Assistant Project Manager - Returners

• Job Category Project and Programme Management
• Posting Date 01/05/2026, 10:09 AM
• Locations Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom
• Apply Before 01/19/2026, 11:59 PM
• Job Schedule Full time
• Part Time/Job Share Considered Yes

Job Description

Are you looking to return to work following a career break of 2 or more years? If you are an experienced professional looking to return to the workplace, this could be the perfect opportunity for you. To apply for this vacancy and join our Returners Programme, applicants must be returning from a career break of 2 or more years or have been freelancing or working in a home business, in that time.

About the job.

National Highways have an excellent opportunity for multiple Assistant Project Managers to join our team in Major Projects. As an Assistant Project Manager, you will contribute to managing the assurance and integration of one or more projects between National Highways and third parties to influence outcomes, mitigate risks and protect National Highways' reputation in the context of our Licence Obligations and in line with our Corporate Imperatives, Standards and Policies, to ensure successful delivery and integration of third party infrastructure projects, acting in line with mandatory and delegated responsibilities.

Please note this position will be based from our Guildford office.

• Contribute to driving improvements in health, safety, and wellbeing, establishing a culture where you prioritise the health, safety and wellbeing of you and your team at all times and challenge unsafe conditions or behaviours to ensure that everyone gets home safe and well.
• Contribute to managing NH engagement with third parties to positively influence their thinking, proposed solutions, and delivery strategies to ensure that National Highways' requirements are met, our imperatives are embraced, that risks to National Highways, our customers and road users are mitigated and managed, and third parties contribute positively to our regulatory and corporate KPIs.
• Participate in managing the performance of supply chain partners and expert consultancy support as appropriate, ensuring that project objectives and requirements are clearly understood, setting clear expectations for health and safety management, time, and cost; and taking appropriate remedial action where necessary.
• Assist in the identification and evaluation of third-party interface risks, issues, dependencies, and constraints, escalating where appropriate. Where necessary support development, agreement, and implementation of solutions to overcome these.
• Contribute to continuous improvement, innovation and capture of learning across the project. Support the PM/SPM to ensure NH interests are protected and show flexibility in approach for the specific third-party relationship.

About you.

• Holds or able to attain a certified accreditation project or programme management qualification.
• Professional accreditation: Full Member of APM (Association for Project Management) or appropriate professional body for their specialist field or a willingness and commitment to attain.
• Excellent collaborator with ability to gain the involvement and engagement of a wide range of stakeholders and third parties.
• Good analytical skills, to develop, analyse and provide commentary on project plans and performance.
• Ability to adapt to changing environment due to nature of unique third party schemes.

About us.

Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England's motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership.

Major Projects are responsible for major enhancements to our road network. We make roads safer, journeys more reliable and unlock economic growth. At the same time, we seek out ways to create opportunities for sustainable travel, help nature to thrive and support our journey to net zero carbon.

Our team work closely with the supply chain to design and construct road projects, as well as develop a pipeline of possible projects as we look to thefuture.Our skills span many areas from customer experts, land and property advisers to project management. We understand the potential that our road schemes can bring.

External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

About Us

Why you should join us

At National Highways we believe in a connected country. We are passionate about creating a culture where colleagues feel connected, included and enjoy greater wellbeing to achieve this.We're proud that as an organisation we are continually striving to do better and actively encourage and support our colleagues to do the same with their careers.

So, if you put safety first, take ownership of your work, show passion for what you do, work effectively in a team, and demonstrate integrity in how you do it - then you'll be a great fit for our organisation.

A connected and sustainable working approach has been adopted across National Highways. For some roles, this means being able to work in a hybrid way spending up to 60% of time working from a remote location such as home.

We offer many different ways to work flexibly and we're open to discuss part-time working, job shares, and flexible start and finish times.

Please wait until the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.

Our benefits package

• Our total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus
• Contributory pension scheme with employer contribution of up to 10%
• Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
• Flexible hours and an approach driven by connected and sustainable working which includes hybrid working
• Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
• Health and wellbeing support, including anEmployee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
• A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
• Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience

And we are

• Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
• Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
• Community friendly - offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year

If you are successful, it is key to know all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory completion of our pre-employment checks which include:

• Right to work check
• 3 year employment history references
• DBS criminal record check
• Social media and adverse journalism check
• Driving licence check (if applicable)
• Fit to work questionnaire (for all), followed by a medical check (if applicable)
• Qualifications and/or professional membership check (if applicable)

And finally

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