Site Manager

Job Description

Location: Forest Row, East Sussex

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Contract: Self-employed, CIS

Rate: Competitive, dependent on experience

Start: January 2027

The project

A residential development set within a 32 acre former school estate in Forest Row. The scheme comprises 14 new build family homes plus refurbishment of 10 existing buildings. Our client is an established regional developer with a strong delivery record and a professional consultant team already in place.

The timber frames on the 14 new build plots will be erected ahead of the start date. We need a Site Manager to take them from that point through to handover.

The role

You will own the 14 new build plots on the ground. That means sequencing the trades, holding the programme, managing quality against the specification and taking the units through to practical completion and handover.

This is a hands on role. The client is not looking for someone who runs the job from a laptop in the cabin. They want a Site Manager who is out on the deck, who spots the detail before it becomes a defect and who will get in the telehandler to keep a gang moving rather than wait for someone else to do it.

Health and safety is managed actively, not administratively. You will be expected to set the standard on site every day and be visible doing it.

You will work closely with Axo Consulting, who act as Project Manager and Quantity Surveyor for the client across the whole scheme. That means clear lines, quick decisions and commercial cover, so you can concentrate on delivery rather than chasing answers.

What you will be responsible for

• Day to day management of the 14 new build plots from frame erection through to completion and handover

• Short term programming, trade sequencing and subcontractor coordination

• Active on site health and safety management, including inspections, briefings, RAMS review and toolbox talks

• Quality control against drawings and specification, with a focus on getting the timber frame follow on trades right first time

• Materials calls, deliveries, plant and logistics

• Site records, progress reporting and day to day liaison with Axo Consulting as the client's PM and QS

• Supporting the commercial process with accurate site information on progress, variations and valuations

• Driving the telehandler as required to support the trades

What you will need

• Proven Site Manager experience on timber frame new build housing, from frame erection through to handover

• Strong technical understanding of timber frame construction and the follow on trade sequence

• SMSTS, First Aid at Work and CSCS

• Telehandler licence (CPCS or NPORS) and the willingness to use it

• Genuine competence and confidence on health and safety, with a track record of running a tidy, well controlled site

• The ability to build trust quickly with subcontractors, consultants and the client team

• Comfortable working alongside a client side PM and QS, with the reporting discipline that comes with it

Why this one is worth a look

A well funded scheme, a client who backs their site teams, and a professional team who know what they are doing. The site will be well established by the time you start and the frames will be up, so you are stepping into momentum rather than starting from a muddy field.

Axo Consulting run the PM and QS function on this project, so you will be dealing with people who understand construction and answer their phone. Anyone who has spent a job waiting weeks for a decision or an instruction will know what that is worth.

With a January 2027 start we are running this process early. If you are mid way through a job and looking at your next move, this is the right time to have the conversation. xwwtmva

To apply

Send your CV, or call for a confidential conversation.