Costain Group PLC

Operational Excellence & Quality Director

Costain Group PLC

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: Manchester • United Kingdom

Visit company website

Explore more

✨ AI Apply
Apply

Job Level

Lead

About the role

  • **Operational Excellence and Quality Leadership**
  • - Design and embed the Costain wide project operating system, integrating delivery processes, standards and delivery assurance mechanisms.
  • - Lead continuous improvement initiatives that enhance productivity, consistency, and compliance.
  • - Ensure quality systems meet regulatory, customer, and internal requirements while enabling agile delivery.
  • - Diagnose systemic pain points and root causes impacting delivery efficiency and predictability to embed and promote a continuous improvement culture.
  • **Capability Development and Cultural Change**
  • - Build and lead a capability development programme focused on delivery disciplines, leadership behaviours and technical excellence.
  • - Maintain an agile and MVP prototyping approach to test and refine new capabilities.
  • - Coach senior leaders and delivery teams to strengthen decision-making, risk management, and execution flow.
  • - Drive cultural alignment across contracts, reinforcing shared values and delivery discipline.
  • **Governance and Performance Management**
  • - Define the data structures, measures and performance indicators that underpin delivery excellence.
  • - Establish governance frameworks that ensure consistent application of best practices and delivery standards.
  • - Monitor delivery performance using KPIs, dashboards, and structured reviews to drive transparency and action.
  • - Facilitate cross-functional collaboration to remove friction and improve end-to-end flow.
  • - Codify activities, variables and measures to underpin new capabilities, coordinating with digital transformation and IT stakeholders.
  • **Stakeholder Engagement and Influence**
  • - Build trusted relationships with reference groups and coordinate working parties to maintain and improve capabilities.
  • - Represent the division in corporate forums, audits and strategic initiatives.
  • - Influence senior leaders to adopt best practices and champion operational excellence.
  • **Quality Assurance and High-Assurance Delivery**
  • - Own the Costain quality strategy, ensuring it underpins efficient and predictable delivery across all contracts.
  • - Maintain and continuously improve the assurance framework, including policies, standards and stage-gate controls.
  • - Support the review, reform and refinement of the Costain Way. Represent and lead the voice of delivery to ensure the Costain Way is a fit-for-purpose management system that supports best-in-class delivery.
  • - Ensure quality planning, inspection, testing and verification activities are embedded early and consistently across the lifecycle.
  • - Strengthen root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and learning loops to drive systemic improvement rather than local fixes.
  • - Build capability in quality leadership, problem-solving, and right-first-time delivery across project teams.
  • - Use data, metrics and leading indicators to identify emerging risk and drive proactive intervention.

Requirements

  • **Essential**
  • - Degree qualified in appropriate subject
  • - Chartered professional in an appropriate field (desirable)
  • - Can hold UK Security Clearance (SC level)
  • **Knowledge, Skills and Experience**
  • **Essential**
  • - Process visualization, optimisation and management
  • - Strategic vision, driving business / cultural change
  • - Development of assurance, verification and compliance in a corporate environment
  • - Influencing and supporting teams / people, both in delivery and as SME / functional leaders content providers
  • - Risk / opportunity management
  • - Coordination and leadership of diverse teams
  • - Understanding of digital operating systems, development, assurance and delivery
  • - Proven line management and people development skills
  • - Budget management skills
  • - Innovative and digital mindset, dashboarding
  • **Desirable**
  • - Broad UK industry experience
  • - Strong safety and people focus
  • - UK infrastructure market experience
Benefits
  • Hybrid work arrangement
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Leadership coaching
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
process visualizationprocess optimizationassurance developmentverificationcompliancerisk managementbudget managementdata analysisKPI monitoringdigital operating systems
Soft Skills
leadershipinfluencingcoachingdecision-makingproblem-solvingcultural changecross-functional collaborationcommunicationteam coordinationstrategic vision
Certifications
degree in appropriate subjectchartered professionalUK Security Clearance (SC level)