Construction Recruitment Agency

NEC (New Engineering Contract) is the standard for UK infrastructure, public-sector and highly collaborative schemes. It is programme-led, uses compensation events to manage change, and has Options A through F for different pricing models. JCT contracts are more traditional and widely used on commercial and residential builds, with design-and-build, traditional and construction management variants. Strong senior hires are fluent in one, ideally both.

CDM 2015 (Construction Design and Management Regulations) defines legal duties on every UK construction project, specifying roles including Principal Designer and Principal Contractor, and setting out client responsibilities. Any senior construction hire needs working knowledge of their CDM duty-holder responsibilities. On consultancy and client-side briefs, Principal Designer experience is often a direct requirement.

The Building Safety Act established the Building Safety Regulator, the HRB gateway approval regime (gateways 1, 2 and 3), and new duty-holder roles including the Accountable Person and Building Safety Manager. Any senior hire working on residential buildings over eighteen metres or seven storeys now operates within the BSA regime. We screen for BSA fluency on every residential, mixed-use and BTR brief.

Broad 2026 ranges. Assistant Site Manager 35 to 50 thousand. Site Manager 50 to 70. Senior Site Manager and Contracts Manager 70 to 95. Project Manager 55 to 85. Senior Project Manager 75 to 110. Construction Director 110 to 160. Senior Quantity Surveyor 65 to 95. London and the South East command a premium. Infrastructure and NEC-led schemes sit above commercial and residential averages. Day rates for contract roles typically run from 350 to 700 depending on seniority and sector.

Every candidate's CSCS card, SMSTS, SSSTS, NEBOSH and relevant professional body memberships are verified before shortlisting. Card numbers, expiry dates and certificate authenticity are checked against issuing bodies where possible. For senior hires we also verify CIOB, RICS, ICE or equivalent chartered body status.

Yes. We work with tier-one UK main contractors alongside regional main contractors, specialist subcontractors, housebuilders and client-side teams. Vocabulary and commercial dynamics change by tier, and our briefs and candidate positioning reflect that.

Yes. We place across national and regional housebuilders, private residential developers, build-to-rent operators and student accommodation specialists, alongside commercial, mixed-use, healthcare, education, industrial and infrastructure schemes. Sector experience matters, and we match candidates to the scheme type rather than the job title alone.

Most construction shortlists are delivered within 72 hours. Senior roles such as Construction Directors, Pre-Construction Managers and Commercial Directors typically take five to seven working days. Security-cleared or highly specialist briefs take longer, and we will tell you upfront rather than rush a weak shortlist.

Yes, across all three. Permanent placements for long-term builds and headcount growth. Contract for fixed-duration schemes, frameworks and day-rate commercial cover. Interim management for mobilisations, turnarounds and senior cover. We match the engagement type to the brief.

Ninety-one per cent of our construction placements remain in post at twelve months. That comes from quality matching, honest briefing conversations and a willingness to turn down briefs we cannot deliver well. Volume-led recruitment cannot hit that number because the process itself fights against it.

Yes. Regular check-ins with both the hiring manager and the candidate through onboarding and the first ninety days, where most construction placements either settle in or fail. Catching early misalignment quickly is how we protect the retention number.