Project Manager (Satellite Mission Delivery)

The Challenge (Outcomes)

This is what the first 12 months looks like if you are doing this job well:

• Milestone delivery: You take projects through SRR, PDR, CDR, MRR and FRR to launch on the dates we committed to, with the evidence package complete at each gate.
• One integrated schedule: Every project has a single clear schedule broken down by team and communicated widely and effectively.
• Cross-functional delivery: You run the interfaces between software, mechanical, AIT and operations. Dependencies are resolved by you where possible or escalated to the leadership team when required.
• Partner management: Where delivery depends on other partner organisations, they are included and aware of the schedule, engaged with regularly and cross organisational dependencies and risks are raised and monitored on a regular basis.
• Client and agency interface: You are the primary delivery contact for commercial customers, national agencies and government projects. Plans and schedule are made clear to them and when challenges need to be raised, they are raised and resolved by you with support of the leadership team where required.
• Risks, decisions and change control: A live risk register with owners and mitigations, decisions are clearly logged and used as a reference by the rest of the team effectively to reduce repetition or unnecessary escalation, a change process is in place that protects both schedule and margin and is flagged to client and partners when required.

Who We Are Looking For

We are less interested in your specific degree and more interested in your behaviours and track record.

• You are technically credible: You don’t need to be able to design a spacecraft, but you follow the engineering and before long can challenge an estimate, and tell a real constraint from an optimistic assumption.
• You have an overview of the whole system: You see where mechanical, electrical, software and RF work meets, and can identify schedule risks early.
• You surface problems early: You ensure leadership is aware of any upcoming challenges and risks and come to them with a proposed mitigation as early as possible.
• You are calm in front of customers: With an agency or customer in the room you are clear on status, honest about risk, and are able to develop a positive and constructive relationship with them, ensuring they have clarity and assurance over project delivery.
• You have a just do it attitude: Actions, open issues and partner & client commitments get closed within days where possible and you chase them to a conclusion where needed.

How We Think About AI

Much of project and programme management can be accelerated with AI: review packs, progress reports, compliance matrices, cross-checking requirements against agency standards. You don’t need an AI background, you just need to be curious and open minded about how AI can support us in increasing efficiency and effectiveness across project delivery.

Qualifications

• Proven track record managing complex projects through a formal review lifecycle, from requirements to delivery and acceptance.
• A degree or equivalent experience in engineering or a STEM discipline, enough to get up to speed quickly on our technology and the interfaces between teams.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and managing external partners against a statement of work and timeline.
• Confident client-facing with commercial customers and government or agency stakeholders, including formal reporting and review.
• Fluent with scheduling, risk management and change control. Eligible to work in the UK and willing to undergo UK security clearance where a project requires it.

Space, defence or other high-reliability hardware experience is an advantage, as is familiarity with ESA, UKSA or NASA standards. Neither is essential if you are able to demonstrate strength in other areas.

What We Offer

• Autonomy: We invest in our staff and give significant autonomy. We want you to own this role, not just execute orders.
• Impact: You are not a cog in a machine. You are delivering missions that will fly in space.
• Insight and Experience: into an exciting and rapidly developing field of space engineering and technology
• Culture and benefits: A collaborative, high-trust environment where performance is celebrated. 33 days annual leave (inc. bank holidays) and professional development opportunities.

#J-18808-Ljbffr…