Project Manager in Sheffield

Overview / Role Summary

Lead the project from initiation through to completion, ensuring delivery against objectives while effectively managing resources, risks, and stakeholder expectations. Responsible for the IHSS portfolio, ensuring IHSS, COMPASS and HICOMS remain aligned to agreed schedules and commitments. This is a 12-month backfill role reporting to the Company’s Lead for IHSS.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, including timelines, milestones, and resource allocation, in alignment with subcontracted Project Controllers.
• Monitor and control the project budget to ensure efficient use of funds and compliance with financial constraints.
• Identify, record, and manage risks and issues, while developing and implementing mitigation strategies and capturing opportunities where appropriate.
• Support the technical team (PI and engineers) in delivering technical outcomes, ensuring research activity and deliverables meet required standards and that transition points are achieved.
• Coordinate procurement activities in collaboration with technical leads, SM, ISC, and business support specialists.
• Lead the project team, fostering effective communication and collaboration among internal team members and external partners.
• Maintain comprehensive project documentation, including reports, meeting minutes, change logs, and progress updates.
• Lead reporting activities within the consortium to ensure reports are delivered on time and to the required quality and format.
• Escalate issues to leadership, where necessary, in a timely manner.
• Coordinate with HICOMS projects to ensure plans are delivered within agreed timelines and to the required specifications.
• Lead project management meetings with partners, both at consortium level and in one-to-one meetings.
• Meet regularly with the Company’s Lead to align on finances, milestones, and other execution metrics.
• Provide relevant information, including project updates and financial data, to the Portfolio Lead as required.

Accountability

• Accountable for successful project delivery, including achievement of agreed objectives, timelines, and budget.
• Accountable for the quality and timeliness of reporting to the UK Government and other stakeholders.
• Responsible for team performance, engagement, and compliance with applicable regulations, ethics, and corporate policies.
• Makes decisions regarding resource allocation and team management for the assigned project(s).
• As project lead, accountable for integrating all partners into the project plan, objectives, and requirements.

Authority

• Project owner for assigned project(s), with authority to allocate resources and manage budget within the project.
• Authority to make team management decisions, resolve team or stakeholder conflicts, and maintain project integrity and momentum.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Degree in Engineering, Project Management, Science, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Certified Project Manager (e.g., PMP, Prince2 Practitioner) preferred.
• 5+ years’ project management experience in R&D, engineering, or research programme environments.
• Demonstrable experience managing government-funded projects and delivering formal reporting to government stakeholders.
• Experience working in a portfolio environment and coordinating multiple projects to achieve strategic outcomes.
• Experience communicating project status to senior leadership through written communication.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strong planning and financial management skills, including budgeting and cost control.
• Expertise in risk and issue management, with a proven ability to implement effective mitigation strategies.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Proven ability to support technical teams and translate technical progress into project deliverables and gate approvals.
• Strong procurement coordination experience and understanding of contracting and purchasing processes.
• Strong team leadership skills, including motivating teams, performance management, and conflict resolution.
• Familiarity with relevant compliance, ethics, and documentation standards, including UK requirements and Company’s policies.

Desirable

• Experience working with UK Government departments or international government stakeholders.
• Previous experience within aerospace, defence, or complex technical R&D programmes.
• Security clearance, or the ability to obtain security clearance, if applicable — specify level required.