Project Manager - Pre-Construction

About the Role

Sisk is a family-owned international construction and engineering group operating across Ireland, the UK, and Europe. We deliver impactful projects in building, infrastructure, rail, energy, and off-site manufacturing. We support our people to grow, make a difference, and contribute to meaningful change.

The Project Manager - Pre-Construction position is a senior role pivotal to securing major infrastructure bids. This role oversees the technical and delivery strategy from the initial contractor involvement stage through to contract award, ensuring bids are technically sound, commercially viable, and reflect Sisk's strengths in complex civil and rail projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all pre-construction activities for major infrastructure bids, from early engagement to final tender submission.
• Coordinate bid efforts aligning engineering, commercial, planning, and operational teams effectively.
• Develop innovative and practical construction methodologies ensuring safety, efficiency, and adherence to project timelines.
• Provide technical leadership to develop tender submissions that comprehensively address buildability, sequencing, and delivery strategy.
• Collaborate closely with design teams to manage design progress in pre-construction, ensuring multidisciplinary integration and early identification of gaps.
• Formulate detailed construction programmes incorporating phasing, interfaces, logistics, and constraint management.
• Identify and manage technical, programme, and construction risks within bids, presenting clear mitigation strategies.
• Support pricing strategies by critically evaluating design solutions, identifying efficiencies, and facilitating commercial decision-making.
• Lead value engineering sessions to optimize design quality, cost, and programme outcomes without sacrificing compliance.
• Engage supply chain partners to produce coordinated, competitive, and technically sound proposals.
• Assist senior leaders with bid governance, internal reviews, approvals, and presenting to executive committees.
• Participate in client engagements including technical clarifications, interviews, and presentations as needed.
• Ensure tender submissions meet Sisk’s quality standards, governance protocols, and client specifications.
• Facilitate smooth transition from pre-construction to delivery teams, clearly communicating critical assumptions, risks, and methodologies.
• Mentor and develop pre-construction engineers and coordinators to enhance team capability.

Qualifications and Experience

• Degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Chartered Engineer status or progressing towards chartership with Engineers Ireland, ICE, or equivalent body.
• Formal training or demonstrated experience in planning, programme development, and construction methodology.
• Comprehensive knowledge of construction contracts such as NEC or FIDIC.
• Strong understanding of health, safety, and quality standards applicable to infrastructure projects.
• Experience using planning tools like Primavera P6 or comparable software.
• Extensive background within Tier 1 contractor environments, with emphasis on pre-construction, bid management, or major project delivery.
• Proven history managing complex major infrastructure projects, ideally involving rail, metro, or heavy civil works.
• Experience leading or coordinating significant bids, owning methodology, programming, and technical submissions.
• In-depth understanding of buildability, logistics, and delivery approaches within constrained, high-risk settings.
• Demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary teams spanning engineering, commercial, planning, and operational functions.
• Experience managing design development during pre-construction with multiple stakeholder coordination.
• Exposure to complex engineering challenges such as challenging ground conditions, temporary works, structural interfaces, or rail system integration.
• Strong client engagement experience handling technical queries, clarifications, and presentation responsibilities.
• Excellent stakeholder management abilities, influencing senior leaders and facilitating decision-making.
• Ability to deliver high-quality outputs within fast-paced tender timelines.
• Clear, effective communication skills articulating technical solutions and strategies.
• Experience in transitioning projects from pre-construction into delivery phases with insight into early decision impacts.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary package.
• 26 days of annual leave.
• Participation in pension scheme.
• Comprehensive health, wellbeing, and lifestyle support programs.
• Access to career development opportunities.
• Additional benefits included in our Total Rewards program.

Our Commitment

At Sisk, our people are central to our success. We promote working with purpose, limitless career growth, and a supportive, collaborative culture. We are committed to equity, inclusion, and accessibility and welcome applicants from all backgrounds irrespective of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, family status, or other protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be provided throughout the recruitment process to support all candidates.

We encourage candidates to apply even if all requirements are not fully met, recognizing that skills, experience, and potential are critical factors. Our recruitment complies fully with legal and regulatory standards including the Irish and UK Equality Acts and the EU Pay Transparency Directive to ensure fairness, transparency, and equal access for all.