PDA Linear and Street Lighting Portfolio Manager

About the role

PDA Linear & Street Lighting Portfolio Manager  – Connect Plus Services (CPS)

Location: Dartford, Leatherhead or South Mimms

We have an exciting opportunity for a PDA Linear & Street Lighting Portfolio Manager to join our Connect Plus Services (CPS) team, supporting the M25 London Orbital Motorway project.

CPS is a joint venture between Balfour Beatty, Atkins and Egis, responsible for operating and maintaining the M25, Europe’s busiest motorway. Delivering over £100 million of annual investment alongside planned and reactive maintenance, this is a complex and high-profile network requiring robust and efficient planning.

If you are building a career in highways, this role offers exposure to one of the UK’s most challenging and dynamic infrastructure environments.

What you’ll be doing

As Portfolio Manager for PDA, you will be responsible for delivering a £13 million annual programme of linear and street lighting asset replacement projects across the M25, one of the UK’s busiest and most complex motorway networks.

Leading a team of Project Managers, you will oversee around 60 projects each year, ensuring they are delivered safely, efficiently and to the highest standards. The role covers the full project lifecycle, from early investigation and design development through to construction and handover, working closely with contractors, stakeholders and the client to achieve predictable and cost-effective delivery.

Key responsibilities:

• Manage the monthly reporting schedule, including PSR and CPM. Ensure owners are identified for required inputs and complete them within the required timescales for review by the relevant Delivery Lead.
• Lead the AMFP and AAMR processes, ensuring that all required interfaces, inputs and deadlines are achieved. Ensure AMFP commitments within the PDA team are clearly understood and achievable.
• Ensure Project Managers attend monthly forecasting meetings and provide robust updates aligned with programme requirements. Provide guidance on forecasting principles and ensure a consistent approach across the team. Develop income and cost profiles, overseeing and challenging Project Managers’ inputs where necessary.
• Manage Project Managers through the gateway process, ensuring governance requirements are understood and complied with. Promote consistency in presentation packs and ensure representation from key disciplines.
• Monitor Project Managers’ workloads and support project reallocations or additional resource requirements where appropriate.
• Develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with the Asset Team and key internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment on project delivery objectives, performance reviews and issue resolution.
• Maintain compliance with the DBFO contract by clarifying team roles and responsibilities, resolving risks and issues promptly, producing accurate reports, and maintaining specified records, including change management documentation.
• Identify and evaluate emerging risks, issues, dependencies and constraints associated with projects, escalating where appropriate and implementing agreed solutions.
• Demonstrate high standards of visible safety leadership. Ensure required safety performance levels are achieved and behavioural safety is promoted throughout the team in line with the principles of Making Safety Personal.
• Ensure all projects within the asset portfolio comply with relevant legislation, regulations and company policies. Prepare monthly portfolio delivery reports and present them to clients and senior leadership where required.

Who we’re looking for

Qualifications and skills:

• Proven experience in project delivery involving programmes of comparable value and complexity.
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing teams, preferably within a matrix organisation.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and perform effectively under pressure.
• Familiarity with industry safety standards and regulations.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) qualification or equivalent certification (e.g. APM PMQ).
• Good working knowledge of NEC3 and NEC4 contracts.
• HNC/HND (or equivalent) in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering or another construction-related discipline is desirable.
• Broad knowledge and understanding of other design disciplines.
• Understanding of environmental requirements relating to infrastructure schemes.
• Experience of coordinating interfaces with external resources.
• Understanding of health and safety requirements relating to highway construction and maintenance works.
• Knowledge of CDM Regulations and other health and safety legislation.
• Competent in discharging duties under CDM.
• Valid CSCS card.
• Experience of leading and managing teams to drive performance and productivity.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong customer focus with a service delivery mindset.
• Commercial awareness and budget management experience.
• Understanding of Lean principles.

Personal attributes:

• Proactive problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Strong safety leadership and safety-focused culture.
• Self-aware and adaptable, with the ability to respond to varying project requirements.
• Resilient and able to work effectively under pressure.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Team-building and people management skills.
• Ability to prioritise and self-manage workloads effectively.
• Ability to build relationships and establish trust with stakeholders.

Experience:

• Previous experience in a similar role, with demonstrable competence across the majority of the responsibilities outlined above.
• Experience of managing highways projects through the complete project lifecycle.

 

Behavioural Competencies 

Inspiring: Champions curiosity and continuous improvement, role modelling change and managing risks to achieve project outcomes.  

Energising:  Role models positive and energised project focussed attitudes towards   and continuous improvement. 

Challenging: seeks and advocates improvements to add value and drive continuous performance.  

Challengeable: Encourage a culture of skilled challenging and seek to understand and explore challenge to enable improvement. 

Influencing: Builds commitment and consensus, and role models CPS leadership behaviours to deliver our goals. 

 

Why Work for Us?

At Connect Plus Services (CPS), you’ll be part of a world-class team maintaining and operating the M25, Europe’s busiest motorway. As a joint venture between Balfour Beatty, Atkins, and Egis, we play a vital role in keeping millions of journeys moving safely and efficiently.

A Career Like No Other

Working on the M25 offers unrivalled experience, challenges, and opportunities that no other highways project can provide. You’ll be exposed to cutting-edge technology, large-scale infrastructure, and complex engineering solutions, making every day dynamic and rewarding.

Long-Term Stability & Growth

With 15+ years remaining on this project, we offer career stability, professional development, and progression opportunities. Whether you’re looking to build new skills or take the next step in your career, we invest in your growth.

A Supportive & Inclusive Team

At CPS, your contributions matter. We foster a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative work environment where safety, innovation, and teamwork drive everything we do.

 

CPS recognises the impact of our work on the environment and the communities surrounding the M25 network. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint while delivering wider sustainability outcomes, including environmental protection, social value, and responsible resource use. Through sustainable practices, innovation, and long‑term stewardship, we aim to support community wellbeing and ensure responsible, future‑focused delivery.

 

About us

Connect Plus Services (CPS) is a joint venture between Balfour Beatty, Atkins and Egis Road Operation UK. With around 800 colleagues, we operate and maintain the 117‑mile M25 network on behalf of Connect Plus and National Highways, managing over 100,000 assets to keep Europe’s busiest orbital motorway moving 24/7.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. As a Disability Confident Employer and Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme, we actively support equality, inclusion and social value, and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

 

Note to all internal CPS employees:

If you are interested in applying, please submit your application through your parent company’s careers portal by entering the job title in the search bar. If your employing company is not advertising this role, please submit your CV and the role title to HR@connectplusm25.co.uk