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About the Role

The UK&I Construction Leader is responsible for the operational leadership of construction and installation activities across the UK & Ireland airport portfolio. The role acts as the operational lead for the Site Management community, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality execution of all construction activities within live airport environments. This role supports Vanderlande’s ambition to act as a mature Principal Contractor and drives construction excellence, safety leadership, operational readiness, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate construction and installation activities across multiple airport projects.
Coordinate simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) and complex work interfaces.
Manage operational resource deployment and workforce utilisation.
Lead construction readiness reviews covering design maturity, permits, materials, logistics, labour and stakeholder approvals.
Support mobilisation, execution, commissioning and handover activities.
Chair weekly construction coordination meetings and escalation forums.
Ensure consistent use of ProTrack, Velocity and Omnitracker.
Support monthly programme reviews, project boards and KPI reporting.
Monitor contractor and subcontractor performance and drive corrective actions.
Lead operational readiness reviews before major construction activities.
Ensure compliance with Heathrow and airport governance requirements.
Accountable for day-to-day construction delivery and operational performance of projects across the UK&I portfolio.
Act as the Principal Contractor’s operational representative on assigned sites.
Ensure full compliance with Construction Phase Plans, CDM 2015, RAMS, Permit-to-Work systems, and airport operational requirements.
Drive right-first-time installation, construction excellence, and continuous improvement.
Serve as a senior operational interface with airport stakeholders, airlines, operations teams, and contractors.
Ensure works are delivered safely, efficiently, and with minimal disruption to airport operations and passenger experience.
Lead on proactive issue resolution, stakeholder alignment, productivity improvement, schedule recovery, and the identification of commercial opportunities.
Provide leadership, coaching, and mentoring to Site Management teams.
Support succession planning and foster strong collaboration between Project Management, Engineering, HSEQ, Planning, Logistics, and Procurement functions.
Act as a visible safety leader, championing Vanderlande’s Stay Safe culture through safety tours, behavioural safety initiatives, proactive reporting, and the timely closure of safety actions.

Requirements

5–10 years experience leading construction or installation teams on large and complex brownfield projects.
Experience operating within live airport environments and possession-based delivery models.
Strong understanding of project lifecycle from pre-construction through handover.
Knowledge of CDM 2015 Regulations and Principal Contractor obligations.
Experience managing multi-disciplinary teams and airport stakeholders.
Experience implementing continuous improvement and standardisation initiatives.
Contract and project management awareness.

Skills

Construction Leadership
Installation Leadership
Site Management
Principal Contractor Operations
CDM 2015 Compliance
RAMS Compliance
Permit-to-Work Systems
Airport Operational Requirements
Stakeholder Management
Issue Resolution
Productivity Improvement
Schedule Recovery
Commercial Opportunity Identification
Team Leadership
Coaching
Mentoring
Safety Leadership
Behavioural Safety Initiatives
Proactive Reporting
Continuous Improvement
Standardisation Initiatives
Contract Management
Project Management

Location

London - Heathrow

Work Type

Permanent
Full-time

Experience Level

5-10 years

Education Level

SMSTS
NEBOSH General Certificate
NVQ Level 6/7 Construction Management or equivalent
CSCS Black Management Card
Higher Level Technical Qualification
Project Management qualification desirable

Benefits

28 days annual leave (excluding public holidays)
Bupa Medical Cover
YuLife – Wellbeing membership with fast access to GP appointments, promotion of health and wellbeing along with daily quests to gain Yucoins that can be swapped for shopping vouchers
A challenging work environment with lots of opportunities of career progression.
Cycle to work scheme
Yellow Nest is a salary exchange scheme that reduces childcare costs for parents and employers
Pension with Aviva
Access to Achievers an award-winning recognition platform that inspires to recognise your coworkers Where points are awarded that can be exchanged for a range of goods and discounts.

About the Company

Vanderlande is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Equal Opportunity

Qualified applicants will be considered without regards to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age marital status or disability status.
If you feel there is a barrier that potentially prevents you from applying, we are always happy to discuss or explore, any reasonable adjustments can be made to support your application.