ISS Project Manager in Portsmouth

Position Overview

The ISS team at CMS2 is looking for a Project Manager to manage customer accounts and projects of various sizes and scales across activities, teams, and functions in Portsmouth.

The role will act as the primary customer contact, ensuring awareness of solutions for equipment availability, configuration, upgrades, issue resolution, and obsolescence management.

• Location
• Portsmouth

Key Responsibilities

• Accountable for the oversight of a portfolio of in‑service tasks & projects and related customer account sales and support, reporting status and customer satisfaction as required.
• Manage relationships with clients and lead teams of in‑house resources for projects and life‑support contracts.
• Compile sales proposals, including cost estimation and CMS2 management approval, with support from technical and commercial teams.
• Financially plan, track and forecast multiple parallel projects for each customer account.
• Conduct weekly/monthly in‑service support meetings to identify issue resolutions and improvement opportunities.
• Serve as a conduit between CMS2 engineering teams and the customer base to share knowledge of emerging issues and developments, increasing equipment availability and performance.
• Handle customer escalations, striving for continual improvement.
• Collaborate with CMS2 operational teams to ensure planning and delivery meet customer requirements.
• Represent CMS2 externally at customer, partner, and end‑user sites, enhancing the company’s profile and reputation.
• Create, maintain and present project information to stakeholders including customers, senior management, and project teams.
• Resolve technical requirements and challenges using engineering resources, the ISS team and personal expertise.
• Manage project life‑cycle processes within the ISS project framework.
• In collaboration with the ISS Technical Manager, develop and implement in‑service support strategies and plans aligned with business objectives and contracts.
• Support the business by managing KPIs, SLAs, reporting and resourcing discussions with management and resource owners.
• Report on customer management for assigned projects.
• Ensure stakeholder buy‑in to project plans and proactively manage impact resolution/reduction.
• General Activities
• Plan, monitor, report, and resolve risks and issues on assigned projects.
• Communicate with customers about project progress.
• Support process and tool improvements.
• Provide support for colleagues during peak times or absences.
• Maintain continuous professional development to keep knowledge current.
• Act as an ambassador for the company in all interactions with customers and the public.
• Carry out any other ad‑hoc duties required to support business needs.

Essential Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Professional experience in fast‑paced, customer‑centric support environments.
• Demonstrated project/programme management experience, ideally in complex highly regulated engineering settings.
• Track record of delivering projects on time, on cost and to quality standards.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and influence skills; strong presentation and stakeholder engagement.
• Attention to detail with forward planning and budgeting/financial knowledge; understanding of full project life‑cycle stage‑gate principles.
• Ability to work with diverse project teams and stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of risk and opportunity management and lessons‑learned processes.

Desirable Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Qualified in industry standard project management methodologies (APM or similar).
• Degree or demonstrable relevant experience.
• Strong understanding of planning, strategy, organisation and governance processes.
• Experience in an engineering role.
• Experience within Defence or a similar industry.
• Understanding of matrix management.
• Previous experience with an ERP/MRP system.
• Experience working in a lean manufacturing environment.
• Business transformation or process improvement experience.
• Working knowledge of CMS2’s products, their maintenance and operational use.
• Role Travel Requirements

This appointment is UK‑based but may require travel within the UK or occasionally overseas. Working outside the UK for more than one month is not envisaged.

• Other Requirements
• Right to live and work in the UK.
• UK Security Clearance to Security Check level (or ability to obtain this level) – normally requires five years’ residence in the UK.

Benefits

CMS2 offers a comprehensive benefits package including a company profit‑share scheme, generous holiday allowance and a pension plan, in addition to competitive salaries.

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