Group Project Manager

Group Project Manager

Job Provider : Hudson Holdings Ltd

Department: Project Management Office (PMO)

Reporting to: Group Head of Programme Management

Territory Responsibility : Group

Work location : TBC

Hudson Group is an international retailer and distributor primarily involved in the sport and fashion wear sectors. The Group’s head office is in Malta but is also present through offices in Italy, Cyprus, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya and Algeria.

Though Hudson Holdings was founded in 2006, the Group’s roots reach as far back as 1987 when the first pair of NIKE was sold in Malta.

Purpose of the Job

The Group Project Manager is responsible for the end-to-end planning and delivery of new store openings, refurbishments, relocations and other retail development projects across multiple countries. The role ensures each project is delivered on time, within budget and in line with Hudson Group requirements, local market needs and the standards of the relevant brand.

Acting as the central link between Hudson’s Retail Business Managers, country teams, brand partners and internal support functions, the Group Project Manager will coordinate all project workstreams from initial concept and design through construction, operational readiness, opening and final handover.

Key responsibilities will include:

Project planning and delivery

- Lead the full project lifecycle for store openings, refurbishments, relocations, closures and retail development initiatives across the Group.

- Develop detailed project plans, critical paths, budgets, risk registers, governance routines and reporting schedules for each project.

- Coordinate site assessments, feasibility reviews, design development, approvals, fit-out, pre-opening activity and final handover.

- Manage multiple projects concurrently, ensuring clear priorities, ownership, dependencies and decision points.

- Identify project risks and delays early, agree recovery actions and escalate key issues where required.

Retail business and country coordination

- Work directly with Hudson’s Retail Business Managers to translate commercial and operational requirements into clear store project deliverables.

- Partner with Country General Managers and local teams to align project plans with market requirements, local regulations, landlord conditions and operational priorities.

- Coordinate cross-functional input from Retail Operations, Commercial, Visual Merchandising, Marketing, IT, Finance, Procurement, Logistics, Human Resources and Health & Safety.

- Lead regular project meetings and ensure actions, decisions and dependencies are documented, assigned and completed within agreed timelines.

- Support operational readiness, including staffing, IT and POS, stock flow, visual merchandising, training, marketing and opening plans.

Brand and design management

- Act as the main project contact for brand partners throughout store development and rollout activity.

- Coordinate brand briefs, design packs, technical requirements, approvals and feedback to ensure timely decision-making.

- Ensure store concepts, materials, fixtures, signage and customer experience standards are delivered in line with brand guidelines.

- Balance brand expectations with Hudson’s commercial, operational, budgetary and local market requirements.

- Maintain clear records of brand approvals, agreed deviations and final project sign-off.

Budget, procurement and supplier management

- Prepare and control project budgets, forecasts, cash-flow requirements and cost trackers.

- Coordinate tendering and supplier selection for design, construction, fit-out, fixtures, equipment and specialist services.

- Assess quotations, change requests and cost variances, ensuring appropriate approval before commitments are made.

- Manage contractors, consultants and suppliers against agreed scope, quality, programme, service levels and commercial terms.

- Drive value engineering and cost-efficiency initiatives without compromising safety, quality, brand standards or customer experience.

Quality, compliance and handover

- Ensure project delivery complies with applicable local regulations, permits, health and safety requirements, landlord requirements and Group governance standards.

- Monitor workmanship and quality through progress reviews, site visits, snagging and close-out processes.

- Coordinate final inspections, testing, documentation, training, operational handover and defect resolution.

- Complete post-project reviews, capture lessons learned and improve Group rollout standards, templates and processes.

- Maintain accurate and auditable project files, contracts, approvals, budgets, risks, actions and completion records.

How you will be measured:

- Delivery of store projects within agreed timelines, approved budgets and defined scope.

- Compliance with brand standards, local regulations, health and safety requirements and Group project governance.

- Quality and operational readiness of stores at handover and opening.

- Timely identification and resolution of risks, issues, cost variances and project dependencies.

- Effectiveness of collaboration with Retail Business Managers, country teams, brand partners and internal functions.

- Supplier and contractor performance against agreed quality, cost, service and delivery expectations.

- Accuracy, timeliness and transparency of project reporting and documentation.

- Effective close-out of snagging, defects, final accounts and lessons learned.

Core competencies:

- Strong project planning, organisation and delivery capability across complex, multi-country programmes.

- Excellent stakeholder management with the confidence to work directly with senior internal leaders and external brand partners.

- Strong commercial and financial acumen, including budget control, tender evaluation, forecasting and cost management.

- Working knowledge of retail store design, construction, fit-out, operational readiness and handover processes.

- Ability to interpret design, technical and commercial information and convert it into clear actions and decisions.

- Strong negotiation, problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills.

- Clear written and verbal communication, with concise and reliable project reporting.

- Ability to manage competing priorities, maintain attention to detail and operate effectively in a fast-paced retail environment.

- Willingness and ability to travel regularly across Hudson markets as required.

What you will bring to the role:

- A degree or professional qualification in Project Management, Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering, Retail Development or a related discipline.

- At least five years’ experience managing retail store openings, refurbishments, fit-outs or comparable multi-site development projects.

- A proven track record of delivering projects across multiple countries, markets or brands.

- Experience working directly with retail operations teams, landlords, consultants, contractors, suppliers and international brand partners.

- Strong proficiency in project planning and reporting tools, together with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.

- PMP, PRINCE2 or an equivalent project management qualification would be considered an advantage.

- Fluency in English is essential; additional languages relevant to Hudson’s markets would be an advantage.