Project Manager - Contractor (Electrical Focus) in Guildford

An exciting 6-month opportunity to lead a team of engineers through the final design, manufacture, test, verification and qualification phases of a high-resolution optical payload imager electronics programme. We are seeking a proactive and driven Project Manager with satellite systems experience and a strong track record of leading multidisciplinary developments. Experience delivering electrical systems — including FPGA, software, PCA hardware and EGSE — would be highly advantageous, alongside good awareness of acceptance and qualification testing of spacecraft systems. This is a hands-on role, based on site in Guildford embedded within the project team and focused on resolving technical and programme challenges as they arise to ensure successful delivery to schedule, cost and quality objectives.

Key Tasks

• Manage the delivery of the imager electronics to multiple internal customers, ensuring alignment with programme objectives and stakeholder expectations.
• Take full responsibility for all aspects of project delivery, operating in accordance with established SSTL processes and procedures, including scheduling, risk management and technical maturity reviews.
• Provide day-to-day leadership of the project core team, ensuring activities remain aligned with the baseline plan through strong leadership, clear direction and effective motivation of the engineering teams.
• Define and structure project work into appropriate work packages, securing resource commitments and delivery plans with engineering team leads.
• Maintain effective communication with key internal stakeholders, including Engineering Functional Managers and Heads of Engineering.
• Proactively manage project risks, ensuring risks are identified, assessed and tracked, with clear and measurable mitigation actions implemented through the project work package structure.
• Monitor and control project finances, including contingency management, cost-to-complete forecasting and profit realisation, ensuring delivery within the agreed budget and risk profile.

Previous Experience

• Proven project management experience, with a strong track record of successfully delivering satellite programmes, ideally involving complex electrical modules or subsystems.
• Familiarity with work package management and operating within a matrix organisation structure would be advantageous.

Qualifications Knowledge & Skills

• Strong people management and leadership skills, with the ability to motivate and guide teams within a collaborative, team-oriented environment.
• Excellent teamworking and stakeholder engagement skills, with the confidence to build effective relationships at all levels of the organisation.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate and build consensus across both technical and non-technical stakeholders, internally and externally.
• Highly organised, self-motivated and proactive, with the initiative to identify and address challenges early.
• Adaptable and flexible in response to changing priorities and programme demands.
• Results-focused, with a strong drive to achieve successful project outcomes.
• Strong decision-making and creative problem-solving capabilities.
• Clear and effective communicator, able to convey complex information in a concise and structured manner.
• Proven ability to deliver solutions under pressure and within challenging timescales.
• Able to work closely with technical teams to understand complex concepts and issues, translating these into schedule, cost and risk impacts with a balanced and pragmatic approach.
• Demonstrates SSTL’s core behaviours and values, including accountability, delivery focus, effective communication, self-management and collaborative teamwork.