Head of Engineering

Job Introduction

Founded in 1968 Griffiths are one of the leading civil engineering and construction organisations working in Wales, the English border counties, and the West of England.

We pride ourselves in providing the “personal touch” establishing and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships at all levels within client organisations, throughout the supply chain and with stakeholders.

We are very proud of our history and what makes us the company we are today. We also have huge ambitions for the future and want to continue our growth and innovation to remain at the leading edge of our industry we offer a range of career development opportunities as a business unit of Tarmac PLC. We are looking for people who share this passion, enthusiasm, and collaborative approach to join our team. As part of a global business in CRH, the career opportunities are limitless.

We’re working hard to create a dynamic and inclusive environment and it’s important that our people come from a variety of different backgrounds. We offer a flexible approach and are open to flexible working options.

We are currently looking for an Head of Engineering to join our team at our Head offices in Abergavenny.

Role Responsibility

As the Head of Engineering, you will take the lead in design management within the Griffiths business. 

In this role, you will be tasked with the development, implementation and continuous improvement of the company’s design management processes and procedures. You will be expected to demonstrate leadership and people management skills, to deliver an efficient design management service to civil engineering tenders and projects. 

The Head of Engineering is accountable for (but not limited to) the implementation and continuous improvement of the company’s Design Management and Temporary Works processes and procedures.  The role holder will be expected to demonstrate leadership and people management skills, to deliver an efficient design management service to civil engineering tenders and to all projects across the Griffiths sectors. 

On a day to day basis, the Head of Engineering's duties and responsibilities will include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Supporting the Griffiths’ business strategy, working closely with the team to roll-out key initiatives and achieve the organisation’s strategic goals 

• Managing and supporting a team of design managers. This will include people management interventions such as performance management, individual focus reviews, manpower planning and the continuous professional development of the team 

• Mentoring and coaching the team members in line with company values and behavioural competencies, to maximise the potential of both the team and the individuals 

• Manage and control implementation and operation of Griffiths’ Design Management procedures 

• Develop, implement, maintain, and improve sound design management practices that are congruent with various construction contracts 

• Liaise with Regional Directors and delivery teams to identify and agree project specific design co-ordination needs. Allocate and manage design co-ordination resources to meet these needs 

• Strive for continuous improvement and efficiencies within the design management team 

• Keep up to date with changes in technology and practices. Take the lead in sharing this information across the team 

• Maintain and promote effective communication between design managers and the wider business team 

• Develop a select list of preferred consultants and specialist designers and input into selection of best for task consultant for a project 

• Ensure consultancy agreements are placed in a timely manner 

• Pro-actively manage relationships with designers 

• Participate in design strategy and methodology review in the Pre-con stages of the Works 

• Support the design managers, to provide comprehensive advice, guidance and the necessary information to pre-construction and delivery teams, to support tenders and project delivery on time and budget 

• Lead the design managers in supporting delivery and commercial teams with the identification of change and contributing to the identification and development of commercial strategy for recovery of costs and time 

• Ensure deliverable schedules are identified and created prior to consultant engagement and subsequently tracked throughout the project for the purpose of progress, variation and delay monitoring both toward client and consultant duties 

• Maintain oversight of consultant performance in respect of delivery to programme, design growth and constructability 

• Establish monitoring and reporting procedures consistent across all projects including reporting for monthly internal Operations Review and Employer Monthly progress meetings 

The Ideal Candidate

It is essential that any prospective applicants are degree qualified or alternatively has suitable planning/programming management experience.

You will also have experience working in construction with at least five years design and build or engineering consultant experience. It is also necessary to have previous experience dealing with different customers, contractors and programming requirements.

Why Us

We offer an extensive range of career development opportunities and industry-leading rewards, incentives and benefits:

• Contributory pension scheme
• Car or car allowance (role dependent)
• Access to the Tarmac Reward website with discounts on retailers, holidays, etc.
• Access to our Employee Assistance helpline for free and confidential advice
• Access to join our Employee Communities inc. BAME; LGBTQ+; Working Parents
• Training and development opportunities

Tarmac Trading Limited