Project Manager

United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory; Risley; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Annual leave and holidays

Life assurance

Employee assistance program

Gym membership discounts

Job summary

United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) seeks an experienced Project Manager to lead and deliver complex projects within its Project Management Authority. You will coordinate cross-functional teams and drive on-time, on-budget outcomes with rigorous risk and change management.

The role emphasizes governance, reporting, and stakeholder engagement in a fast-moving environment, offering development opportunities and security clearances as needed.

Qualifications

• PM qualification or working towards (APMP, Diploma APMP, IPMA Level D).
• Demonstrable experience in a PM/delivery role.
• Track record delivering small–medium scale projects.
• Proficiency in IT-based reporting and MS Office/Project.
• Experience with financial monitoring & performance tools.
• Experience with different contracting models and commercial risk.

Responsibilities

• Develop scope, proposals and business cases for endorsement at investment committee.
• Gather customer feedback and apply lessons learned.
• Lead stakeholder management with complex stakeholders.
• Provide status, risks and opportunities reports to PMA.
• Deliver tasks to budget and programme.
• Report project spends, actuals, EV, and EAC.
• Manage project risks and change control with PMA Controls.
• Drive continuous improvement via configuration management.

Skills

Project leadership

Stakeholder management

Financial acumen

Risk management

Communication

Change control

Education

APMP / IPMA Level D / Diploma APMP

Tools

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Project

Job description

UKNNL is where your project management helps deliver our purpose. As part of our Project Management Authority, you’ll play a critical role in managing projects that deliver nuclear science to benefit society. Your project management skills and attention to detail will enable industry-leading scientists, engineers and analysts to work together to deliver unique projects using cutting edge technology. It’s a challenging role but it’s an opportunity to grow, adapt and develop new skills in a fast-moving area.

Responsible for the successful delivery of project related work including the establishment of project execution strategies; management of cross-functional project teams, and the safe and secure delivery of projects through the project life cycle, to time, cost, and quality to achieve customer satisfaction.

Main Responsibilities

• Proactive engagement in the development of new scope, requirement proposals and business cases for endorsement at the investment committee.
• Gathering customer feedback and sharing and implementation of learning from experience (LFE).
• Leading on stakeholder management with the ability to deal with complex and multiple stakeholders.
• Provision of task related reporting to the Senior Project Manager as required to provide regular updates on status, risks, opportunities and/or matters for escalation.
• Safe and secure delivery of task / project scope to budget and programme.
• Provision of project financial performance information including projected spends, actuals Vs planned, earned value, and estimate at complete out-turn costs.
• Management of project risks and risk mitigation through liaison with PMA Project Controls function.
• Effective control and management of change within the project.
• Comprehensive configuration management and a desire to drive continuous improvement.
• Manage the interface with customers with respect to matters relating to the delivery of contracted work, ensuring that there are agreed communications and reporting methodologies in place.

Ideal Candidate

Essential Criteria for Project Manager:

• Project Management professional qualification (e.g., APMP, Diploma APMP, IPMA Level D) or working towards.
• Demonstrable experience in a Project Management/delivery role (ideally as a Project Manager).
• Demonstrable track record of successfully leading and delivering small-medium scale / reasonably complex projects.
• Ability to use typical IT based project reporting; planning and tracking software packages, e.g. Microsoft Office / Project.
• Demonstrable financial acumen and experience of using financial monitoring & performance tools / processes.
• Experience of different contracting models, involving the management of commercial risks.

Desirable Criteria for Project Manager:

• Experience of managing resources and allocating work.
• Inputting into the bid / sales process (for new work) as required and assisting (when requested) in the preparation and coordination of NNL fee proposals and submissions.
• Member of APM

Skills and Behaviours for Project Manager:

• Excellent interpersonal skills and able to work independently as well as part of an effective team.
• Ability to demonstrate initiative and a proactive approach to daily tasks.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills – articulate and diplomatic manner.
• Able to work to tight deadlines.
• Resilient to coping with conflicting demands, able to prioritise duties and work under pressure.
• Ability to think analytically with some level of commercial / financial awareness.
• Self-motivated and able to take responsibility.
• Ability to obtain SC level security clearance (this includes but is not limited to identity, employment, financial and criminal record checks plus 5 years’ worth of UK residency).

Why join us?

UKNNL isn’t just a place where you can do career-defining work that makes a real-world impact. It’s also a place where you’ll feel appreciated and valued. We’re creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is free to be themselves and feel like they belong. We put your wellbeing first, we push you to reach your potential, and we do everything possible to help you feel safe, supported and inspired.

We also offer a range of employee benefits:

• Sector leading Family-Focused Policies: celebrate life events, including enhanced maternity and paternity leave and a week off for your marriage.
• UKNNL offers attractive pension plans. If you contribute 5%, UKNNL contributes 15%. Alternatively, if you choose not to contribute (0%), UKNNL will still contribute 10%.
• Annual Leave: Benefit from 25.5 days of leave, plus 4 extra days to be taken during Christmas shutdown, plus Bank Holidays.
• Reduced gym membership with discounts of up to 25% from 3,700 gym and leisure providers across the UK
• Company Bonus: Be rewarded for your contributions.
• Learning Opportunities: Enhance your skills through excellent development programmes.
• Employee Assistance: Access support for personal and professional challenges.
• Cycle to Work: Stay active and eco-friendly.
• Life Assurance: Ensure peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
• Enhanced Sick Pay Benefits: Receive support during illness or injury.
• Access to ‘Mydiscounts’ which has a range of special offers and discounts from more than 200 suppliers, including medical insurance and dental insurance.
• Health Care: Health savings plan which allows you to claim money back on visits to the dentist, optician and/or physiotherapist (limits apply).

About The Company

UKNNL is an incredible place to work. A place where people do things that have never been done before. A place where people push boundaries to further themselves, the business and society as a whole.

This is a place where personal and professional opportunities are limitless. If you want to change the world, if you want to tackle climate change, if you want to help advance medical science, if you want to help put things in space, if you want to answer the big questions, if you want to work with extraordinary materials, if you want to meet great people, learn new skills, challenge yourself, work flexibly, and build a long successful career with the power to make a real impact… you can do it all here.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

UKNNL has a vision for Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (ED&I) where UKNNL aims to be an inclusive workplace that attracts diverse talent through transparent and equal policies and procedures, providing reasonable adjustments as appropriate. We want you and the diverse mix of people that we employ, customers that we service and stakeholders that we influence to feel valued. We encourage a workplace culture where everyone can thrive with a sense of belonging and the ability to access to workplace in a way which works for you.