About the role
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is recruiting a highly motivated and enthusiastic Construction Project Managers (CPMs) with the competence (knowledge, experience, skills, personal attributes and attitude) to deliver its extensive and varied range of property refurbishment, renovation, reconfiguration/remodelling and new build construction projects. Some of these projects have multimillion pound budgets and have complexities that will significantly challenge the project manager in their delivery.
The successful candidate will work in the Construction Team with a team of five existing CPMs, reporting to the Construction Team Manager. The Construction Team is one of several that report to the Head of Works within the Assets & Environment Service which, in turn, sits within the Place, Economy & Environment Directorate.
The work of delivering construction projects on corporate properties requires the Team to works with a range of clients from within the Council such as Education, Adult Services, Northampton Children’s Trust and external partners and tenants. WNC delivers a high profile and wide-ranging capital programme to improve its existing assets portfolio and create new assets such as schools, commercial units and cycling & walking infrastructure to ensure effective and practical environments for the benefits of our community, frontline services and end users, some of which are vulnerable adults and children. Therefore, the role provides a high degree of job satisfaction through the creation of tangible social, economic and environmental benefits that contribute to the objectives and priorities in the Council’s Corporate Plan and are inherent in many of the projects being delivered.
The role also enables the Council to fulfil many of its statutory obligations such as building safety, working, living and care standards and the provision of school place. The size of the programme differs from year to year, but typically value will be in the region of £100 million per annum.
Furthermore, this post is categorised as a ‘flexible’ worker type which means that, even though your primary work base One Angel Square Offices in Northampton, you will not be allocated a set desk there and you may choose to carry out the majority (3 days or more) of your work remotely, either from home, from any other of the Council’s offices/hubs or any other suitable, safe and comfortable venue such a library or temporary construction site accommodation.
Interviews will take place between late January / Early February 2026
What will you be doing?
The role requires the management of multiple projects to deadline, and the successful candidates will be able to prioritise workload from the brief through to delivery on time and within budget. This will include the use of the Council’s Project Management Methodology (PPM) to produce Project Initiation Documents and Business Cases and will include procurement, co-ordinating design teams, managing programmes and regular reporting on progress using Highlight Reports. The role requires excellent risk identification and management skills and the recording and sharing of lessons learned.
The CPMs will be competent in budget management and organisational skills to ensure that construction project documentation/systems are maintained.
About you
You will need to have strong communication skills with the ability to develop effective working relationships with stakeholders and partners, possess sound judgement and a high degree of personal accountability. The ability to work independently whilst remaining effective and efficient is key as is the motivation to enhance personal learning. For the right candidates, there is the opportunity to access formal accredited training through the Council’s Apprenticeship scheme.
Construction activities can be hazardous, so it is essential that the CPMs are competent in their understanding and compliance with health and safety legislation relating to construction. The management of health and safety through design, implementation and end use is a fundamental requirement of this role.
Our benefits
You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.
About us
At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.
Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.
We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner
The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.
If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.
West Northants Council, where careers thrive.
Attached documents
The following content displays a map of the job's location.
