Assistant Project Manager

To apply for the Assistant Project Manager position at Bridges, it's vital to have relevant project experience, excellent client engagement skills, and ideally a background in project engineering. Additionally, a willingness to pursue the Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) is expected. It’s also beneficial to hold trade qualifications or certifications like SSSTS, SMSTS, and EUSR water hygiene to enhance your suitability for this role.

As an Assistant Project Manager at Bridges, your primary responsibilities revolve around managing project teams, subcontractors, and ensuring health and safety compliance. You will create and maintain project documentation, control costs according to the project initiation document, and orchestrate project timelines. Effective communication and collaboration with clients and stakeholders are also essential to ensure project success.

At Bridges, the Assistant Project Manager position offers a hybrid working model, allowing you to work three days at the office and two days from home. This flexible approach aims to support your work-life balance while ensuring you remain engaged with your team and projects. It promotes a culture that values collaboration and autonomy.

Bridges is committed to employee development, especially for the Assistant Project Manager role. We offer training and development opportunities, including formal qualifications like the Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ). Additionally, you can benefit from mentorship programs, employee recognition schemes, and career growth assistance to ensure your professional journey is rewarding.

Bridges provides a comprehensive benefits package for our Assistant Project Managers. This includes competitive salaries, a company car or car allowance, a health cash plan with Healthshield, a solid pension scheme, life assurance, and various employee recognition programs. We also prioritize well-being with initiatives like the Bike 2 Work scheme and an employee referral scheme that rewards successful introductions.

Bridges fosters a welcoming and friendly culture for its staff, including Assistant Project Managers. Our guiding principles emphasize Safe People, Happy People, and Sustainable Business. We encourage collaboration, growth, and a sense of belonging, ensuring every employee feels valued and supported on their journey with us. You'll be part of a family-run business that genuinely cares about its people.

As an Assistant Project Manager at Bridges, you will primarily focus on projects in the Water, Power, Energy, and Aggregates sectors. You'll gain exposure to a variety of interesting projects that are impactful not just commercially but also on the infrastructure and communities throughout the UK, allowing you to broaden your expertise in essential industries.

When answering this question, focus on specific projects you've managed, highlighting your responsibilities such as team coordination, budgeting, or scheduling. Emphasize how these experiences prepared you for the role at Bridges, particularly in terms of client engagement and documentation management.

In your response, discuss your proactive approach to ensuring compliance, such as conducting risk assessments, engaging in safety training, and fostering a safety-oriented culture within your team. Provide examples of specific measures you've successfully implemented in past roles.

Talk about your experience with budget management techniques, such as regular financial reporting, tracking expenses against the project initiation document, and adjusting plans proactively to avoid overspending. Use concrete examples to illustrate your point.

Focus on your communication skills and past experiences where you successfully built and maintained strong client relationships. Mention how you prioritize client needs and ensure regular updates, showcasing your commitment to their satisfaction throughout the project lifecycle.

Share your familiarity with planning and project management software, such as MS Project or Primavera. Discuss how these tools assist you in creating timelines, resource allocation, and tracking project progress, enhancing your overall project management efficiency.

In your response, illustrate your problem-solving skills by describing the setback, your analysis of the situation, and the steps you took to rectify the issue. Emphasize the learning lessons that resulted and how they influenced your future project management approach.

Explain your commitment to minimizing environmental impact by incorporating sustainable practices in your project's planning and execution phases. Provide examples of initiatives you've led that demonstrate your proactive stance on environmental stewardship.

Discuss critical skills such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, and financial acumen. Point out your strengths in these areas and how they align with the expectations at Bridges. This shows that you understand what is required to succeed in the role.

Sample responses should include your prioritization techniques, such as critical path analysis and stakeholder discussions, to ensure urgent tasks are addressed first. Stress your adaptability and ability to manage stress in high-pressure situations to maintain project timelines.

Focus on your passion for contributing to impactful projects and your alignment with Bridges' values, such as sustainability and employee welfare. Share how you envision growing within the company and making a meaningful difference in the engineering sector.