Defence Contract Project Lead – End-to-End Delivery (6m)

Fortress Recruit Limited; Upton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

Fortress Recruit Limited is seeking a Contract Project Manager Outside IR35 for a 6-month assignment with a well-established defence manufacturing business in Poole. You will lead complex, new-development projects through the full design lifecycle, from late development to qualification and production, in a fast-paced, customer-driven environment.

This hands-on role requires strong change control, strict delivery deadlines, and ownership of budgets and milestones, with regular reports to

Qualifications

• 5+ years' project management experience in a defence/engineering environment.
• Experience delivering complex product development through full design lifecycle.
• Strong change management and configuration control.
• Commercial awareness with customer-facing delivery.
• Autonomous, analytical with proactive mindset.
• Eligibility for SC Clearance (5 years UK residency).

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, execution and closure of assigned projects.
• Own scope, change control in response to customer requirements.
• Manage delivery deadlines and rapid issue resolution.
• Act as primary customer contact and manage expectations.
• Plan, monitor and control project costs and forecasts.
• Prepare regular budget, schedule and milestone reports for stakeholders.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Change management

Cost forecasting

Analytical skills

Autonomous working

Decision making

Education

PRINCE2 Practitioner

APM PMQ

Degree in relevant discipline

Job description

Fortress Recruit Limited is seeking a Contract Project Manager Outside IR35 for a 6-month assignment with a well-established defence manufacturing business in Poole. You will lead complex, new-development projects through the full design lifecycle, from late development to qualification and production, in a fast-paced, customer-driven environment.

This hands-on role requires strong change control, strict delivery deadlines, and ownership of budgets and milestones, with regular reports to