Senior Project Manager

Atomic Weapons Establishment; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 58,000 - 71,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9-day fortnight

Pension scheme (9-13%)

Family friendly leave

Professional development funding

Employee Assistance Programme

Life Assurance (4x salary)

Discounts

Special Leave

Job summary

AWE is seeking a Senior Project Manager to provide assurance and guidance across a diverse portfolio of complex projects and programmes, acting as a subject-matter expert to mentor other PM professionals.

You will operate within a highly regulated environment, developing capability, driving best practices, and promoting safer, compliant delivery. This role is ideal for a senior leader transitioning from hands-on delivery.

Qualifications

• Significant experience operating within complex Project or Programme environments.
• Strong understanding of project governance, controls, assurance and performance management.
• Experience coaching, mentoring or leading Project Managers and multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to provide credible challenge and influence stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate strategic objectives into practical delivery approaches.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to review schedules, performance data, reports and project documentation.
• Experience supporting effective resource management, budget oversight and risk management activities.
• Collaborative leadership style with a passion for developing capability and high‑performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert Project Management guidance, assurance and leadership across multiple projects and programmes.
• Coach, mentor and support Project Management to develop capability and improve outcomes.
• Promote consistency and excellence in Project Management practices, governance and reporting.
• Review project performance and provide constructive challenge to align delivery with baselines.
• Support Project Managers with risk, opportunity, resource and stakeholder management activities.
• Ensure compliance with AWE's Project Management framework and regulatory requirements.
• Influence senior stakeholders to drive continuous improvement in delivery practices.
• Champion safety, environment, health, security and quality standards.
• Support strategic decision-making through analysis, reporting and performance oversight.

Skills

Governance

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Analytical skills

Coaching/mentoring

Budget oversight

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

About the role

Drive Excellence Across a Portfolio of Critical Projects! AWE is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to utilise their Project Management expertise to provide assurance of successful delivery across a diverse portfolio of complex Projects and Programmes. This is not a traditional project delivery role. Instead, you'll act as a Project Management subject matter expert, using your extensive project delivery experience to guide, mentor and support other Project Management professionals in successfully delivering. Through undertaking assurance reviews you’ll ensure Projects and Programmes remain aligned with organisational standards whilst also agreeing corrective actions that will improve confidence in delivery to time, cost and quality. Working within a highly regulated environment, you will play a key role in developing Project Management capability, promoting best practice and driving continuous improvement across the project community. Through coaching, constructive challenge and knowledge sharing, you will help build confidence that Projects are being managed effectively, safely and compliantly. This opportunity is ideally suited to a highly experienced Senior Project Manager or Programme Manager who has spent many years leading complex projects and is looking to transition away from hands‑on delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide expert Project Management guidance, assurance and leadership across multiple projects and programmes.
• Coach, mentor and support Project Management, helping them develop capability and deliver improved project outcomes.
• Promote consistency and excellence in Project Management practices, governance and reporting.
• Review project performance and provide constructive challenge to ensure delivery remains aligned to agreed baselines and objectives.
• Support Project Managers with risk, opportunity, resource and stakeholder management activities.
• Ensure project activities are compliant with AWE's Project Management framework, governance processes and regulatory requirements.
• Influence senior stakeholders and project teams to drive continuous improvement across project delivery practices.
• Champion the highest standards of environment, safety, health, security and quality.
• Support strategic decision‑making through effective analysis, reporting and performance oversight.

Desired Experience

• Significant experience operating within complex Project or Programme environments.
• A strong understanding of Project governance, controls, assurance and performance management.
• Experience coaching, mentoring or leading Project Managers and multidisciplinary teams.
• The ability to provide credible challenge and influence stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate strategic objectives into practical delivery approaches.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to review schedules, performance data, reports and project documentation.
• Experience supporting effective resource management, budget oversight and risk management activities.
• A collaborative leadership style with a passion for developing capability and fostering high‑performing teams.

Benefits

• 9‑day working fortnight – meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.
• Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).
• Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 weeks Full Pay.
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.
• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).
• Discounts - access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.
• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

Additional Details

Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking.

Working Pattern: AWE operates a 9‑day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle.

Package: Competitive. While we are open to discussing remuneration based on experience, we would typically expect candidates for this role to be positioned from £64,780 upwards.

Closing Date: 15th September 2026.

You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.

The interview process typically takes place over Teams and for most roles is a 1 stage process.

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions.

Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.

We are at the start of a once in a generation – possibly two generations – programme to design and produce a replacement warhead for the UK’s continuous at sea deterrent. We will do this while continuing to deliver the Trident programme as well as managing ambitious state‑of‑the‑art capital and construction projects – some of which have never been done before.

We are an Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award Employer. Visit the Service Leavers page to find out more.