven project culture. Programme and Construction Delivery Take overall responsibility for developing, monitoring, and achieving the agreed construction programme. Oversee construction sequencing, logistics, site establishment, craneage, vertical transportation, material deliveries, and workforce planning. Ensure effective coordination of structural works, façade installation, mechanical and electrical services, internal finishes, lifts, fire safety systems, and external works. Monitor critical activities, long-lead items, design releases, procurement schedules, and subcontractor performance. Identify programme risks, delays, and interface issues, implementing recovery plans where necessary. Ensure that construction activities are properly planned, resourced, coordinated, and executed in accordance with approved drawings and specifications. Oversee phased completion, testing, commissioning, statutory inspections, and the handover of apartments and common areas. Ensure the project achieves practical completion and contractual milestones in line with the agreed delivery strategy. Health, Safety and Environmental Management Establish and maintain a strong health, safety, and environmental culture across the project. Ensure appropriate construction phase plans, risk assessments, method statements, permit systems, and emergency procedures are implemented. Provide leadership on high-rise construction risks, including working at height, lifting operations, temporary works, façade installation, fire prevention, and site logistics. Ensure effective management of temporary works, structural stability, crane operations, and complex construction activities. Monitor contractor compliance, site inspections, safety audits, incident reporting, and corrective actions. Ensure compliance with applicable health and safety legislation, environmental requirements, and client standards. Ensure that the project team understands and fulfils its statutory duties, including applicable principal contractor responsibilities and building safety obligations. Commercial and Financial Management Take overall responsibility for project financial performance in conjunction with the Commercial Director or Commercial Manager. Monitor the approved project budget, forecast final cost, cash flow, commitments, contingency, and cost-to-complete. Review commercial reports, cost plans, valuations, variations, compensation events, and contractual claims. Challenge cost overruns and implement mitigation measures to protect the project's financial objectives. Oversee procurement and subcontract packages to ensure competitive pricing, appropriate risk allocation, and timely appointments. Ensure that change control procedures are followed and that the financial and programme implications of design changes are fully assessed. Manage commercial risks, contractual disputes, and negotiations with key suppliers and subcontractors. Provide accurate and timely financial and progress reporting to the client and senior management. Design Management and Technical Coordination Lead the coordination of architectural, structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, public health, façade, fire engineering, and specialist designs. Ensure that the design is coordinated, buildable, compliant, and aligned with the project brief, budget, programme, and quality requirements. Oversee design development, technical submissions, design approvals, construction information, and the resolution of technical queries. Drive early identification and resolution of design clashes, buildability issues, and construction interfaces. Ensure that design changes are assessed for their impact on cost, programme, quality, safety, and statutory compliance. Coordinate with the design team and specialist subcontractors to ensure that critical high-rise elements are properly developed and approved before construction. Oversee the integration of building services, fire and life safety systems, façade performance, acoustic requirements, energy efficiency, and maintainability. Quality Assurance and Building Safety Establish and implement a project quality management strategy, inspection and test plans, and quality assurance procedures. Ensure that structural works, façade systems, waterproofing, fire stopping, compartmentation, building services, and internal finishes meet approved specifications. Monitor workmanship, material approvals, inspections, testing, non-conformance reports, and remedial works. Ensure that concealed and critical elements are appropriately inspected, tested, recorded, and approved before being covered up. Maintain effective quality records, inspection documentation, test certificates, and as-built information. Oversee the management and closure of defects, snagging, commissioning issues, and outstanding works. Ensure compliance with applicable building regulations, fire safety requirements, and building safety legislation. Where applicable, ensure that the project team fulfils the requirements of the relevant building control and building safety regime, including the higher-risk building approval process, change control, mandatory occurrence reporting, and golden thread information requirements. Procurement and Supply Chain Management Oversee the procurement strategy and appointment of principal subcontractors, specialist contractors, consultants, and suppliers. Ensure procurement activities align with the construction programme, budget, technical specifications, and risk management strategy. Monitor the performance of key subcontractors and suppliers against programme, cost, quality, safety, and contractual obligations. Ensure early procurement of critical materials and specialist packages, including façade systems, lifts, switchgear, major plant, and fire safety systems. Manage supply chain capacity, financial stability, logistics, material availability, and procurement risks. Drive effective coordination between procurement, design, commercial, and construction teams. Stakeholder and Client Management Act as the principal senior point of contact for the client, developer, funders, consultants, contractors, and other key stakeholders. Provide regular progress reports covering programme, cost, quality, health and safety, risk, procurement, and key decisions. Manage expectations and communicate project risks, changes, opportunities, and delivery challenges transparently. Coordinate with local authorities, building control, utility providers, fire and rescue authorities where relevant, and other statutory stakeholders. Resolve escalated project issues and maintain effective working relationships throughout the development. Support the client's commercial, operational, sales, and asset management objectives. Risk Management and Project Controls Establish and maintain the project risk register, opportunity register, mitigation plans, and escalation procedures. Identify risks relating to design development, ground conditions, structural works, façade performance, building services, fire safety, procurement, logistics, and statutory approvals. Ensure robust project controls are in place for programme, cost, change management, document control, reporting, and forecasting. Monitor key performance indicators and implement improvement measures where required. Ensure project records, contractual correspondence, approvals, instructions, and decision logs are maintained accurately. Provide early warning of issues that could affect project completion, financial performance, or regulatory compliance. Testing, Commissioning and Handover Lead the project completion and handover strategy from an early stage of construction. Ensure effective planning and coordination of testing, commissioning, integrated systems testing, and statutory inspections. Oversee commissioning of lifts, fire alarms, smoke control, emergency lighting, sprinklers, heating and cooling, ventilation, access control, and other building systems, as applicable. Ensure that fire safety documentation, building services records, operating and maintenance manuals, warranties, as-built drawings, and asset information are complete. Coordinate apartment inspections, common-area inspections, snagging, defects resolution, and handover documentation. Ensure that the client, facilities management team, and building operator receive the required training, records, and operational information. Manage practical completion, phased handovers where applicable, final account processes, defects liability obligations, and project close-out. Qualifications and Experience Degree or equivalent qualification in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Building Services Engineering, or a related discipline. Significant senior-level experience delivering large-scale construction projects, including high-rise residential developments. Proven track record of managing complex projects from pre-construction through to completion and handover. Strong understanding of high-rise construction methodology, structural sequencing, façade systems, vertical transportation, building services, and fire safety. Demonstrable experience managing project budgets, programmes, procurement, contractual matters, and multidisciplinary teams. Strong knowledge of construction health and safety, quality assurance, building regulations, and statutory compliance. Experience managing main contractors, specialist subcontractors, consultants, and supply chain partners. Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, planning, and decision-making skills. Desirable Professional membership or chartered status with an appropriate institution, such as CIOB, ICE, or another relevant professional body. Recognised project management qualification, such as APM, PMP, or equivalent. Experience delivering residential towers, mixed-use high-rise developments, or complex urban regeneration projects. Experience working under relevant standard forms of construction contract, such as JCT or NEC, as applicable. Knowledge of BIM, digital construction, project controls systems, and modern methods of construction. Experience with building safety and higher-risk building regulatory requirements in the relevant jurisdiction. Demolition, new build steel frame, residential, commercial, retail, Facade, Key Skills and Competencies Strategic leadership: Ability to lead a large, multidisciplinary project team and drive performance against project objectives. Commercial awareness: Strong understanding of cost control, contractual risk, procurement, forecasting, and financial reporting. Programme management: Ability to manage complex construction sequences, critical paths, interfaces, and recovery strategies. Technical expertise: Strong understanding of high-rise construction, structural systems, façades, MEP services, and fire safety. Risk management: Ability to identify, assess, mitigate, and escalate project risks proactively. Stakeholder management: Confidence in dealing with senior clients, consultants, contractors, regulators, and other stakeholders. Problem-solving: Ability to make timely, evidence-based decisions under pressure. Communication: Excellent written, verbal, reporting, and presentation skills. Accountability: Commitment to safety, quality, cost certainty, programme performance, and successful project delivery. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) The Project Director's performance will be measured against agreed project-specific targets, including: Achievement of key milestones and contractual completion dates. Performance against the approved project budget and forecast final cost. Health and safety performance, including effective risk management and incident prevention. Quality of construction and reduction of defects and rework. Timely resolution of design coordination issues and technical queries. Procurement and delivery of critical packages in line with programme requirements. Compliance with statutory approvals, building regulations, and applicable building safety requirements. Successful testing, commissioning, certification, and handover. Client satisfaction and effective stakeholder management. Timely completion of defects, contractual close-out, and final account activities. Authority and Accountability The Construction Project Director will have overall leadership accountability for project delivery and will operate within the authority delegated by the employer or client. The role will be responsible for directing project resources, coordinating the project team, managing escalated risks and issues, recommending and implementing approved recovery measures, and reporting performance against agreed objectives. Financial commitments, contractual variations, design changes, and other reserved matters will be managed in accordance with the project's delegated authority matrix and governance procedures. The role does not automatically transfer statutory duties held by the client, principal designer, principal contractor, or other formally appointed duty holders. Overall Objective To deliver a safe, compliant, high-quality, commercially successful high-rise residential development that meets the client's requirements for programme, budget, design, performance, and long-term operational use, while maintaining the highest standards of construction management, building safety, and stakeholder satisfaction. Benefits -28 days holiday -Bank Holidays -Birthday day off -Pension -Cycle to work -Employee Assistance Program -Death in service If you are interested in this opportunity and have the relevant skill sets and background then please apply on line. Experience: Project Director / Senior Project Manager: 5 years (preferred) Hi Rise New Build : 3 years (preferred) Demolition: 1 year (preferred) Retail / Commercial : 1 year (preferred) TPBN1_UKTJ