Senior Project Manager

Venn Group

Senior Project Manager

Location: London • Permanent: full-time • Salary: up to £71k

A leading and innovative London university is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to deliver complex, high-value capital projects across its multi-site estate. This is a key role within a forward-thinking Estates & Facilities directorate, supporting major redevelopment, refurbishment, and construction programmes aligned to institutional strategic goals.

The Role

You will lead the end-to-end planning, design, procurement, and delivery of major capital projects, ensuring they meet strategic objectives, regulatory requirements, and quality standards. Working within a dynamic and collaborative environment, you will manage consultants, contractors, budgets, stakeholder relationships, and technical compliance across a range of high-profile schemes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of complex capital projects from concept to completion, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities.
• Develop and manage project governance, reporting, risk, and assurance processes.
• Oversee design development, tendering, contract administration, and construction management.
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, building regulations, planning conditions, and health & safety standards.
• Manage budgets-including major projects exceeding £10m-with accurate forecasting and cost control.
• Lead procurement strategies, tender evaluations, contract negotiations, and value engineering initiatives.
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and consistent expectations.
• Engage with users, academic teams, local authorities, and community stakeholders to ensure project outcomes meet operational needs.
• Promote sustainability and embed environmentally responsible design and construction practices.
• Conduct post-project reviews, handover processes, and maintain accurate project documentation.
• Provide leadership, mentoring, and oversight to junior project staff.

About You

• Extensive experience delivering large, complex capital redevelopment or construction projects.
• Strong technical and commercial expertise across planning, procurement, contract management, and construction.
• Knowledge of JCT and/or NEC contracts.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver projects within live, occupied environments.
• Strong leadership, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Experience managing budgets over £10m.
• Proficient in project controls, planning, risk management, reporting, and change management.
• Degree-level qualification in a construction-related discipline, with professional membership (RICS, CIOB, APM or equivalent) or working towards it.

Desirable: Experience in higher education; knowledge of estate planning; exposure to multi-site estates; project management qualifications (e.g., MSP, PRINCE2).

Why Join?

You’ll be part of a supportive and ambitious organisation delivering a transformative estate-shaping the future of a diverse and inclusive community while leading significant, high-impact capital programmes.