Project Manager

Sanderson Government & Defence; England; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defence contractor in the UK seeks a Project Manager to lead medium-sized projects in various locations including Manchester, Gloucester, or London. This role requires strong project estimation skills, leadership abilities, and excellent communication. The candidate will manage project definitions, schedules, and budgets while ensuring effective collaboration within a diverse team. Professional growth is emphasized through access to resources and support, and the role entails undergoing a level of security clearance.

Benefits

Benefits package

Qualifications

• Strong enthusiasm for collaboration and excellent written/verbal communication.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and transition efficiently.
• Experience managing virtual or distributed project teams.

Responsibilities

• Create and implement project definitions, schedules, and budgets.
• Conduct ongoing project status reviews and identify risks.
• Collaborate with team members to manage project changes.

Skills

Project estimation

Leadership skills

Creative thinking

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration, IT, engineering, or related discipline

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Project Manager

Salary: £50,000 - £60,000 per annum + Benefits
Location: Manchester, Gloucester or London
On-site
You will be subject to undergoing a level of security clearance. Ideally you are a sole British National.

This role operates in a secure, mission-critical environment while supporting a people-first culture that values collaboration, inclusion, and work-life balance. Continuous improvement, innovation, and professional development are strongly encouraged, with access to training, tools, and support to help individuals grow personally and professionally. The organisation values diversity and inclusion and makes hiring decisions based on individual skills and experience. Building strong teams and empowering people are central to delivering outstanding customer experiences and driving modern, efficient operations.

This role offers opportunities for Project Managers at varying skill levels. The Project Manager will lead one or more medium-sized projects with low to moderate complexity and will work as part of a multidisciplinary team. The successful candidate will be highly organised, dynamic, outcome-focused, and possess excellent communication skills.

Role Responsibilities

• Create and implement project definitions, schedules, budgets, and objectives for one or more medium-sized projects of low to moderate complexity.
• Prepare detailed statements of work and obtain agreement and approval from stakeholders on key project elements.
• Participate in delivery assurance reviews to ensure adherence to established project management policies and procedures.
• Assist with project staffing and organise project team members to ensure clear communication around deadlines, assignments, and objectives. Participate in delivery work where appropriate.
• Conduct ongoing reviews of project status, identify potential risks, and recommend and implement approved risk mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with team members and stakeholders to manage changes to technical requirements, business requirements, and project schedules, providing input on adjustments based on project performance.
• Manage client, organisational, and project team expectations by tracking and reporting agreed project metrics, recommending corrective actions or alternative approaches as required.

What You Will Bring to the Team

• Strong enthusiasm for collaboration with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in project estimation and the use of common project management desktop tools.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, including the ability to guide, train, and mentor less experienced team members.
• Creative thinking and strong problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and transition between tasks efficiently.
• Experience working within team-based environments, including managing virtual or distributed project teams.
• Ability to build and maintain both formal and informal professional networks.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Formal certification in a recognised project management framework (e.g. PRINCE2 Practitioner, Managing Successful Programmes, PMP).
• Bachelor's degree in business administration, information technology, engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience working with multiple project management methodologies.
• Proven ability to align project delivery with client vision, business objectives, and critical success factors.
• Familiarity with delivery assurance principles and relevant governance procedures.
• Experience with architecture, development, integration, and deployment phases of projects.
• Strong background in the delivery of business applications.
• Experience managing suppliers and vendors.
• Knowledge of Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence.

Reasonable Adjustments

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.