Our most recent Site Manager placement in 2026 shows the process behind every placement we make. YTL engaged us to source an M&E Site Manager on a 12-month rolling contract, starting in March 2026. Leon Smith, Principal Consultant, Water Team, managed the engagement with Mark Turner, Senior M&E Construction Manager.

The role sat within YTL's £100m expansion of Avonmouth Water Recycling Centre, a five-year capital programme to increase treatment capacity and reduce storm overflow discharges into the Severn Estuary. The previous site manager had been promoted, and YTL needed a successor who could step straight in.

A niche discipline. Site management pools are usually wider than design or commercial ones, but they narrow sharply once M&E expertise and water-sector experience are required.

A fixed location. The role needed someone on site at Avonmouth five days a week, and few suitable candidates could easily reach it.

Safety-critical certification. Working on an active construction site within an operational treatment works, candidates needed as a minimum: CSCS Black card, SMSTS, CITB Health, Safety and Environment, First Aid at Work, an EUSR water hygiene card for clean water areas, IOSH Managing Safely and the NEBOSHNational Certificate in Construction Health and Safety.

Live compliance. Certification had to be in date, not lapsed. A failed verification would have pushed the start date past what YTL needed.

A pool built deliberately, and always on. We build the pool through direct outreach, job boards and ongoing relationships with the workforce at Avonmouth and other water-sector sites, and engage candidates before vacancies go live. We use Bullhorn CRM, Broadbean, LinkedIn Recruiter (enhanced licence) and Force24, backed by a LinkedIn following of 32,000 with double the average engagement rate.

Availability tracked in real time. Our Bullhorn CRM flags every contractor two weeks before their current project ends, so we can redeploy them quickly. For this search, it surfaced M&E site managers with live, verified compliance who were close to available.

Ahead of the AMP cycle. We forecast supply and demand across the AMP cycle and spot changes in availability before they hit the market, as we did through the move from AMP7 to AMP8.

Talent mapped across the UK. We track candidates in areas of lower AMP8 demand who are willing to relocate, people coming free from other UK water frameworks, and transferable site management experience in rail, highways and energy.

Visible in the sector. Membership of British Water, AquaFed, the Institute of Water and Future Water, and our own Water Industry Labour Report, cited in the Cunliffe Review, keep us known to water professionals and aware of who is moving before roles are advertised.

Close to the site. The water team has visited Avonmouth three times in the last nine months and attends sector events with Wessex Water, including a recent British Water liaison day. Regular conversations with people across the site mean we understand planned demand.

A shortlist went to YTL within a week. The successful candidate came from the water sector and lived locally to Avonmouth.

Screening. CV review and competency matching, with verification of competency cards, licences and qualifications such as CSCS, SMSTS, EUSR water hygiene and NVQs.

Interview. Structured, competency-based questions on clean and wastewater experience, in-date cards, confined spaces, working on a live treatment works and commitment to being on site daily.

Right to Work. We complete and retain the initial check before the assignment starts, and the umbrella provider carries out a second check as part of its onboarding.

References. At least two from recent employers, validated through line managers' official email addresses.

Ongoing compliance. Certifications with an expiry date are tracked in Bullhorn CRM's compliance module and owned by the consultant. Renewals are obtained in advance, and YTL is notified of anything that could affect continuity.

Leon was the single point of contact for YTL and the candidate through mobilisation, confirming the site induction, PPE, site access and reporting lines with Mark Turner.

Murray McIntosh is an FCSA Recruiter Partner. Payroll and expenses run exclusively through FCSA- accredited, SafeRec-audited umbrella providers, giving added assurance over employment, Right to Work and labour supply-chain compliance. We introduce contractors to the umbrella company at onboarding, so they know how payroll works, are paid on time, and timesheets never get in the way of the job.

Aftercare stays with the same consultant: calls the week before the start date, on day one and weekly through the first month, then monthly, quarterly or annually. Each call confirms the contractor has settled and is right for the role, and gives them an easy way to raise concerns early. We also keep in touch about how contractors feel about extending, so YTL can plan for any gaps well before a 12-month contract ends.

5 weeks from brief to placement

1 week to shortlist

2:1 CV to interview ratio

The placement gave YTL a like-for-like successor to a manager who had been promoted, keeping a live programme on track. We speak regularly with the Site Manager and with Mark to pick up any issues early.

It is one of 40 placements at Wessex Water and YTL, and reflects how we work across water: an always-on talent pool and close site relationships that fill niche, safety-critical roles quickly.

Our standards:

• ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified, Achilles UVDB Silver Plus accredited and Cyber Essentials certified, with a GDPR and Privacy Policy audited annually.
• APSCo and BIoR members. All recruitment consultants complete BIoR training, including the Essential Law and Legislation module.
• Our consultants are trained in responsible recruitment and modern slavery awareness, and stay alert to worker exploitation and risks in the labour supply chain.
• A Disability Confident Committed Employer, we adapt testing and interviews so every person is assessed fairly on their ability to do the job.