Agency Labour Supply Chain Manager

Balfour; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading construction firm is looking for a Labour Supply Manager to optimize its temporary labour supply chain across multiple projects. Ideal candidates should have experience in the construction sector and strong skills in stakeholder engagement and labour supply management. This role offers flexible working hours and various benefits, including generous parental leave policies.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

25 days paid annual leave

Pension and share incentive plan

Family-friendly policies

Qualifications

• Proven experience within the construction labour supply chain.
• Strong understanding of risks and opportunities in temporary labour.
• Experience in labour supply planning and compliance oversight.

Responsibilities

• Develop the blue-collar labour strategy for upcoming projects.
• Act as the central contact for labour agency-related matters.
• Build strong relationships with key agency suppliers.
• Engage with operational leads to understand workforce requirements.
• Facilitate feedback between the business and supply chain.
• Advise on labour sourcing strategy and availability.

Skills

Agency Labour experience

Stakeholder engagement

Labour supply chain management

Communication skills

Solutions-driven mindset

Job description

Labour Supply Manager

Join to apply for the Labour Supply Manager role at Balfour Beatty plc.

About The Role

Balfour Beatty is looking for a Labour Supply Manager to join the Enabling Functions – Procurement team. The role can be based at any UK office, with regular travel to Balfour Beatty and subcontractor offices/sites required.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will have an Agency Labour background, bringing strong experience in managing temporary labour supply chains and working with multiple stakeholders.

Role Purpose

This role supports Balfour Beatty in managing and optimising its temporary labour supply chain. Labour is high spend and high risk – the manager will take ownership for supporting operational performance for over £300m spend across tens of suppliers. This pivotal role acts as the primary interface between Balfour Beatty’s operational teams, its agency supply chain and Nutral as the Managed Service Provider (MSP). The successful candidate will help drive consistency, performance and strategic alignment across a diverse and complex construction portfolio.

What You'll Be Doing

• Develop the blue‑collar labour strategy, translating business needs into workforce strategies, supporting supply chain capacity planning and early workforce mobilisation for upcoming projects and bids.
• Act as the central point of contact for all labour agency‑related matters across Balfour Beatty’s business units.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key agency suppliers, ensuring performance, compliance and alignment with business goals.
• Engage with operational and commercial leads across the business to understand workforce requirements and future labour demand.
• Facilitate two‑way feedback between the business and supply chain, identifying opportunities for improvement and resolving issues swiftly.
• Support work‑winning efforts by advising on labour sourcing strategy, availability and risk, particularly in relation to skills availability and supply chain capability.
• Contribute to the development of workforce strategies that improve ethical labour practices, compliance and commercial effectiveness.
• Analyse supply chain performance data and report trends and insights back to key stakeholders within both Balfour Beatty and Nutral.
• Communicate changes in strategy, process or supplier status to relevant project stakeholders.

Who We're Looking For

• Proven experience within the construction labour supply chain, either from an agency background or working client‑side with direct exposure to agency workforce supply.
• Strong understanding of the challenges, risks and opportunities associated with temporary labour in construction environments.
• Confident stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills across both operational and executive levels.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to align supply chain performance with business outcomes.
• Experience in labour supply planning, supplier performance management and compliance oversight.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to act as a trusted intermediary across multiple parties.
• A proactive, solutions‑driven mindset and the ability to operate autonomously within a fast‑paced, evolving environment.

Why Work for Us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Benefits

• Smart working – flexible start and finish times, up to 40% remote working where roles allow.
• 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata).
• Family‑friendly policies: 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partner leave.
• Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more.

About Us

Balfour Beatty Group Enabling Functions are Legal, Finance, IT and Procurement, Communications, Health Safety and Environment, HR and Sustainability. Together, they support delivery of our Build to strategy whilst improving efficiencies and standardising our approach, systems and processes.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. We are committed to growing a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive. We are members of WISE ENEI, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers. In 2020 we signed the Audeliss and Involve open letter to demonstrate our commitment to long‑term sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and encourages applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long‑term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We also provide an interview for applicants with a disability who meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more information, visit https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/.

We continuously improve our resourcing process to ensure it is fair and inclusive. If you have any feedback on the process, please share it with us at: [e-mail].