Project Manager - Speculative Talent Pipeline

Rowden; Filton; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Disability Confident Committed

Job summary

Rowden, headquartered in Bristol, is seeking a Project Manager to keep complex, mission-critical national security projects moving on time and within budget. This hands-on role coordinates delivery, manages stakeholders, and resolves issues to maintain progress and quality.

You will work in a flexible, hybrid environment, developing plans, tracking KPIs, and ensuring alignment with regulatory standards while building strong cross-functional partnerships across internal teams and suppliers.

Qualifications

• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver strategic initiatives within a small/medium business.
• Strong analytical thinking and ability to build compelling business cases.
• Proven ability to lead and facilitate discussions in small and large groups.
• Experience in executive level communication and presentations.
• Experience identifying and planning for project risks, resolution steps and escalation needs.
• Experience in regulated environments would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Focus on delivering an exceptional stakeholder experience.
• Ensure outputs are delivered on time and within scope by championing change management.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
• Facilitate strategic discussions with internal and external stakeholders.
• Capture and maintain project documentation.
• Develop creative solutions with internal and external suppliers.
• Manage project finances, including forecasting and budgeting.
• Document and communicate risks, issues, actions, decisions, and lessons.
• Define and review project metrics and KPIs.
• Establish a communication schedule to update stakeholders on progress.
• Ensure clear roles and responsibilities within the project team.
• Review the quality of work to meet customer and Rowden standards.
• Nurture cross-functional relationships with key stakeholders and partners.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Executive communication

Risk planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

We’re building the UK's next generation engineering powerhouse, providing critical technology that strengthens national security and resilience.

We specialise in turning advances in sensing, AI, and communications into operational capability for the edge, where connectivity may be degraded or denied. Our work focuses on accelerating the deployment of technology, improving decision-making for frontline teams, and protecting people and critical assets in demanding environments.

Headquartered in Bristol, Rowden employs around 200 people and operates over 20,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing facilities. We have a growing international footprint and are one of Europe’s fastest-growing engineering businesses.

About The Opportunity

Due to increased demand, we’re building a pipeline for passionate and delivery focused Project Management professionals at all levels who are interested in joining our growing team.

We are looking for Project Managers who can keep complex, mission-critical national security projects moving - on time, on budget, and to the standard our customers deserve. This is a hands‑on role, to coordinate delivery, manage stakeholders, and address problems before they slow progress.

Rowden is built on a track record of delivering some of the most complex systems integration programmes in our sector. That record rests on clear standards: a relentless focus on user experience and outcomes, a commitment to delivery at pace, and trust earned through consistency and transparency.

Our customers operate in high‑consequence environments, so reliability, pace, and clarity are essential. You’ll ensure they experience all three through disciplined planning, transparent communication, and the ability to adapt when the situation changes.

Candidates must be eligible for SC clearance.

More information about security clearance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Key areas of responsibility

As a Project Manager at Rowden, you will be responsible for:

• Focusing on ensuring an exceptional stakeholder experience.
• Ensuring project outputs are delivered on time and within scope by championing change management.
• Ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
• Facilitating strategic discussions with internal and external stakeholders.
• Capturing and maintaining project documentation.
• Developing creative solutions with internal and external suppliers.
• Managing project finances, including forecasting and budgeting.
• Documenting and communicating risks, issues, actions, decisions, and lessons.
• Defining and reviewing project metrics and KPIs.
• Establishing a communication schedule to update stakeholders on project progress.
• Ensuring clear roles and responsibilities within the project team.
• Regularly reviewing the quality of work to meet customer and Rowden standards.
• Nurturing cross-functional relationships with key stakeholders and business partners.

Who We’re Looking For

About

We’re keen to hear from people who are passionate about what they do and actively invest in their technical skills and abilities. You will be constantly learning and developing in this role, but some key skills and experience you should have already include:

• Demonstratable experience managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Proven experience developing and delivering strategic initiatives within a small / medium sized business.
• Strong analytical thinking, and approaches to build compelling and persuasive business cases.
• Proven ability to lead and facilitate discussions in small and large groups.
• Experience with executive level communication and presentations.
• Experience in proactively identifying and planning for project risks, resolution steps and escalation needs.
• Experience in managing projects and delivering outcomes within a regulated environment or industry would be advantageous.

About You

Role

You will be dynamic and proactive with a passion for engineering and technology, capable of delivering projects successfully and building strong, lasting relationships. We believe the following behavioural competencies are key to success in this role:

• Excellent organisational skills.
• Work well with others and exhibit strong interpersonal skills.
• You take initiative and can make decisions under pressure by asking the right questions upfront.
• Building trust and maintaining productive relationships across varied interests.
• Remaining effective when priorities, requirements, or circumstances change.
• Handling disagreements constructively to preserve team cohesion.
• Expressing ideas clearly to stakeholders, senior leaders, and team members.
• Approaching challenges with pragmatic and creative thinking.

Working at Rowden

We are committed to building a flexible, inclusive, and enabling company. Our aim is to create a diverse team of talented people with unique skills, experience, and backgrounds, so please apply and come as you are! We also recognise the importance of flexible working and support this wherever we can. We typically operate a flexible, hybrid-working model, with an average 3 days in the office each week (dependent on the role). We welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility, part-time working requirements and/or workplace adjustments with all our applicants. Rowden is a Disability Confident Committed company, and we actively encourage people with disabilities and health conditions to apply for our roles. Please let us know your requirements early on so that we can make sure you have everything you need up front to help make the recruitment process and experience as easy as possible. Finally, if you feel that you don’t meet all the criteria included above but have transferable skills and relevant experience, we’d still love to hear from you!