Senior Project Engineering Manager

Matchtech Group; Fareham; On-site; GBP 86,000 - 117,000; Full time

Job summary

NATS is seeking a Senior Project Engineering Manager (Work Package Management) for an initial 12-month contract. The role involves leading technical delivery of high-profile work packages within critical infrastructure, coordinating resources, and managing internal and external stakeholders across multiple sites.

You will oversee multidisciplinary teams, maintain delivery plans, and ensure risk and cost controls while driving effective governance and best-practice engineering ethics.

Qualifications

• HNC or Bachelor's in Engineering/Technology or equivalent.
• Experience delivering complex projects in a safety-related sector.
• Ability to plan, organise and make independent decisions.
• Strong stakeholder communication across technical and senior levels.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver scope of work for one or multiple work packages.
• Lead technical delivery plans and ensure adherence to policies and processes.
• Manage multi-site multidisciplinary teams and external suppliers.
• Provide regular updates to management on scope, risk and delivery.
• Proactively identify issues and drive resolutions with stakeholders.

Skills

Systems engineering

Leadership

Technical delivery

Stakeholder management

Safety sector

Education

Engineering degree

Engineering qualification

Job description

Senior Project Engineering Manager (Work Package Management)

Initial 12-month contract

2-3 days onsite in Whiteley per week (some travel to Swanick and Prestwick)

£550pd, UMB inside IR35

SC required, can start on BPSS

1. Purpose of the Job

Lead the technical delivery of one high profile or multiple complex work packages for Critical National Infrastructure in the Air Traffic Management domain. This encompasses a range of technologies, software applications, and hardware infrastructure used for managing and controlling air traffic, utilising advanced technologies such as virtualised platforms, machine learning, Artificial Intelligence. These systems handle tasks such as flight planning, communication, surveillance, navigation, managing Unmanned Air Systems, and weather information dissemination
Co-ordinate the technical alignment and resource management for several work packages

2. Principal Accountabilities

Apply systems engineering principles to define, plan and deliver the scope of activities within high profile or multiple complex work packages of a project, to achieve the required outcomes.
Accountable for the quality and alignment of the outputs of assigned work packages
Technical point of contact for internal and external stakeholders.
Accountable to the senior engineering lead for the technical delivery of the work packages managed by the job holder and the work packages within their project(s)

3. Dimensions

The job holder will task manage a combined volume of work packages of up to 20 FTEs pa (equivalent to up to £2m pa of internal labour) plus technical management of up to £2m of external capital spend
Note that the figures above are per annum - over the duration of a Regulatory Period (5 years), this role has indirect control of project spend typically in the region of up to £20m

4. Autonomy

Ability to work autonomously
The job holder will tailor and agree delivery processes to suit the complexity of the scope of work
The job holder will be accountable that technical delivery plans for the scope of work are following agreed policies and processes,
Provide assurance of the content of plans and work packages to project and programme managers and business stakeholders

5. Job Scope

Responsible for managing and executing the scope of work, defining the activities for one or multiple work packages across one or multiple project(s)
Ensure that the collection of work packages deliver a complete, coherent, sustainable and cost-effective solution to meet all stakeholder requirements
Engage with resource managers to secure, and ensure early deconfliction of the resource required to deliver the scope of work
Deliver the activities defined in the work package(s) to Cost, Quality and Timescale targets, while collaborating across multiple delivery functions and subject matter experts (e.g. Safety, Supply Chain)
Can build, own and update technical delivery plans while providing challenge and recommendations that allow for an effective and achievable plan to be deliverable, managing dependencies throughout, and identifying the resource required to delivery the plan
Ensure appropriate technical governance is tailored, applied and adhered to for the scope of work
Follows best practice within the NATS' safety and service principles, adhering to engineering ethics
Provides task management and direction to a team of engineers and subject matter experts
Problem solves challenges that arise both within their scope of work and wider using prior experiences and networking to lead problems to a resolution.
Work with 3rd Party suppliers to manage the execution of out-sourced activities to the agreed plan, pro-actively managing emerging risks
Proactively identify and manage technical delivery risks related to the scope of work
Identify "business as usual" activities from the project that require definition and handover to service operational teams
Provide concise and regular updates on the scope of work to management through effective, tailored and confident communication methods
Advocate of the NATS behaviours

6. Experience, Qualification & Skills

HNC (or equivalent RQF level 4 or SCQF level 7 qualification) or Bachelors degree (or equivalent RQF level 6 or SCQF level 10 qualification) in an Engineering or Technology discipline and have experience of managing the technical delivery of complex projects following industry best practice techniques (preferably in a safety related sector).
Applicants not holding the expected qualification but who have undertaken relevant lower-level qualifications/certifications in similar fields and have demonstrable skills and capabilities gained through relevant experience will be considered.
Enthusiastic, flexible and a responsive person with the ability to plan and organise
Track record in making key decisions independently
Able to work under pressure without compromising outcomes
Confidence to challenge peers and senior colleagues though constructive approaches, providing recommendations and driving decisions
Proven record of identity solutions that focus on delivering pragmatic approaches, challenging the status quo where applicable, appreciating and able to balance cost, quality, and time and driving such solutions into delivery
Confident communicator with all levels of stakeholders ranging from technical members of the team to senior business stakeholders
Ability to translate complex engineering issues into plain English
Appreciation and understanding for other department's needs and supports them to achieve the desired outcomes
Demonstrable track record of resolving conflicts within teams through both empathy and driven leadership; building positive relationships with stakeholders
Can demonstrate initiative and experience to proactively identify potential issues before they occur and being prepared with answers to any key stakeholder questions
Experience of task management of multidisciplinary teams located across multiple sites; including integrated teams comprising permanent staff, temporary contractors and 3rd party suppliers, though effective delegation and prioritisation