Project Manager, Defence Tech (Hybrid, RF/Hardware) in Chelmsford

BAE Systems Digital Intelligence is home to 4,500 digital, cyber and intelligence experts. We work collaboratively across 10 countries to collect, connect and understand complex data, so that governments, nation states, armed forces and commercial businesses can unlock digital advantage in the most demanding environments.

Within our Defence Business Unit we deliver and integrate digital technology across every defence domain for our customers around the world. We deliver capabilities built from combinations of our own products, COTS equipment and bespoke designs from our suppliers. We have a requirement for a Project Manager to lead, manage and support the delivery of:

• Production grade software and hardware development, integration and manufacture programmes – either directly into our customers, or as part of our own product development activities;
• Low to mid Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Science & Technology research programmes, ranging from studies and modelling through to software and hardware prototyping.

Responsibilities

• Develop, manage, and inspire project teams to deliver successful outcomes.
• Establish governance structures, define roles and responsibilities, and maintain stakeholder engagement.
• Define project requirements, scope, objectives, and deliverables, ensuring alignment with organisational goals.
• Create and maintain detailed project plans, timelines, and dependencies to ensure efficient delivery.
• Develop budgets, manage costs, and allocate non-financial resources effectively.
• Secure necessary resources, negotiate and monitor supplier contracts, and manage compliance.
• Proactively manage risks, opportunities, and issues, implementing effective mitigation strategies.
• Apply and maintain quality management processes for project deliverables and outputs.
• Establish change control procedures to manage scope variations and maintain configuration integrity.
• Prepare and refine business cases, ensuring projects deliver expected benefits and value.

Experience – Essential

• You’ll have a minimum of 5-10 years’ experience delivering projects or programmes covering software and hardware development.
• This specific role will involve leading highly technical engineering teams working on RF and electronic technologies.
• You’ll need to be able to blend your general project management skills with a foundation level of engineering background, in order to be able to understand the projects you are leading and communicate effectively with the engineering team.
• APM Competency Framework Project Manager (Master) and Project Manager (Advanced) levels, to scope and deliver our most largest and most complex commitments.
• You’ll be used to working in a process‑driven organisation and ideally proficient in Agile methodologies.
• You’ll be experienced with being accountable for the budget, performance and results of the project, and responsible for ensuring that the necessary procedures are followed and governance applied.
• You’ll be experienced in managing complex stakeholders, and able to adapt plans to address emerging operational challenges.

Experience – Desirable

• While by no means a pre‑requisite, we’d be especially interested in receiving applications from individuals with experience in managing the delivery of a product from inception to market.

Location

Travel to be expected to Great Baddow approximately 3 days per week.

Life at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence

We are embracing Hybrid Working. This means you and your colleagues may be working in different locations, such as from home, another BAE Systems office or client site, some or all of the time, and work might be going on at different times of the day. By embracing technology, we can interact, collaborate and create together, even when we’re working remotely from one another. Hybrid Working allows for increased flexibility in when and where we work, helping us to balance our work and personal life more effectively, and enhance well‑being.

Diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of BAE Systems Digital Intelligence. We are proud to have an organisational culture where employees with varying perspectives, skills, life experiences and backgrounds – the best and brightest minds – can work together to achieve excellence and realise individual and organisational potential.