Senior Third Party Agreements Manager

Senior Third Party Agreements Manager

(Infrastructure / Utilities Focus)

The Role

This is a senior-level post within a nationally significant infrastructure programme (NSIP), where you’ll take the lead on all things related to third-party legal agreements. Think high-stakes coordination, multidisciplinary interface management, and a healthy amount of legal and commercial negotiation. You’ll be the thread that connects technical requirements with stakeholder expectations and regulatory obligations - all while keeping the programme moving.

You’ll need to be confident working in the thick of a complex delivery environment, helping to untangle risk, bring clarity to negotiations, and ensure that every agreement is watertight before a single shovel hits the ground.

What You'll Be Doing

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Shaping and delivering the project-wide strategy for Third Party Agreements (TPAs) - from early engagement to close-out.

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Leading on the legal and commercial interface with statutory undertakers. You’ll be the point person for negotiating, drafting, and resolving issues in protective provisions, side agreements, and other legal instruments.

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Collaborating closely with legal, engineering, stakeholder, and environmental teams to embed third-party requirements into both the DCO and the wider delivery programme.

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Developing and maintaining the TPA Management Plan, and making sure it aligns with project governance - from environmental assessments to design sign-offs.

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Keeping a firm grip on tracking tools and registers (Mitigation Tracker, Commitments Register, etc.) and ensuring everything is properly documented.

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Representing the project in meetings and negotiations with stakeholders - including technical working groups, legal workshops, and public consultations.

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Providing senior-level reporting on progress, spend, and risk - particularly where external parties are involved.

What You’ll Need to Bring

Must-Haves:

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Proven experience managing statutory undertaker engagement and Third Party Agreements on major infrastructure schemes.

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Solid understanding of the DCO process or similar statutory consenting routes.

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A good commercial and legal head - especially when it comes to drafting and negotiating formal undertakings with utility companies, public bodies, and landowners.

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A history of getting things done across complex, multi-stakeholder environments and within tight statutory timescales.

Nice-to-Haves:

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Membership (or progress toward) a relevant professional body like RICS or RTPI.

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Practical knowledge of infrastructure planning and delivery.

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Experience drafting or reviewing legal documentation such as licences, MoUs, and protective provisions.

Your Day-to-Day Could Include

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Writing and owning the project’s TPA strategy and governance framework.

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Taking charge of the drafting process - including negotiation, conflict resolution, and final wording.

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Running the TPA register, prioritising risks, and tracking programme impact through regular reporting cycles.

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Setting the engagement approach for a wide range of third parties - utilities, Network Rail, ports, local authorities, private landowners, and more.

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Monitoring TPA-related spend and tracking exposure against programme budget.

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Ensuring that no work starts without executed agreements in place - and flagging any issues that could delay delivery.

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Leading and mentoring a small team, and supporting package engineers with advice on statutory processes and consent pathways.

You’ll also be expected to deliver:

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A robust TPA Management Plan

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A weekly dashboard and live register of third-party agreements

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Monthly reporting on accepted cost estimates

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A clear stakeholder engagement plan

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Up-to-date risk and opportunity logs

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Close-out packs for each agreement, including liabilities, cost, and IP documentation