Project Controls Manager

Copello; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A major defence organisation in the UK is seeking a Project Controls Manager who will lead and drive performance on complex programmes that enhance national resilience. In this full-time role based in Corsham or Bristol with hybrid flexibility, you will build a project controls function, ensuring accountability, cost control, and delivering strategic outcomes. Ideal candidates should have strong experience with project controls toolsets and excel in communication, alongside a proactive mindset essential for navigating complexity.

Qualifications

• Strong project controls experience in major programmes.
• Ability to communicate complexity simply.
• Proactive and organized mindset.

Responsibilities

• Build and mentor a high-performing project controls function.
• Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders and suppliers.
• Define and protect the Performance Measurement Baseline.
• Lead detailed scheduling coordination.
• Champion cost control and risk management.

Skills

Experience with project controls toolsets (MSP / P6, RiskHive, SAP / ERP)

Complex programme delivery experience

Communication skills

Planning and scheduling

Change control

Job description

Overview

Project Controls Manager

Location : Corsham or Bristol + Hybrid (1–2 days on-site)

Hours : 37 per week

Contract : Full-time, Permanent

Clearance : British or Dual (incl. British)

Own the Controls. Shape the Mission. Influence the Future.

If you’re a Project Controls Manager who thrives where complexity meets purpose, this is your opportunity to step into a role where your work directly strengthens national resilience. We’re supporting a major defence organisation on programmes that push the boundaries of technology—from advanced communications and secure networks to next-generation intelligence and mission systems.

This isn’t just another controls role. This is where your expertise becomes part of something bigger.

Why this role stands out

You’ll join an environment where precision matters and innovation thrives—a place where your insight isn’t just welcomed, it’s relied on. Your decisions will underpin projects that have genuine, tangible impact on the UK's defence capability.

Expect to work alongside technical leaders, seasoned delivery teams, and specialists across multi-domain platforms—land, sea, air, cyber—bringing clarity, structure, and strategic control to highly complex programmes.

What you’ll lead and deliver

In this role, you will be the guiding force behind project performance—driving truth, accuracy, and accountability across delivery. You will :

• Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing project controls function that sets the benchmark for best practice.
• Become a trusted advisor to stakeholders, partners, and suppliers—ensuring alignment, transparency, and smooth delivery through every phase.
• Define and protect the Performance Measurement Baseline, ensuring scope, schedule, and cost stay tightly integrated and under control.
• Lead and coordinate detailed scheduling, bringing together timelines from internal teams and specialist subcontractors.
• Champion cost control, change governance, risk and opportunity management, and ensure documentation remains complete, clear, and compliant.
• Implement and sustain Earned Value Management, transforming data into decision-ready intelligence that empowers senior leadership.

This is a role where your fingerprints will be on every stage of delivery.

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone who can balance the detail with the bigger picture—an individual who can navigate complexity with confidence and clarity.

You’ll need :

• Strong experience using industry-standard project controls toolsets (MSP / P6, RiskHive, SAP / ERP).
• Proven hands-on delivery experience on complex or major programmes, ideally in technically intensive or highly regulated environments.
• The communication skills to articulate complexity simply and credibly—whether influencing peers, supporting governance boards, or briefing senior stakeholders.
• A deep understanding of planning / scheduling, cost management, risk analysis, EVM, performance management, change control, and configuration control.
• A proactive, organised mindset with the ability to anticipate issues and design elegant, practical solutions.

If you're driven by purpose and motivated by challenge…

This is your chance to step into a role where your capability will truly matter. Join a programme where accuracy, integrity, and professional excellence are not just valued—they’re essential