Engineering Project Manager - Contract

Volantes Technical Recruitment Ltd; Poole; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Volantes Technical Recruitment Ltd is seeking an experienced Engineering Project Manager to own end-to-end aircraft base maintenance inputs, including major checks, structural inspections, and modifications. You will lead multidisciplinary teams to deliver work packages within scope, time, cost and quality, ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.

The role requires hands-on MS Project expertise, governance discipline, and the ability to manage complex schedules and dependencies across

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing significant aircraft inputs, heavy checks or major modifications in a live MRO environment.
• Hands-on, advanced Microsoft Project capability with baselines, dependencies and critical-path analysis.
• Ability to control scope, time, cost, resources and risks with clear accountability.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams including engineering, planning, quality and supply chain.
• UK security clearance (SC) or ability to obtain it is essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering projects from initiation through delivery, acceptance, transition and closure.
• Define scope, objectives and acceptance criteria with sponsors and customers.
• Set up governance, reporting and decision forums with timely escalation.
• Build and maintain an integrated base-maintenance schedule in MS Project.

Skills

MS Project proficient

Leadership & governance

Cost, scope & resource control

Multidisciplinary team leadership

UK CAA/MAA/EASA regulatory familiarity

Airworthiness & safety focus

Education

Engineering degree or equivalent aviation experience

Tools

Microsoft Project

Job description

Volantes Technical Recruitment is looking for an experienced Engineering Project Manager to take end-to-end ownership of significant aircraft base maintenance inputs – major scheduled checks, structural inspections, modifications, repairs and return-to-service activity.

You’ll lead multidisciplinary teams to deliver the approved work package to scope, turnaround time, cost and quality, without ever compromising safety, airworthiness or regulatory compliance. This is a hands‑on delivery role for someone who lives in Microsoft Project: building, baselining, resourcing and controlling integrated maintenance schedules and driving the critical path day to day.

Key Information

Role:Engineering Project Manager

Sector:Aircraft Base Maintenance | MRO | UK Civil & Military Regulated

Reports to:Engineering Delivery Manager

Dotted line to:Chief Engineer

Works closely with:Maintenance Planners

Direct reports:None

Security:Must be able to obtain and maintain SC clearance

What You’ll Be Doing

Project Leadership & Governance

• Lead engineering projects from initiation and definition through delivery, acceptance, transition and closure.
• Define and control scope, objectives, deliverables and acceptance criteria in agreement with sponsors and customers.
• Set up proportionate governance, reporting routines and decision forums, with clear accountability and timely escalation.
• Build and maintain an integrated base‑maintenance schedule in Microsoft Project – WBS, task logic, milestones, access and inspection sequences, resources, material and tooling dependencies, customer decision points, testing and return‑to‑service requirements.

Delivery Planning & Control

• Own performance against scope, turnaround time, cost, quality, technical and safety baselines – spot variance early and drive recovery.
• Manage dependencies, constraints, resources, baselines, progress, float and the critical path in MS Project, producing reliable updates and recovery scenarios.
• Confirm work‑package readiness before aircraft input: task cards, engineering instructions, manpower, hangar capacity, tooling, materials, components and technical data.
• Control the input from induction and access through inspection, rectification, modification, reassembly, functional test, records completion, release and return to service.
• Rapidly assess emergent findings and additional work for technical, material, resource, cost and schedule impact, and integrate approved work into the plan.
• Manage risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies with clear owners, dates, mitigations and escalation routes.
• Run effective change control, assessing impact on airworthiness, scope, TAT, resources, cost and contractual commitments.
• Keep accurate project records, daily progress data, forecasts and decisions in the relevant maintenance and project‑control systems.

Stakeholder, Commercial & Supplier Management

• Act as the primary project point of contact, giving clear, evidence‑based progress reporting to customers, sponsors and senior leadership.
• Lead project reviews and cross‑functional meetings, aligning engineering, operations, quality, safety, finance, procurement and supply chain.
• Support commercial and contractual management – estimates, business cases, statements of work, supplier deliverables and acceptance of outputs.
• Monitor supplier and subcontractor performance so external dependencies stay aligned with the integrated plan.

Safety, Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure delivery complies with UK CAA, UK MAA and EASA requirements, the organisation's exposition, quality system and SMS.
• Make sure project decisions never compromise airworthiness, safety, security or quality, and report potential unsafe conditions promptly.
• Drive timely closure of audit findings, non‑conformances and investigation actions using sound root‑cause and corrective‑action methods.
• Lead lessons‑learned reviews and embed lasting improvements in project delivery.

Key Deliverables

• Significant base‑maintenance inputs delivered safely to contracted scope, planned TAT, budget and quality standard.
• A logic‑linked, resource‑informed, baselined MS Project schedule with a credible critical path, daily progress position and forecast return‑to‑service date.
• Completed aircraft‑input readiness reviews with work package, facilities, manpower, tooling, material and technical data confirmed.
• Emergent findings and additional work controlled through timely assessment, customer approval, schedule integration and cost visibility.
• Clear daily and weekly reporting on progress, critical‑path threats, resource constraints, risks, decisions and recovery actions.

What You’ll Need

Experience & Qualifications

• Proven experience project managing significant aircraft inputs, heavy checks, major modifications or comparable complex MRO activity. (Essential)
• Advanced, hands‑on Microsoft Project capability – logic‑linked schedules, baselines, dependencies, resources, progress updates, critical‑path analysis, variance reporting and recovery planning. (Essential)
• Demonstrable control of work scope, TAT, cost, resources, material and tooling dependencies, risks, findings and change. (Essential)
• Experience leading multidisciplinary maintenance, engineering, planning, quality and supply‑chain teams in a live aircraft‑input environment. (Essential)
• Relevant aircraft maintenance, engineering or technical qualification, or equivalent substantial aviation experience. (Essential)
• Able to obtain and maintain SC‑level security clearance. (Essential)
• Recognised PM qualification (APM PMQ, PRINCE2 Practitioner or PMP), or willingness to attain one. (Advantageous)
• Working knowledge of UK CAA, UK MAA or EASA maintenance regulations, SMS and quality‑management principles. (Advantageous)
• Commercial awareness – estimates, budgets, quotations, additional‑work approval, procurement or contract management. (Advantageous)

Personal Skills & Attributes

• Strong leadership, ownership and sound judgement in complex, time‑critical situations.
• Excellent communication, influencing, negotiation and presentation skills with technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Analytical and commercially aware – uses performance data to make timely decisions.
• Highly organised and resilient, comfortable with competing priorities and ambiguity.
• Collaborative, building effective relationships across organisational and contractual boundaries.
• Highly proficient in MS Project; competent in MS Office, maintenance information systems and project‑control tools.