Project Manager - Strategic Ops

Smedley Group; Bicester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A fast-scaling motorsport company based in the UK is seeking a Project Manager to drive strategic initiatives and manage complex projects. This role requires a blend of project leadership and stakeholder management skills, ensuring effective collaboration across the organization. Ideal candidates will have 3–5 years of relevant experience and a degree from a top university. Join us to influence growth in the motorsport industry.

Benefits

Opportunity to shape the future of motorsport

Work with a passionate and innovative team

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in consulting, operations, project delivery, or a fast-moving startup.
• Strong emotional intelligence and clear communication skills.
• High-output, highly organised, and adept at prioritisation.

Responsibilities

• Own and scale high-impact projects to influence business growth.
• Develop project governance structures and standard operating procedures.
• Support junior project managers through mentorship.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Problem-solving

Education

Degree from a top university

Job description

About FAT Karting League

At FAT Karting League, our mission is to achieve mass participation in motorsport by radically reducing the barriers to entry. As we scale internationally, we are seeking a highly capable and sharp Project Manager to drive strategic projects, codify our rollout handbook, and support to embed a culture of project discipline across the organisation.

This is a key role at the heart of our operations, directly supporting strategic growth and enhancing coordination across our hubs, events, and internal teams. You'll work to deliver high-impact cross-functional projects, and help us build scalable systems that drive growth and efficiency.

Role Summary

FAT Karting League isn’t a typical motorsport business—and this isn’t a typical project manager role. We’re scaling internationally at pace, and we need someone who can think like an operator, take ownership like a founder, and execute like a world-class PM.

If you love driving clarity in chaos, building scalable systems from scratch, and making decisions that move the business forward, this is your role. You’ll be a core part of our operational brain, working directly with senior leadership, shaping how we grow, and solving the biggest challenges in grassroots motorsport.

We don’t have everything figured out and that’s exactly why this role matters. You'll have the autonomy to build, test, and iterate. This about problem-solving, decision-making and creating clarity in chaos.

As Project Manager – Strategic Ops, you will lead the planning and delivery of high-impact projects across multiple business units. You will take ownership of cross-functional workstreams and support the Head of Operation and Deployment in driving strategic execution and operational excellence. You will also play a key role in developing scalable systems, codifying best practices, and mentoring junior project team members.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Own and scale high-impact projects that directly influence business growth.

Codify what “great” looks like across hubs, and build the toolkit that powers our international rollout.

Work across commercial, logistics, and ops teams to bring cross-functional alignment to complex delivery challenges.

• Project Leadership

  • Lead the delivery of complex projects, including global subsidiaries, strategic business operations, and commercial initiatives.

  • Build and maintain detailed project plans, timelines, budgets, risk logs, and task trackers.

  • Ensure projects remain on track through proactive problem-solving, escalation management, and stakeholder accountability.

• Strategic Support

  • Develop and improve project governance structures, documentation, and standard operating procedures to help shape how we scale.

  • Drive alignment across departments by embedding project management principles into everyday workflows.

• Stakeholder & Supplier Management

  • Hold stakeholders accountable for deliverables and ensure effective collaboration across functions.

  • Support the procurement function and liaise with external suppliers, vendors, and key partners on project delivery.

• Performance & Reporting

  • Monitor project KPIs and report progress to senior leadership through dashboards and written updates.

  • Identify and implement opportunities for continuous improvement in project delivery.

• Team Leadership & Mentoring

  • Support junior project managers, offering mentorship and best practice guidance.

  • Lead by example in reinforcing a proactive, detail-oriented, and solutions-focused team culture.

Ready to drive change in motorsport?

We’re building a new kind of motorsport business—fast, accessible, and radically different. If you’re the kind of person who sees complexity and gets excited, who knows when to colour outside the lines, and who wants to do the best work of their career building something with global scale—then this is your seat at the table.

Apply now. Let’s build it right.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a disruptive force in the motorsport industry

• Shape the future of an ambitious and fast-scaling international business

• Make a tangible impact across both strategic and day-to-day activities

• Work with a passionate and driven team committed to innovation and accessibility

Who are you?

• You’ve got 3–5 years of relevant experience in consulting, operations, project delivery, or a fast-moving startup.

• You’ve got a degree from a top university.

• You’re commercially aware - understand how business works, think in terms of trade-offs, and can work by the ethos of doing more with less.

• You’ve got strong emotional intelligence and can collaborate well, communicate clearly, and build trust quickly.

• You’re high-output and highly organised and know how to prioritise, get things done, and bring others with you.