Senior Project Manager

National Physical Laboratory; Tewkesbury; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

National Physical Laboratory is seeking a Senior Project Manager to lead the delivery of two to three concurrent science or IT‑based projects within the Time & Frequency department. You will translate complex technical input into actionable delivery plans, manage risks, and maintain rigorous governance and reporting standards.

You will engage with scientists, engineers and programme colleagues to ensure progress is communicated clearly and cross‑programme collaboration is fostered, helping UK

Qualifications

• Proven ability to deliver technical projects within scientific, engineering or IT environments.
• Ability to translate technical input into actionable delivery plans.
• Experience with governance, reporting and documentation standards.

Responsibilities

• Project Delivery & Scheduling: Independently manage 2–3 concurrent science or IT-based projects, maintaining schedules, milestones, RAID logs and progress against baselines.
• Technical Coordination & Planning: Translate input from scientists, engineers and others into sequenced delivery plans.
• Risk, Issue & Change Management: Identify, manage and escalate risks and scope changes with documented impacts.
• Governance, Reporting & Documentation: Produce high-quality reports and participate in audits and assurance activities.
• Stakeholder & Team Engagement: Build strong relationships across technical, HR and programme colleagues and support cross-programme collaboration.

Skills

Project delivery

Scheduling

Risk management

Change management

Governance & reporting

Stakeholder engagement

Team engagement

Job description

Our world‑leading Time & Frequency department is seeking a Senior Project Manager with proven expertise in delivering technical projects within scientific, engineering or IT environments.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join the global authority in precision timing at a defining moment for UK digital infrastructure.

Backed by a government investment of £180 million in the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme, we are developing a world-first resilient time distribution capability that will provide industry with a robust alternative to satellite systems such as GPS – which are increasingly vulnerable to disruption from solar storms, jamming and spoofing. This will underpin essential services; including

• Telecommunications,
• Online banking,
• Emergency response,
• Transport networks, and
• Wider digital and data-driven operations.

Together, these services form the backbone of modern society - and your leadership will help ensure they remain secure, reliable and robust even if global navigation satellite systems fail.

As a contributor to this transformation, you will shape the delivery of critical project activity within the NTC programme across NPL, as we deliver an era defining enhancement to the UK’s timekeeping capability.

Key responsibilities:

1. Project Delivery & Scheduling: Independently manage 2–3 concurrent science or IT‑based projects, maintaining clear schedules, milestones, RAID logs, and progress tracking against baseline plans.
2. Technical Coordination & Planning: Translate technical input from scientists, engineers, and other specialists into actionable, sequenced delivery plans without needing deep technical expertise.
3. Risk, Issue & Change Management: Proactively identify, manage, and elevate risks, issues, and scope changes, ensuring all impacts are assessed, approved, and accurately reflected in controlled project updates.
4. Governance, Reporting & Documentation: Maintain high‑quality project documentation and produce timely reporting in line with NTC governance standards, contributing to audits, assurance activities, and programme‑level forums.
5. Stakeholder & Team Engagement: Build strong working relationships across technical, HR, and programme colleagues, communicating progress clearly while constructively supporting cross‑programme collaboration and lessons learned sharing.