Head of Projects

Active Silicon; Slough; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Discretionary bonus

26 days leave

Salary sacrifice pension

Life assurance

Health scheme

EV salary sacrifice

Share options

Job summary

Active Silicon is seeking an experienced Head of Projects to own delivery and establish a PMO, bringing governance and structured processes to a growing engineering business.

You will work closely with Engineering and senior leadership to bring visibility to complex programmes, balancing technical, commercial and operational priorities. The role is hybrid, with a minimum four days on site at Langley, delivering impact and shaping project management capabilities.

Qualifications

• Experience leading cross-functional, multi-project programmes.
• Proven PMO establishment or major governance improvements.
• Strong leadership and senior stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with project budgets, forecasting and financials.
• Knowledge of governance, risk management and delivery controls.
• Familiarity with Agile, Waterfall or hybrid methodologies.
• Experience with MS Project, Jira or Microsoft 365.
• Degree in Engineering, Science or related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Establish and develop the PMO framework, governance and project management standards.
• Take ownership of project planning and delivery from initiation through to completion.
• Lead and support Project Managers and cross-functional project teams.
• Provide clear visibility of project progress, milestones, dependencies, risks and priorities.
• Manage project budgets, forecasting, resources and financial performance.
• Identify and mitigate project risks and delivery challenges.
• Work closely with Engineering and other stakeholders to balance technical, commercial and operational priorities.
• Provide clear project reporting to senior stakeholders.
• Introduce and continuously improve project management methodologies, tools and processes.
• Support the development of project management capability within ERP environment.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

PMO governance

Budgeting & forecasting

Risk management

Agile / Waterfall / hybrid

MS Project / Jira / M365

Stakeholder management

Education

Degree in Engineering or Science

Tools

MS Project

Jira

Microsoft 365

Job description

Build the function. Shape the approach. Make an impact.

Active Silicon is looking for an experienced Head of Projects to take ownership of project delivery across our engineering business and establish a structured Project Management Office (PMO).

This is an opportunity to do more than manage an existing project function. You will have the scope to shape how project management works at Active Silicon, introducing the governance, processes and disciplines that will support the business as it continues to develop.

Working at the heart of a specialist technology organisation, you will bring structure and visibility to complex engineering projects, collaborating closely with Engineering, senior leadership and teams across the business.

Reporting to the Head of Engineering, you will combine strategic thinking with a hands‑on approach to project delivery. This is a full‑time, hybrid role, with a minimum of four days per week on site in Langley.

What you will be doing

• Establish and develop the PMO framework, governance and project management standards
• Take ownership of project planning and delivery from initiation through to completion
• Lead and support Project Managers and cross‑functional project teams
• Provide clear visibility of project progress, milestones, dependencies, risks and priorities
• Manage project budgets, forecasting, resources and financial performance
• Identify and mitigate project risks and delivery challenges
• Work closely with Engineering and other stakeholders to balance technical, commercial and operational priorities
• Provide clear project reporting to senior stakeholders
• Introduce and continuously improve project management methodologies, tools and processes
• Support the development of project management capability within our evolving ERP environment

What we are looking for

• Proven experience leading complex, cross‑functional projects or programmes
• Experience establishing, developing or significantly improving a PMO, project governance framework or project management processes
• Strong leadership and senior stakeholder management skills
• Experience managing project budgets, forecasting, resources and project financials
• Strong understanding of project governance, risk management and delivery controls
• Knowledge of Agile, Waterfall and/or hybrid project methodologies
• Experience using project management tools such as MS Project, Jira or Microsoft 365
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving and communication skills

Experience within an engineering, technology, electronics or similarly technical environment would be particularly valuable.

• Experience with Microsoft Business Central or Dynamics 365 Project Operations
• Degree in Engineering, Science or a related discipline

What we offer

• Competitive salary, dependent on experience
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• 26 days' annual leave plus bank holidays
• Salary sacrifice pension
• Life assurance
• Westfield Health Scheme, including Health Cash Plan, Employee Assistance Programme, gym discounts and wellbeing support
• Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Employee share options

Security Clearance

This role is subject to successful completion of BPSS checks prior to commencement. Due to the nature of our work and future projects, the successful candidate may also be required to obtain Security Check (SC) clearance during their employment.

Interested?

If you are an experienced project leader who enjoys bringing structure to complex technical environments and wants the opportunity to build, influence and shape a project management function, this could be your next challenge.