Senior Project Manager

SiXworks; Farnborough; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Private Medical cover

Life Assurance

Generous pension

Bonus

Professional development and training

On-site parking, gym & café/restaurant

Job summary

SiXworks in Farnborough, UK, seeks a Senior Project Manager to lead complex, high‑value technology programmes critical to customer outcomes. You’ll own delivery leadership across multi‑disciplinary teams, manage risk, governance and commercial performance while aligning with business strategy.

You'll coach junior managers, engage senior stakeholders, and drive service transition from project delivery to managed services.

Qualifications

• Extensive project management experience delivering complex technology or digital projects.
• Demonstrated success managing large multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience operating within secure, regulated or mission-critical environments.
• Strong commercial, financial and contractual management capability.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and customers.
• APM PMQ, APM ChPP, PRINCE2 Practitioner or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex programmes or projects with significant technical, commercial or organisational complexity.
• Establish delivery strategies that enable successful customer outcomes.
• Align project execution with programme, portfolio and business objectives.
• Provide leadership across ambiguous or rapidly evolving environments.
• Align project delivery strategies with account growth objectives and wider business strategy.
• Lead large multidisciplinary teams delivering secure digital, software and technology solutions.
• Manage complex dependencies across suppliers, customers and internal teams.
• Balance pace of delivery with governance, security and assurance requirements.
• Drive recovery plans where project performance is at risk.
• Lead complex transition activities from project delivery into managed service operation.
• Ensure operational support arrangements, service acceptance criteria and service governance are established.
• Work closely with Technical Leads to achieve successful adoption and long-term service performance.
• Drive delivery readiness for Service Acceptance Gate approvals.
• Build trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders.
• Manage executive-level communications and governance forums.
• Influence decisions across project, programme and organisational boundaries.
• Handle sensitive delivery, commercial and operational challenges.
• Partner with Account Directors to strengthen strategic customer relationships.
• Contribute to account planning and growth discussions.
• Identify opportunities for follow-on work, service expansion or new capability development.
• Own significant project budgets and forecasts.
• Manage financial performance, margin and commercial risks.
• Support bid activities, project mobilisation and transition planning.
• Balance customer outcomes and delivery commitments against margin, resource utilisation and organisational priorities.
• Coach and mentor Junior Project Managers and Project Managers.
• Promote project management best practice across IBM SiXworks.
• Support development of delivery frameworks, governance approaches and lessons learned.
• Contribute to the wider capability development of the delivery function.
• Lead management of complex delivery risks.
• Direct project assurance activities.
• Support audits, reviews and customer assurance processes.
• Ensure effective decision-making and escalation management.

Job description

Work on Technology That Protects What Matters

What You’ll Do

As a Senior Project Manager, you’ll lead complex, high-value and strategically important projects that are critical to customer and business outcomes. They provide delivery leadership across challenging stakeholder environments, balancing commercial performance, delivery excellence, risk management and customer satisfaction.

Your work may include:

Strategic Project Leadership

• Lead complex programmes or projects with significant technical, commercial or organisational complexity.
• Establish delivery strategies that enable successful customer outcomes.
• Align project execution with programme, portfolio and business objectives.
• Provide leadership across ambiguous or rapidly evolving environments.
• Align project delivery strategies with account growth objectives and wider business strategy.

Complex Delivery Management

• Lead large multidisciplinary teams delivering secure digital, software and technology solutions.
• Manage complex dependencies across suppliers, customers and internal teams.
• Balance pace of delivery with governance, security and assurance requirements.
• Drive recovery plans where project performance is at risk.

Service Transition and Operational Excellence

• Lead complex transition activities from project delivery into managed service operation.
• Ensure operational support arrangements, service acceptance criteria and service governance are established.
• Work closely with Technical Leads to achieve successful adoption and long-term service performance.
• Drive delivery readiness for Service Acceptance Gate approvals.

Senior Stakeholder Engagement

• Build trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders.
• Manage executive-level communications and governance forums.
• Influence decisions across project, programme and organisational boundaries.
• Handle sensitive delivery, commercial and operational challenges.
• Partner with Account Directors to strengthen strategic customer relationships.
• Contribute to account planning and growth discussions.
• Identify opportunities for follow-on work, service expansion or new capability development.

Commercial and Financial Leadership

• Own significant project budgets and forecasts.
• Manage financial performance, margin and commercial risks.
• Support bid activities, project mobilisation and transition planning.
• Balance customer outcomes and delivery commitments against margin, resource utilisation and organisational priorities.

Leadership and Capability Development

• Coach and mentor Junior Project Managers and Project Managers.
• Promote project management best practice across IBM SiXworks.
• Support development of delivery frameworks, governance approaches and lessons learned.
• Contribute to the wider capability development of the delivery function.

Risk and Assurance

• Lead management of complex delivery risks.
• Direct project assurance activities.
• Support audits, reviews and customer assurance processes.
• Ensure effective decision-making and escalation management.

What We’re Looking For

We value people who take ownership, think critically, and enjoy working as part of a collaborative team tackling complex challenges. You don’t need to tick every box, but we’re particularly interested in people with skills/experience in:

• Extensive project management experience delivering complex technology or digital projects.
• Demonstrated success managing large multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience operating within secure, regulated or mission-critical environments.
• Strong commercial, financial and contractual management capability.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and customers.
• APM PMQ, APM ChPP, PRINCE2 Practitioner or equivalent.
• Experience in defence, national security, government or critical infrastructure sectors.
• Experience delivering large-scale software engineering, cloud, data or AI-enabled solutions.
• Experience supporting business development or bid activity.
• Experience of working with MoD customers (preferably with RAF and in Command and Control (C2) or Air Battle space Management (ABM) environments)
• Experience of working with Customer Capability Requirements.

Just as important are curiosity, strong problem solving ability, and the motivation to continuously improve how technology is designed and delivered.

About SiXworks

SiXworks is a specialist digital innovation partner deliveringsecure, mission-critical technologyto Defence and National Security organisations. We focus ondigital experimentation, secure-by-design architecture, cloud technologies, and rapid application developmentto help our customers move faster and stay ahead of evolving challenges.

Our team combines expertise from across technology, business, and operational backgrounds including the armed forces creating a collaborative environment where practical thinking and innovation thrive.

Why Join Us

Our culture is guided by six principles: Agility, Security, Innovation, Quality, Collaboration and Inclusivity our North Star for how we work. SiXworksis a leading provider of secure digital solutions, specialising in digital experimentation and focused on fail-safe-fastcutting-edgetechnology solutions deployed in highly secure environments.

As an end-to-end digital innovation and delivery partner, we turn complex challenges into mission-critical digital advantages. This is a thrilling time for us, with ambitious plans for growth. We are looking for brilliant, experienced, driven and self-motivated people to join the team on our journey.

We offer competitive salaries and a package that supports your wellbeing and development, including 25 days annual leave + bank holidays, free Private Medical cover and Life Assurance, Generous pension (10% employer, 5% employee contribution), Bonus and Professional development and training support. In addition to secure parking, gym, café & restaurant on site and lots of open break out spaces.

A word on UK Security Clearance

Due to the secure nature of the position and working environment, you must have or be eligible to obtain Security Clearance. More details relating to UK Security Clearance can be found here:

United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)