Senior Project Manager – Defence & Advanced Engineering - Bedfordshire - 6 Month Contract (Outside IR35)

Senior Project Manager – Defence & Advanced Engineering - Bedfordshire - 6 Month Contract (Outside IR35)

Posted Today by EVEREC

Negotiable
Outside
Undetermined
Central Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom

Summary: The Senior Project Manager role focuses on overseeing complex engineering and defence-related projects within a rapidly growing engineering business in Bedfordshire. The position requires managing full project lifecycles, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, and ensuring compliance with technical and quality standards. Candidates should possess strong experience in delivering hardware, software, or systems integration projects, particularly in regulated environments. This role offers the opportunity to work on innovative engineering programmes and contribute to the company's growth.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Lead and manage the delivery of complex engineering and product development projects
  • Manage full project lifecycles including planning, scheduling, budgeting, risk management and reporting
  • Coordinate cross-functional teams across engineering, procurement, manufacturing, integration and testing
  • Develop and maintain project schedules, resource plans and cost forecasts
  • Ensure projects are delivered in line with technical, quality, safety and commercial requirements
  • Manage project risks, issues, dependencies and mitigation plans
  • Provide regular project reporting and stakeholder updates to senior leadership and customers
  • Support change control processes and project governance activities
  • Drive continuous improvement across project delivery processes and operational performance
  • Build strong working relationships with internal teams, suppliers and external stakeholders
  • Support programme delivery within secure and highly regulated environments

Key Skills:

  • Proven experience delivering engineering, technical or product development projects
  • Strong project management and programme delivery capability within complex technical environments
  • Experience managing hardware, software or systems integration projects
  • Background within defence, aerospace, aviation, autonomous systems or advanced engineering sectors
  • Strong commercial awareness and stakeholder management capability
  • Experience managing project schedules, budgets, reporting and risk mitigation
  • Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary technical and operational teams
  • Strong communication, leadership and problem-solving skills
  • Comfortable operating within fast-paced and evolving engineering environments
  • Full UK Driving Licence

Salary (Rate): undetermined

City: Central Bedfordshire

Country: United Kingdom

Working Arrangements: undetermined

IR35 Status: outside IR35

Seniority Level: undetermined

Industry: Defence

Detailed Description From Employer:

Senior Project Manager – Defence & Advanced Engineering - Bedfordshire - 6 Month Contract (Outside IR35)

Role: Senior Project Manager

Industry: Defence

Contract: 6 Months (Outside IR35)

Rate: £DOE

*Required SC Clearance

Overview

We are supporting an innovative and rapidly growing engineering business operating at the forefront of advanced propulsion, aerospace, autonomous systems and next-generation flight technologies. The company is delivering cutting-edge engineering solutions across highly complex technical environments, spanning research & development, product development, systems integration, testing and operational deployment. Due to continued growth and new programme wins, they are now looking to appoint an experienced Senior Project Manager to support the successful delivery of high-profile engineering and defence-related projects. This role would suit someone with strong experience delivering complex hardware, software or systems integration programmes within aerospace, defence, autonomous systems or highly regulated engineering environments.

The Role

As Senior Project Manager, you will take ownership of a portfolio of technical engineering programmes, managing full project lifecycles from concept through to delivery, testing and project close-out. You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering, production, procurement and technical teams to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget and to the required quality and compliance standards. The position requires a highly organised and commercially aware project leader who is comfortable operating within fast-paced, evolving engineering environments and managing multiple stakeholders across technical and operational functions.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead and manage the delivery of complex engineering and product development projects
  • Manage full project lifecycles including planning, scheduling, budgeting, risk management and reporting
  • Coordinate cross-functional teams across engineering, procurement, manufacturing, integration and testing
  • Develop and maintain project schedules, resource plans and cost forecasts
  • Ensure projects are delivered in line with technical, quality, safety and commercial requirements
  • Manage project risks, issues, dependencies and mitigation plans
  • Provide regular project reporting and stakeholder updates to senior leadership and customers
  • Support change control processes and project governance activities
  • Drive continuous improvement across project delivery processes and operational performance
  • Build strong working relationships with internal teams, suppliers and external stakeholders
  • Support programme delivery within secure and highly regulated environments

Requirements

Proven experience delivering engineering, technical or product development projects

Strong project management and programme delivery capability within complex technical environments

Experience managing hardware, software or systems integration projects

Background within defence, aerospace, aviation, autonomous systems or advanced engineering sectors

Strong commercial awareness and stakeholder management capability

Experience managing project schedules, budgets, reporting and risk mitigation

Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary technical and operational teams

Strong communication, leadership and problem-solving skills

Comfortable operating within fast-paced and evolving engineering environments

Full UK Driving Licence

Desirable Experience

Security clearance (SC or DV)

Experience within UAV, drone or propulsion systems environments

Aerospace or flight operations exposure

Knowledge of defence programme delivery and regulated engineering environments

Formal project management qualifications such as PRINCE2, PMP or APM

Package

Competitive rate DOE

Opportunity to work on highly innovative engineering programmes

Long-term growth potential within a rapidly scaling organisation

Exposure to cutting-edge aerospace and autonomous systems technologies

Collaborative and technically advanced working environment

If this is of interest please apply on LinkedIn or email george.taylor@everec.co.uk