Maritime Autonomy TPM | Delivery & Certification

Stark Defence; Swindon; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

STARK is a defence technology company developing unmanned systems and Marine autonomy solutions. We are seeking a Technical Project Manager focused on Maritime Autonomy to drive maritime autonomy initiatives, ensuring delivery of USV capabilities on time and on budget.

You will report to the Head of Technical Project Management and own the certification, regulatory compliance cycle, and maritime safety standards for autonomous marine systems, coordinating with UK & Germany teams.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5+ years of experience in technical project management, systems engineering, or project leadership.
• Experience in deep-tech, defense, aerospace, marine engineering, or hardware–software integration environments.
• Proven track record of managing projects under rigorous safety-critical certification and compliance standards (e.g., ISO 26262, IEC 61508, DO-178C, or maritime classification society rules) following the V&V delivery model.
• High proficiency in Jira, Confluence, and advanced planning tools.
• Crisp, structured communication style with the ability to distill complex technical constraints into clear plans and executive summaries.
• Urgency-driven, execution-focused mindset with a strong sense of personal ownership.

Responsibilities

• Maritime Project Execution: Manage the lifecycle of maritime autonomy R&D projects, coordinating cross-functional efforts across software developers, embedded hardware teams, control systems, and Sea trials engineers across the UK & Germany.
• Autonomy Certification: Take ownership of the compliance and certification cycle within delivery for autonomous marine systems, coordinating with our Compliance Manager to align delivery with classification and national maritime regulatory bodies.
• Hardware/Software Integration: Lead project planning to synchronize software releases with physical construction & integrations on prototype vessels.
• Schedule & Risk Management: Establish detailed timelines, work breakdown structures, milestones, resource allocation profiles, and risk-mitigation strategies to deliver features on target.
• Stakeholder Visibility: Implement dashboards and reporting systems using Jira/Confluence to provide leadership with visibility into project velocity, roadblocks, and delivery status.

Skills

Project management

Systems engineering

Leadership

Stakeholder communication

Risk management

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

STARK is a defence technology company developing unmanned systems and Marine autonomy solutions. We are seeking a Technical Project Manager focused on Maritime Autonomy to drive maritime autonomy initiatives, ensuring delivery of USV capabilities on time and on budget.

You will report to the Head of Technical Project Management and own the certification, regulatory compliance cycle, and maritime safety standards for autonomous marine systems, coordinating with UK & Germany teams.