Senior Project Manager (Defence)

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Project Manager to lead a complex engineering project within the defence industry.

This role requires expertise in project management, stakeholder engagement, and a proven ability to lead bid writing and proposal development processes to secure business opportunities.

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in ensuring the project delivers against the time, budget, and to the highest standards, contributing to the organisation's strategic growth and operational success.

Requirements

• Project Delivery: Lead the end-to-end management of large-scale projects, ensuring all deliverables meet schedule, budget, and quality targets.
• Bid Writing and Proposal Development: Take a leading role in creating and submitting compelling, high-quality bids that align with customer requirements and organisational objectives.
• Risk and Issue Management: Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate project risks, ensuring issues are addressed promptly to minimise impact.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal teams, customers, suppliers, and other key stakeholders.
• Budget and Financial Management: Oversee project budgets, track financial performance, and deliver cost-effective results.
• Compliance and Governance: Ensure projects adhere to regulatory, legal, and organisational standards, with a strong focus on the defence sector’s specific requirements.
• Team Leadership: Lead multidisciplinary teams across multiple locations, fostering collaboration, accountability, and performance excellence.
• Strategic Contribution: Ensure projects align with organisational objectives, contributing to overall growth and innovation within the defence industry.

• Bid Writing Expertise: Proven experience leading the creation of winning bids and proposals, ideally for high-value defence or government contracts.
• Project Management Excellence: Extensive experience delivering complex projects in a high-technology or regulated industry such as defence, aerospace, or engineering.
• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional ability to manage and influence internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Risk and Problem-Solving Skills: Expertise in identifying risks, resolving challenges, and driving successful outcomes.
• Defence Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with procurement processes, MOD standards, and relevant defence regulations is highly desirable.
• Leadership and Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to inspire, lead, and manage cross-functional teams in a matrix environment.
• Technical Insight: Strong understanding of complex systems engineering and technical project delivery.

• Degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Engineering, Business, Project Management) or equivalent experience.
• Recognised project management certification (e.g., PRINCE2, APMP, PMI PMP).
• Extensive experience in bid writing and project management within the defence or related industries.
• Proficiency in Primavera P6; experience with MS Project, Excel, or other scheduling software is a plus.
• Eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC).

• A genuinely agile and flexible employer.
• A competitive salary.
• Potential to earn annual bonus.
• 25 days annual leave reaching up to 28 days after 3 calendar years’ service, plus 8 bank holidays per year.
• Pension contribution matching up to 8%, so total 16% of pay to pension.
• Company sick pay after qualification period.
• Access to a staff discount scheme at retailers nationally.
• Hybrid Working.
• Flexible Working Week.