Active Travel Project Manager

Temporary Contract

Job Details

Client: Somerset Council
Service Area: Community Place & Economy / Infrastructure & Transport / Transport Scheme Commissioning

Hours: 22 hours per week

Working Pattern:
Hybrid working
Typically 1 day in the office and 2 days remote
Working pattern may be reviewed as the role progresses

Start Date: 01 October 2026
Duration: 130 weeks

Number of Roles: 1

Location

Office Base:
The Crescent
Taunton
Somerset
TA1 4DY

Pay

PAYE Rate: £19.32 per hour

Job Overview

Somerset Council is seeking an Active Travel Project Manager to support the delivery of its dedicated Active Travel capital programme of over £9 million.

The role will support the Service Manager and Principal Transport Planner with the development and scheme preparation stages of new active travel schemes, through to construction commencement and handover to operational delivery.

The successful candidate will work with national bodies such as Active Travel England, local stakeholders, colleagues and technical teams to help develop, commission and progress active travel and transport infrastructure schemes.

This role requires strong project management, stakeholder engagement, transport infrastructure, active travel, business case, governance, consultation, commissioning, programme monitoring and technical coordination experience.

Important – Please Read Carefully

This is an Active Travel / Transport Infrastructure Project Manager role.

Candidates must have experience of systems, techniques, best practice, performance and project management in relation to infrastructure project development and/or delivery.

The role requires experience engaging with communities and customer feedback channels, working with multi-disciplinary teams, supporting business case development, commissioning technical activity, monitoring programme and budget, coordinating consultation and engagement, and supporting scheme approvals.

Candidates must be able to work hybrid, usually with one day per week at The Crescent in Taunton.

A driving licence and business-use driving insurance are required due to the nature of the role.

Candidates without infrastructure, transport, highways, active travel, project management, stakeholder engagement or scheme delivery experience are unlikely to be considered.

Key Responsibilities

• Support delivery of Somerset Council's Active Travel capital programme
• Work with Active Travel England and other national bodies
• Ensure schemes comply with funding and design requirements
• Work with local stakeholders and colleagues
• Support delivery of active travel and transport schemes
• Support work across related disciplines including planning, S106, maintenance and policy
• Support the Service Manager and Principal Transport Planner
• Oversee development and scheme preparation stages of new active travel schemes
• Manage projects as schemes transition into construction
• Coordinate stakeholders to agree robust proposals
• Commission technical activity required for scheme development
• Secure necessary approvals and consents
• Support commissioning of new major and minor transport infrastructure schemes
• Maintain progress through the scheme lifecycle
• Oversee scheme development from strategic outline business case stage
• Support progression through outline and full business case stages
• Establish project governance and agree project roles and responsibilities
• Work with the Programme Management Office
• Coordinate multi-disciplinary project teams
• Commission traffic modelling, highways design, legal advice, planning advice, surveys, consultation and related technical work
• Coordinate consultation and engagement processes
• Develop and gain approval for procurement strategy
• Support formal decisions at business case or gateway stages
• Support planning consents and CPO activity where required
• Monitor progress against programme and budget
• Ensure outcomes and outputs are delivered at each stage
• Commission Early Contractor Involvement and buildability advice where required
• Support minor transport scheme programmes
• Help identify, prioritise and deliver minor transport improvements and safety schemes
• Work with operational colleagues in an advisory capacity
• Support active travel schemes, small improvement schemes, local safety schemes and traffic signals recovery programmes
• Ensure client responsibilities are met under CDM 2015 regulations
• Support the Service Manager in resolving contractual matters where required

Essential Experience & Skills

• Project management experience in infrastructure, transport, highways, active travel or related schemes
• Knowledge of systems, techniques, best practice, performance and project management
• Experience developing or delivering infrastructure projects
• Experience engaging with communities and customer feedback channels
• Experience operating equality and diversity measures in a professional context
• Experience coordinating multi-disciplinary project teams
• Experience supporting business case development
• Experience commissioning technical activity
• Experience monitoring programme and budget
• Experience supporting procurement strategy or scheme approvals
• Experience coordinating consultation and engagement
• Experience preparing technical information clearly for different audiences
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Strong presentation skills
• Ability to communicate technical information in an accessible way
• Strong IT skills
• Ability to use a range of IT tools to support technical project work
• Ability to support contractual issue resolution where required
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Ability to motivate others to work effectively
• Ability to demonstrate a duty of care
• Positive, committed, adaptable, thorough and confident approach
• Ability to work with stakeholders including delegates, elected members, external bodies and members of the public
• Ability to speak fluent English
• Educational qualification in a relevant discipline or equivalent degree-level knowledge and commitment to continuous professional development
• Driving licence
• Business-use driving insurance

Desirable

• Knowledge of statutory, regulatory, policy and contractual frameworks for highways and transport infrastructure development and delivery
• Experience providing input into business cases for infrastructure funding
• Ability to produce or draft reports for decision making
• Experience supporting project initiation, progress reporting, resource planning and allocation
• Experience supporting technical improvements
• Membership of, or working towards membership of, a relevant professional body
• Experience working with Active Travel England
• Experience with active travel funding requirements
• Experience with S106 contributions
• Experience with CDM 2015 client responsibilities
• Experience with Early Contractor Involvement or buildability advice
• Experience within local government transport, highways or infrastructure teams

Additional Information

Somerset Council's Dynamic Working Strategy will apply to this role.

The role is expected to be hybrid, with approximately one day per week in the Taunton office and the remaining working time remote. This may change over time depending on role demands.

Interviews are expected to take place via Microsoft Teams and should last no longer than 45 minutes.

Candidate submission deadline is 30 September 2026.

Disclaimer

On applying for this vacancy, you agree that your personal details will be passed onto our client for their consideration of your suitability for the role.

I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to notify Fix Space Recruitment Limited of any hirer who I do not want my details to be passed onto.

Job Reference

OR111203