Manufacturing PMO – Project Lead in Woking

McLaren Automotive is progressing a significant manufacturing investment programme – a multi-year transformation of our manufacturing capability that will help shape the future of the business and unlock the next phase of the McLaren Automotive business plan. The PMO is the dedicated programme office established to govern, coordinate and drive delivery of the programme through to 2029. Reporting to the Head of Manufacturing Strategy & Business Office, the Project Lead is the delivery engine of the PMO – an established project manager and change delivery lead responsible for translating programme strategy into disciplined, visible, on-time execution across a complex, multi-workstream manufacturing investment programme.

The role owns the integrated plan, delivery cadence and programme control framework, with delegated accountability for driving milestone delivery, managing critical dependencies, risks, issues and change, and ensuring robust, timely reporting across all workstreams. Operating through a heavily matrixed structure and without direct line authority over delivery resource, the Project Lead must engage, challenge, coach and influence stakeholders at every level to maintain pace, unblock delivery and hold teams to account for agreed outcomes. This is a hands-on, high-visibility role for a self-motivated, delivery-focused individual who instinctively ‘runs to the problem’.

The Project Lead works closely with the programme’s workstream leads and the wider Manufacturing Business Office, makes effective use of the programme’s project and portfolio management tooling (Jira) as the single source of truth for delivery, and provides day-to-day direction, coaching and development to the Project Graduate. The role is based in Woking and is expected to be onsite for a minimum of three days per week, increasing up to five days per week where programme demands require, such as peak delivery phases or key internal governance flows. Travel to other McLaren sites, including MCTC in Sheffield, may be required from time to time but is expected to be minimal and driven by programme need.

Principal accountabilities

• Own and maintain the integrated programme plan and PMO delivery framework across the project workstreams – keeping milestones, critical path, dependencies and delivery status visible, current and actively managed.
• Drive the programme’s delivery cadence, supporting the Head of Manufacturing Strategy & Business Office in defining, operating and continually improving the project governance model.
• This includes planning and running governance, steering and workstream reviews; preparing high quality materials; identifying gaps or control weaknesses; and ensuring actions and decisions are accurately captured, owned and followed through to completion.
• Maintain a clear audit trail of key programme actions, decisions and escalations, using the programme’s agreed tools and forums to drive follow-up, closure and transparent reporting.
• Establish and maintain rigorous risk, issue, dependency and change-control management, creating timely and robust mitigation plans, challenging workstream assumptions and escalating appropriately to protect critical path, cost, quality and programme outcomes.
• Act as owner and champion of the programme’s project and portfolio management (PPM) tooling (Jira), configuring and administering it as the single source of truth for delivery tracking, ensuring workstreams keep it accurate and current, and using it to surface progress, blockers and risk.
• Produce accurate, insightful and timely programme reporting – including milestone, KPI and OKR tracking – for the Head of Manufacturing Strategy & Business Office, the Chief Manufacturing Officer and programme governance forums.
• Engage, coach, challenge and influence stakeholders across a matrixed organisation – including workstream leads, functional partners, senior leadership and external delivery partners – to drive accountability, resolve blockers and maintain delivery pace without direct authority.
• Provide day-to-day direction, coaching and development to the Project Graduate and other junior team members, building delivery discipline and PMO capability within the team.
• Support and foster a cross-functional and cross-company approach, representing the PMO positively in internal reviews and in inter-company Business Office and PMO alignment.
• Take direct, end-to-end delivery ownership of discrete initiatives and ‘special projects’ within the programme as required, ensuring outcomes are delivered to agreed scope, timing, quality and governance expectations.
• Maintain independence and objectivity to protect the integrity of programme delivery data and reporting.

Knowledge, skills & experience:

• A proven track record as a project manager and change delivery lead, having successfully delivered complex, cross-functional projects or workstreams to time, cost and quality in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with external delivery partners, specialist advisors or third-party consultancy support is advantageous, including the ability to operate effectively across both strategic partner relationships and smaller discrete advisory engagements.
• Demonstrable experience operating within a programme or PMO delivery function – building and maintaining integrated plans, governance cadences, and risk, issue and dependency management.
• Experience delivering change through a matrixed organisation, driving accountability and pace through stakeholder management and influence rather than direct authority.
• Hands-on experience using project and portfolio management (PPM) tooling – Jira in particular – to plan, track and report delivery.
• Experience coaching, mentoring or developing more junior colleagues.
• Experience within automotive, advanced manufacturing, engineering, construction or another complex operational or programme environment is advantageous.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree educated, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• A recognised project or programme management accreditation – for example APM PMQ / PPQ, PRINCE2 (Practitioner), or an Agile / Scrum certification.
• A change management qualification (e.g. APMG Change Management or Prosci) or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Familiarity or certification in Jira / Atlassian tooling is advantageous.

Business Knowledge

• Strong understanding of project and change delivery methodologies, governance and PMO best practice (both waterfall and agile).
• An appreciation of manufacturing and / or major capital programme delivery environments and their interdependencies is advantageous.
• Familiarity with business planning, OKR / KPI frameworks and performance reporting.

Essential Functional / Technical Skills

• Confident, hands-on command of PPM tooling – Jira – for planning, tracking, workflow configuration and reporting, with the ability to establish it as the single source of truth and coach others in its use.
• Strong planning and delivery-management skills: integrated scheduling, milestone and critical-path management, dependency mapping, and risk, issue and change control.
• Maintain a clear audit trail of key actions, decisions and escalations to support transparent reporting, effective follow-up and robust programme control.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, facilitation and influencing skills across all levels of seniority.
• Advanced operating level across the Microsoft M365 suite, with strong reporting and presentation output (notably Excel and PowerPoint).
• Analytical and problem-solving rigour – able to cut through complexity, surface the critical issues and drive structured resolution.

Personal Attributes / Competencies

• Commit to Win: relentlessly delivery-focused and self-motivated; takes personal ownership, ‘runs to the problem’ and drives the momentum and pace needed to hold the programme to its commitments.
• Communicate with Clarity: a confident communicator who translates complex delivery detail into clear, accurate insight, adapting style to audiences from delivery teams to senior leadership.
• Create with Courage: brings energy and initiative, champions better tools and ways of working, and is comfortable constructively challenging opinion and behaviour to protect delivery.
• Collaborate for Impact: builds trust-based relationships across a matrixed organisation, coaches and develops others (including the Project Graduate), and creates the alignment needed to deliver through influence.
• A self-starter who operates effectively under guided autonomy, organising and prioritising their own workload in a dynamic, high-visibility environment.
• Keen attention to accuracy and detail, with the independence and integrity to protect the quality of programme data.
• Calm, organised and resilient under pressure, with the discretion to handle sensitive programme information appropriately.

Complexity & Problem Solving

The PMO Project Lead operates at the centre of a complex, multi-workstream programme delivered through a heavily matrixed organisation and a network of external partners. The role must hold a clear, integrated view of delivery across interdependent workstreams, anticipate where risks and dependencies threaten the critical path, and drive structured mitigation – frequently without direct authority over the people whose delivery is being tracked. Much of the challenge lies in sustaining pace, accountability and data integrity in a fast-moving environment with high senior visibility: cutting through ambiguity, holding teams to their commitments through influence and coaching, and keeping the PMO trusted as the single source of truth for programme status. The ability to ‘run to the problem’, stay calm and organised, and bring energy and discipline to delivery is central to success – as is the judgement to handle a sensitive, high-profile programme with appropriate discretion.

Career Path Talent Pool for Role: Experienced project managers, change or transformation delivery leads, PMO leads, or management-consultancy delivery professionals from automotive, advanced manufacturing, engineering, construction or other complex programme environments, seeking a high-profile opportunity to help deliver a significant McLaren Automotive programme. This is a fixed-term appointment to end-2029, aligned to the life of the Project PMO.

What We'll Do for You

We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:

• Structured career development framework
• 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday.
• Annual buy & sell up to five days
• Enhanced company pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus award
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan
• Life assurance benefit
• Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
• Generous parental leave policies
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice

Who Are We?

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars. It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks. McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.