Senior Project Manager, Retail & Financial Services - Occupier Services

Company Description

Colliers is a leading commercial real estate services company, providing a full range of services to real estate occupiers, developers, and investors on a local, national, and international basis. Services include brokerage sales and leasing (landlord and tenant representation), real estate management, valuation, consulting, project management, project marketing and research. We provide our services across the core sectors (office, industrial, retail and hotel) as well as many specialised property types.

The UK business is headquartered in London, with over 1200 specialists throughout 16 offices across the UK and Ireland.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to deliver consultancy-led construction project management across a fast-paced retail and financial services property portfolio. The role focuses primarily on the North of England, with limited travel to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

You will lead multiple concurrent refurbishment and construction projects, typically valued between £150,000 and £2m, delivered within live, customer-facing environments. This is a hands-on delivery role requiring strong client leadership, governance oversight and a detailed understanding of statutory compliance. Projects are delivered within established programme frameworks under senior leadership direction.

Key Responsibilities

Project Delivery

• Lead multiple retail and banking construction projects from feasibility through to handover and close-out.
• Act as the day-to-day client lead, ensuring delivery in line with client and Colliers governance, approvals and reporting requirements.
• Coordinate and manage design teams, contractors and specialist suppliers across all RIBA stages.
• Manage programme, cost, quality and risk, proactively identifying and escalating issues where required.

Client Advisory

• Act as the primary client interface for assigned projects
• Support scope definition, budgeting and programme development
• Manage project approvals, reporting and governance in accordance with client and Colliers standards.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Champion high standards of health, safety and wellbeing across live retail sites
• Ensure compliance with the Building Safety Act, CDM 2015, Building Regulations and fire and life safety requirements
• Support or undertake statutory duty-holder responsibilities as required (e.g. Client support, PD liaison, Principal Contractor oversight)
• Ensure timely and accurate completion of handover documentation, including O&M manuals and compliance certification.

Commercial & Contract Management

• Deliver projects primarily under JCT Design & Build or similar contractual forms
• Maintain robust change control and cost reporting in collaboration with the appointed Cost Manager.

Stakeholder & Team Contribution

• Chair project and site meetings, maintaining accurate governance and audit records
• Liaise with landlords, managing agents and local authorities as required
• Support and mentor junior project managers
• Contribute to continuous improvement of retail project delivery processes.

Typical Project Profile

• Retail refurbishments, office fit-outs, roll-outs, lifecycle replacement and compliance works
• Projects delivered in live trading environments
• Individual project values typically ranging from £150k to £2m
• Multiple projects delivered concurrently as part of a rolling annual programme
• Regular engagement with Client Retail, Workplace, FM, IT, Security teams and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Minimum of five years’ experience delivering fast-paced retail or commercial construction projects within live environments, ideally within a consultancy setting.
• Strong working knowledge of the Building Safety Act, CDM 2015 and Building Regulations as applied to retail and commercial office projects.
• Proven ability to manage programme, cost, risk and stakeholders concurrently.
• Confident client-facing professional with strong advisory capability.

Desirable

• Experience delivering projects within financial services or similarly regulated occupier environments.
• Experience working within framework or programme delivery models for large corporate clients.

Qualifications

• Degree in a construction or project-related discipline (desirable but not essential)
• Working towards or professionally qualified in a relevant industry qualification (RICS, CIOB or equivalent.

Additional Information

Please tell us what would help you take part and give enough practical detail for us to arrange it. We will handle your request confidentially, and it will not affect how you are assessed. We make reasonable adjustments in line with the Equality Act 2010.

At Colliers, we empower people to perform at their best. As a Disability Confident Employer, we want every candidate to feel welcome. If anything would help you take part in our process, such as extra time or rest breaks, step-free access, or a different interview format, please tell us in your application. You are not expected to share a diagnosis or medical history.

Colliers is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of age; disability; gender; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins); religion or belief; sex; or sexual orientation. We also value diverse experience and neurodiversity.

We are not engaging with recruitment agencies at this time. Unsolicited CVs will not be considered and treated as gifts.