Construction Director

About the role

Balfour Beatty's Power Transmission & Distribution business is seeking an experienced Construction Director to play a pivotal leadership role in the successful delivery of a major cable infrastructure programme supporting the UK's transition to a low-carbon future.

This is a high-profile leadership position responsible for shaping and driving the construction strategy on a large-scale transmission project, ensuring the right decisions are made from the earliest stages of development through to final commissioning.

Success in this role is about far more than construction delivery. We're looking for a leader who understands the full lifecycle of major cable projects, from land access, consents and stakeholder engagement through to construction, testing and energisation. You'll appreciate the importance of getting the front end of a project right and understand the programme, commercial and reputational consequences when critical activities are not effectively planned and managed.

Operating within a complex delivery environment, you'll work closely with our client, joint venture partners and key stakeholders to ensure projects are delivered safely, efficiently and to the highest standards.

This is an opportunity to shape the delivery of nationally significant infrastructure while leaving a lasting legacy across the UK's energy network.

What you'll be doing

As Construction Director, you'll provide strategic and operational leadership across major transmission and cable infrastructure works, ensuring projects are set up for success from the outset and delivered safely, efficiently and in line with customer expectations.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Providing overall leadership and accountability for construction delivery across major transmission and cabling projects.


• Ensuring construction considerations are embedded throughout development, design, planning and delivery phases.


• Driving a strong focus on front-end project planning, constructability, delivery strategy and risk management.


• Leading multidisciplinary teams including Construction Managers, Project Managers, technical specialists and support functions.


• Ensuring landowner, consenting and access requirements are understood, managed and incorporated into project delivery plans.


• Identifying and mitigating delivery risks early to protect programme, cost and customer outcomes.


• Building and maintaining effective relationships with clients, delivery partners, local authorities, landowners and key stakeholders.


• Leading project governance, reporting and performance reviews.


• Driving a culture of Zero Harm, quality excellence and continuous improvement.


• Overseeing commercial performance, budget management, risk, opportunity and change control.


• Ensuring supply chain partners are aligned and performing against project objectives.


• Championing collaboration across all stakeholders to maintain programme certainty and delivery confidence.


• Developing and mentoring future leaders while creating high-performing, engaged project teams.

Who we're looking for

We're looking for an experienced construction leader with a proven track record of delivering major cable, transmission or linear infrastructure projects.

You'll understand that successful project delivery starts long before construction begins and will have the experience to influence critical decisions during project development and planning phases.

You'll bring:

• Significant experience in a senior construction leadership role delivering major power transmission, cable installation or large-scale infrastructure projects.


• A strong understanding of the end-to-end cable delivery lifecycle, from development and planning through to construction, testing and commissioning.


• Practical knowledge of constructability, installation methodologies and delivery challenges associated with major cable projects.


• Experience managing the interfaces between engineering, construction, land, environmental and stakeholder functions.


• A clear understanding of the importance of early project planning and the consequences of getting key activities such as consents, land access and construction sequencing wrong.


• Demonstrable experience leading large multidisciplinary teams across complex projects and programmes.


• Strong commercial awareness with experience managing budgets, change, risk and opportunity.


• Exceptional stakeholder management skills with the ability to build credibility and influence at all levels.


• Experience operating within complex client environments and maintaining productive relationships through challenging delivery situations.


• A resilient and confident leadership style, capable of navigating competing stakeholder priorities while maintaining focus on successful project outcomes.


• The ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery leadership.

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK's most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn't rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You'll have the freedom to shape the package that's right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

- Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
- 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
- Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
- Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more...

About us

Balfour Beatty's Power Transmission & Distribution teams work with regional, national and international electricity network owners and operators to provide technical engineering solutions across the full spectrum of the electricity grid, including overhead lines, cabling, substations and distribution networks.

From scoping and feasibility, to design, construction and on-going maintenance, our in-house experts, flexible resources and industry-leading innovations support customers in the development of some of the UK's most ambitious power transmission and distribution projects.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty, we want everyone to be able to thrive and achieve their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. We're making great progress through our Value Everyone DEI Action Plan, but we know we've got more to do. Find out more about our values and DEI initiatives.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this role will be offered an interview.

We are committed to our processes being barrier-free and will support adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please let the recruiter for this role know if you require any adjustments.

We're looking to continually improve our recruitment process, so if you have any feedback, please share this with us via candidaterecruitmentenquiries@balfourbeatty.com