Project Manager MEP - HS2

Project Manager MEP – High Speed Two (Align JV)

📍 Location: (Hybrid – 3 days office/site)
💰 Salary: Up to £83,500 + 12% Pension + Healthcare + 25 days holiday
📈 Next Step: Senior Project Manager (£100,000 – £120,500 + package)
🚄 Project: London Main Works Civils Contract (£4.2bn) – SCS Head Houses

Deliver Critical Infrastructure at the Heart of Britain's New High-Speed Railway

Are you a Project Manager with experience delivering complex, MEP elements on major infrastructure projects and a solid grounding in NEC contract management?

Are you ready to take ownership of the delivery of a MEP Fit out of 16km of twin bored tunnels on one of the UK's most high-profile infrastructure programmes, with a clear pathway to Senior Project Manager?

This is an excellent opportunity to join High Speed Two Ltd and play a key delivery role on the £1.6bn Main Works Civils Contract, manage delivery of the MEP fit-out across a 16km twin-bore tunnel, associated portal buildings, shafts, and infrastructure systems. Scope includes power, fire systems, ventilation, ductwork, and integrated tunnel systems.

Reporting to a Senior Project Manager, you'll work directly with the principal contractor joint venture Align (Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick), managing day-to-day delivery while building meaningful relationships and challenging the JV with confidence and credibility.

The Project

The £1.6bn Align JV is responsible for designing and building a 21.6 km (13.4-mile) stretch of the high-speed railway between the Colne Valley and the Chilterns northwest of London.

Key features and major milestones of this contract include: Colne Valley Viaduct  the longest railway bridge in the UK, Chiltern Tunnels: Twin-bore, 15.8 km (9.8-mile) tunnels running under the Chiltern Hills and Shafts and Cross Passages: The project also included the excavation of five deep ventilation and access shafts and the construction of 40 cross passages.

The Role

Working directly for High Speed Two Ltd, you'll be an integral member of the Project Management team, reporting to a Senior Project Manager. You'll take day-to-day ownership of the delivery of your Head House scope, managing the principal contractor through design and construction phases and ensuring delivery to time, budget, scope and quality.

A key focus of the role is the management and coordination the MEP fitout of the 16km Chiltern tunnels and associates headhouse and shafts.

You'll have strong support from your Senior PM and the wider Head of Delivery team while developing the autonomy and commercial acumen to progress to Senior Project Manager level.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the principal contractor through design and construction to ensure successful delivery to time, budget, scope and quality
• Take active ownership of MEP delivery — tracking design progress, procurement, installation and commissioning of mechanical, electrical and public health systems
• Monitor and review main contractor programme schedules and cost performance, identifying and mitigating risks early
• Manage engineering change, including scope and cost changes, and assess impact on programme affordability
• Maintain risk and issue registers, escalating risks proactively to the Senior Project Manager
• Support and discharge NEC3 Project Manager duties as delegated
• Review and accept contractor design deliverables and construction progress submissions
• Produce clear, accurate progress reports on key deliverables for senior leadership
• Manage a complex stakeholder environment including internal HS2 teams, the JV contractor and third parties
• Ensure successful integration of your scope with other HS2 contracts and projects
• Support CDM duties as delegated by the Client Representative
• Promote a collaborative culture of innovation and knowledge-sharing across the supply chain

What We're Looking For

Essential Experience

• Proven project management experience delivering complex infrastructure with substantial MEP content  this is a non-negotiable requirement. Relevant backgrounds include rail stations, airports, tunnels, data centres, substations, power stations, Nuclear, control rooms, head houses, plant rooms or similarly MEP-intensive facilities.
• Knowledge of MEP systems mechanical & their risks (HVAC, ventilation, fire suppression), electrical (HV/LV power distribution, UPS, lighting) and associated controls and the ability to manage MEP contractors and designers with confidence
• Working knowledge of NEC3 or NEC4 contracts, including change control and cost management experience acting as or supporting the appointed NEC Project Manager is highly desirable
• Open to candidates from a range of backgrounds – Main Contractor, Client-side or consultant
• Demonstrable experience managing contractors through design and construction delivery phases
• Strong commercial awareness including understanding of contract management, change control (EW/CE’s) and cost awareness
• Experience on complex, multi-disciplinary projects with multiple interfaces and stakeholders
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Able to commute to North Acton with site attendance typically 3–4 days per week

Desirable

• Relevant qualification in engineering, construction or project management (APM, RICS, ICE, CIBSE or similar)  desirable but not essential; right experience considered
• Experience on rail, aviation, defence, civils, nuclear or other safety-critical infrastructure programmes
• Familiarity with commissioning and handover of complex MEP systems in operational environments

Why Join HS2?

This is an outstanding opportunity to join one of the UK's most significant infrastructure programmes at a critical delivery stage. You'll gain hands-on experience managing complex, MEP-heavy delivery within a major civils programme, with direct exposure to senior leadership and a genuine, structured pathway to Senior Project Manager (£100,000 – £120,500 + package).

With follow-on opportunities on major HS2 stations including Euston (£3–4bn) and Old Oak Common (£1.67bn), this role offers long-term career development on a programme that will define UK infrastructure for a generation.