About the role
Site Senior Project Manager - Construction
Introduction
This section outlines the role and expectations for the Verne Site Senior Project Manager - Construction. The role provides senior site leadership and is accountable for the safe, timely, commercially controlled and quality-driven delivery of construction, commissioning and handover activities, while upholding Verne's standards and representing Verne with contractors, customers and key stakeholders.
Project & Construction Management
* Has full ownership and a clear understanding of the Project Scope, Contractual Obligations, Employer's Requirements, programme, budget and key project deliverables. * Provides senior site leadership across all construction activities and manages the day-to-day operational, technical, scheduling, commercial and tactical aspects of the Project. * Leads and coordinates Managers, Supervisors, consultants, contractors, subcontractors and vendors engaged in project delivery, reviewing high-level deliverables and intervening where performance is below required standards. * Owns the integrated construction programme at site level, ensuring that design, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning and handover activities are appropriately sequenced and aligned with key milestones. * Drives constructability reviews, design coordination and resolution of technical interfaces to minimise rework, delay and disruption during construction. * Implements engagement review and quality assurance procedures in accordance with Verne methodology to support successful project execution against contractual goals and stakeholder expectations. * Implements and ensures compliance with all VERNE HSE policies and procedures and actively promotes a strong safety culture across the site. * Minimizes Verne's exposure and risk across the Project through early identification, escalation and mitigation of construction, programme, commercial and technical risks. * Manages scope and ensures changes are identified, assessed, documented and controlled. * Oversees established key performance indicators (KPIs) for safety, quality, programme, cost, contractor performance, commissioning readiness and project close-out. * Encourages a culture of continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned and ensuring relevant improvements are implemented during the Project and shared for future projects. * Ensures compliance with all applicable health, safety and environmental requirements and maintains a safe working environment for all parties involved. * Maintains and actively manages the project risk management plan throughout the project lifecycle
Contractor Management
* Provides senior oversight of main contractors, subcontractors, consultants and vendors, ensuring clear accountability for scope, programme, quality, HSE and commercial performance. * Sets clear expectations for contractor performance and holds contractors accountable for agreed deliverables, milestones, reporting requirements and recovery actions. * Reviews contractor programmes, look-ahead schedules, resource plans, method statements and progress reports, challenging assumptions and identifying emerging constraints. * Leads regular contractor performance and coordination meetings and ensures actions are assigned, tracked and closed in a timely manner. * Ensures interfaces between contractors, subcontractors, designers, vendors and operational stakeholders are actively managed to prevent gaps, duplication and delay. * Escalates material contractor performance issues to the Project Director and Verne Senior Management, with clear recommendations and corrective action plans. * Project Accounting
* Assists in integrating accurate project and financial data for the benefit of the Accounting Department and senior project reporting
Financial & Commercial Management
* Effectively allocates resources to ensure project milestones are achieved safely, on time, within scope and within approved budget. * Tracks and manages the project budget, forecasts and committed costs, ensuring expenditures remain within approved limits and emerging cost pressures are identified early. * Oversees review of financial and commercial reports and drives corrective action where required to maintain project financial performance. * Oversees change requests and change control processes, ensuring appropriate documentation, technical and commercial assessment, approval and incorporation into the project baseline. * Works with the commercial team to ensure contractor claims, variations, compensation events and potential disputes are identified and managed in a timely and contractually appropriate manner.
Communication & Stakeholder Management
* Acts as a senior Verne site representative and key participant in team, contractor, customer and stakeholder meetings. * Ensures continuous, accurate and transparent communication with stakeholders on project progress, safety, quality, cost, programme, commissioning readiness, risks and emerging challenges. * Proactively identifies and resolves conflicts or issues between project teams, contractors, clients and other stakeholders and attends key stakeholder meetings as VERNE's representative. * Confronts issues openly and quickly, ensuring appropriate escalation where resolution is outside delegated authority. * Effectively communicates relevant project and construction information to the Project Director and Verne Senior Management. * Tactfully communicates sensitive information and handles difficult personnel or contractor situations with appropriate discretion, HR advice where applicable, and respect for individuals
Technical, Quality & Construction Assurance
* Possesses a thorough understanding of Verne's service offerings, technical preferences, project requirements and technical direction. * Ensures quality control and construction assurance processes are followed and that completed works and deliverables meet required standards, specifications and customer expectations. * Regularly assesses construction quality and drives corrective action when deviations, defects or non-conformances are identified. * Ensures technical queries, RFIs, design changes, non-conformances and site instructions are managed through appropriate project controls and closed without avoidable impact to programme. * Ensures inspection and test plans, quality records and completion documentation are progressively maintained to support commissioning and handover.
Commissioning, Completion & Handover
* Provides senior oversight of commissioning strategy, planning, readiness and execution, ensuring commissioning requirements are integrated into the construction programme from an early stage. * Ensures clear transition from construction completion through pre-commissioning, testing, commissioning, integrated systems testing where applicable, and final handover. * Coordinates contractors, commissioning teams, vendors, consultants, customer representatives and operational stakeholders to ensure systems are available, safe and ready for testing in accordance with the agreed sequence. * Monitors commissioning progress, constraints, defects and dependencies and drives timely resolution of issues that could affect energisation, testing, acceptance or handover milestones. * Ensures snagging, punch-list management and defect close-out are actively managed and that outstanding items have clear owners and completion dates. * Ensures all required commissioning records, test certificates, as-built information, O&M documentation, training records and handover documentation are complete and appropriately controlled. * Supports a structured handover to Operations and/or the customer, ensuring acceptance criteria are understood and that residual risks and outstanding works are formally documented and managed.
PROFESSIONAL QUALITIES
Leadership
* Provides visible senior leadership on site and establishes clear standards of accountability, ownership, collaboration and professional conduct. * Encourages others to develop leadership skills while clarifying roles, responsibilities and decision-making authority. * Pursues excellence in all aspects of the business and leads by example in safety, quality, delivery and stakeholder management. * Possesses the expert knowledge to identify opportunities for change and the ability to convey and implement the need for change. * Builds expert knowledge in the industry and actively shares knowledge, lessons learned and best practice with others.
Teamwork
* Evokes creative and innovative thinking from team members while helping them bring ideas and career plans to fruition. * Determines effective ways to deploy project teams, clarify interfaces and distribute responsibilities according to project priorities. * Works across the wider business to share lessons learned, construction knowledge and best practices.
Customer Management
* Manages senior day-to-day customer interaction and expectations throughout construction, commissioning and handover. * Builds trusted customer relationships through transparent communication, reliable delivery and timely resolution of issues. * Continually seeks opportunities to increase customer satisfaction while ensuring commitments remain aligned with the approved project scope and contractual obligations.
ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Internal Operations
* Recognizes areas for internal improvement and develops practical plans for implementation. * Lends expertise to internal teams, reviews and task forces. * Reviews team and contractor status reports, challenges performance where required and ensures issues are addressed appropriately. * Complies with and enforces standard policies and procedures across all facets of the Project. * Generates clear, concise internal reports to keep Verne Senior Management informed of safety, construction progress, programme, cost, quality, contractor performance, commissioning and key project risks. * Immediately reports any Safety breaches to Verne Senior Management and ensures appropriate investigation and corrective action is initiated.