Project Manager - Defence Engineering

Jonathan Lee Recruitment; Friston; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency is looking for a Project Manager in the defence sector to drive complex engineering projects from inception to completion. You will be responsible for ensuring the projects meet compliance, quality standards, and budget. Ideal candidates will have a strong engineering background, project management experience, and the ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders. The role requires UK security clearance, and applicants should be British Nationals. Apply today to take the next step in your career.

Qualifications

• Candidates must have experience in a similar project management role.
• Familiarity with proven project methodologies is essential.
• Significant practical experience in the defence sector is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the delivery of a portfolio of projects through their life-cycle.
• Ensure compliance and quality standards in project delivery.
• Act as the primary contact for all stakeholders.
• Produce regular progress and management reports.
• Maintain project management documentation and update software.

Skills

Experience in project management

Familiarity with project methodologies

Working in the defence sector

Problem-solving skills

Stakeholder management

Excellent communication skills

Attention to detail

Microsoft Office Suite proficiency

Education

Honours degree or HNC/HND in engineering

Project Management qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Teamwork Project Management

Job description

Project Manager - Defence Sector - Permanent - Attractive – Buckinghamshire

A Project Manager is needed for an established supplier of engineering solutions for the defence sector. They specialise in the design, manufacture and support of control systems, and power systems for defence platforms within the safety critical and harsh environment domain.

The Project Manager will lead a portfolio of complex engineering projects ranging low value projects lasting a few weeks to multimillion pound lasting several years. The Project Manager will be professionally qualified through experience, ideally from an engineering background and hold a degree in an engineering discipline.

The Project Manager will play a crucial role in supporting the front line of the UK's national security, working to help protect the nation by managing projects to design and manufacture equipment for the defence sector.

The Project Manager will be the driving force behind each project, providing direction and clarity of purpose to the project team, managing tasks and milestone delivery, and driving progress and the project pace.

Key Duties for the Project Manager

• Owning the delivery of a portfolio of projects through full life-cycle by applying proactive project management.
• Planning, agreeing, and implementing a project delivery strategy, creating detailed plans to manage resources and tasks.
• Ensure outcomes are compliant, delivered on schedule, on budget and to the required quality standards.
• Being the primary point of contact for all stakeholders, internal and external.
• Ensuring all team members are motivated, and project momentum is maintained.
• Managing projects in line with policies, codes of practice and standards to ensure customer requirements are fully met.
• Ensure that key functions are in place including scopes of work, processes, delivery, reporting and reviews.
• Create and maintain project management documentation including project plans, and Gantt charts, etc.
• Maintain the project scope, identifying any changes to requirements and reporting to commercial team as appropriate.
• Monitoring project progress, audit activity and regularly update project management software.
• Provide all stakeholders with regular updates on progress, risks, budgets, and decisions.
• Produce weekly and monthly management reports as required.
• Provide the board of directors with accurate monthly project update reports for your portfolio.
• Design and manage work packages to ensure project deliverables are submitted to schedule and required standards.

Key Skills/Experience Required for the Project Manager

• Experience in a similar project management role, delivering complex, multi‑stakeholder projects in engineering.
• Familiarity with proven project methodologies but also able to be flexible and to use common sense.
• Significant practical experience and preferably experience of working in the defence sector.
• Ideally experience of managing defence sector customer projects with understanding of business systems and cultures.
• Honours degree or HNC/HND/Project Management qualification in engineering and experience as a project manager.
• Must have good understanding of engineering principles, engineering practices, and related issues.
• Self‑motivated, positive, confident, self‑assured, and highly articulate.
• Able to prioritise tasks, identified required actions and make decisions that balance commercial priorities, technical constraints, and customer needs within a complex and pressured environment.
• Ability to think laterally, solve problems, develop creative solutions, and identify root causes to blockers.
• Strong attention to detail and analytical mind set.
• Abel to promote collaboration – work closely with technical, operational, and commercial teams.
• Able to remain focused and effective under pressure, to multi‑task and deliver work accurately and to schedule.
• Able to build lasting relationships and negotiate best outcomes with stakeholders at every level.
• Excellent stakeholder manager, able to communicate and influence up to Director level.
• Continuously improve to refine how to work, share best practice, and raise the bar for project excellence.
• Expert user of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Experienced using Teamwork Project Management would be a bonus.

Candidates must be British Nationals as full UK Security Clearance (SC) may be required, and this is due to the nature of the Defence products involved

Demand for this role will undoubtedly be high, and interviews will be arranged very soon. If you have the right experience and you want to be considered, please apply today. If you have any questions about the Project Manager role, please contact Peter Heap at Jonathan Lee Recruitment on 01384 446127 or send suitable CV's to [e-mail]

Your CV will be forwarded to Jonathan Lee Recruitment, a leading engineering and manufacturing recruitment consultancy established in 1978. The services advertised by Jonathan Lee Recruitment are those of an Employment Agency.
In order for your CV to be processed effectively, please ensure your name, email address, phone number and location (post code OR town OR county, as a minimum) are included.