SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER / PRODUCER

The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum. The David Bowie Centre at V&A East Storehouse. The Formula 1 Exhibition. Harry Potter: The Exhibition. TOCA Social. Our experiences are designed to wow audiences on opening night and keep working every day for years afterwards.

The Story Engineers work at the intersection of storytelling and technology. Thirty years ago, we began with analogue storytelling in theatre and live performance. Today, we deliver cutting-edge digital technology across a range of creative environments, from immersive installations to large-scale placemaking, combining storytelling magic with engineering excellence.

Story Engineering is what closes the gap between a creative team’s imaginations and what an audience actually experiences. Engineering thinking applied to creative ambition. A discipline built around the story, not the specification.

Enabling Big Ideas.

ROLE

Project Management at The Story Engineers is how creative ambition becomes reliable delivery. From pitch through to live projects, it is the discipline that turns complex ideas into clear plans, aligned teams and end results that perform exactly as intended.

The Senior Project Manager / Producer is the delivery lead. They own projects end to end, taking a client brief and translating it into structured, actionable plans. They define scope, orchestrate multi-disciplinary teams, and maintain momentum from initiation through delivery. They own the budget and are accountable for commercial success.

The work spans a wide range of clients and project types, from exhibitions and cultural spaces to live environments and technically complex installations, delivered in the UK and internationally. Because our work is so broad, the role suits someone who finds that variety engaging rather than intimidating. We do not expect experience in every area we operate in, but we do expect curiosity, confidence, and a genuine appetite to learn, adapt, and apply sound delivery thinking across different contexts.

Sitting at the centre of the project, the role acts as the primary conduit between clients and internal teams. They keep client objectives in sharp focus, provide clarity on priorities and constraints, and ensure everyone involved understands what matters and why. Their presence brings confidence and control to complex situations.

Pitches form part of the role and are handled with the same rigour as live work. The Project Manager supports pitch delivery by distilling the brief, defining deliverables, shaping a clear strategy to win alongside senior leaders, and organising and managing the response at pace alongside existing projects.

Strong upfront planning is fundamental. They understand that disciplined early thinking creates space later, safeguarding quality, margin, and momentum. When plans are tested, they respond as creative problem-solvers, working confidently within constraints to find practical, considered solutions.

Communication underpins everything they do. They plan conversations with intent, communicate clearly under pressure, and build trusted working relationships across clients, partners, and internal teams. By anticipating issues and addressing them early, they protect both their team and the overall delivery.

The role combines rigour with creative problem solving. It brings calm, assured leadership to complex projects and makes delivery feel organised, intentional and under control.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Delivery Leadership. Own the end-to-end delivery of pitches and projects, including onsite delivery as required, from initial brief through to final delivery. Lead multi-disciplinary teams with clarity and confidence, defining roles and responsibilities and providing a plan others can follow. Be the point of confidence for the team and the wider business, with a clear view of progress, risks, and next steps at all times.
• Initiation and Momentum. Initiate pitches and projects effectively, creating clarity, pace, and structure from a standing start. Distill briefs, establish what is required, and push work through early decisions and processes so delivery is properly set up from day one.
• Planning and Resourcing. Translate briefs into robust delivery plans, including timelines, resourcing, and key milestones. Balance resources across multiple concurrent projects, planning thoroughly upfront to protect delivery quality, margin, and team capacity later.
• Commercial Management. Build, own, and manage project budgets, ensuring commercial objectives are met and margin is protected. Monitor financial performance throughout delivery and escalate commercial risks early and appropriately. Work with procurement to agree a plan that works with client terms.
• Scoping and Change Control. Turn briefs into clear scopes of work that define roles, deliverables, and responsibilities. Ensure scopes are agreed before delivery begins and manage changes through clear change control, documenting, approving, and communicating variations as required.
• Pitch Delivery. Support pitch delivery by distilling the brief, understanding the required deliverables, contributing to a strategy to win alongside senior leaders, and organising and managing the response at pace, often alongside live project delivery.
• Client, Team, and Communication. Act as the primary conduit between clients and internal teams, keeping objectives front and centre. Plan and lead key conversations with intent, build trust and alignment across teams, and protect delivery by owning information flow, scope changes, and difficult conversations.
• Risk and Ways of Working. Identify delivery risks early and take practical steps to mitigate them. Work within established delivery frameworks, processes, and tools to maintain visibility and control, providing clear feedback on what supports effective delivery in practice.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• Delivery ownership. You take responsibility naturally, bring clarity to complexity, and are comfortable being the person with the plan and the accountability.
• Strong planning and follow-through. You can turn an ambiguous brief into a clear, structured plan and see it through from start to finish.
• Commercial awareness. You understand how projects make or lose money and take responsibility for budgets, margin, and trade-offs.
• Commitment to quality. You hold a high standard for accuracy and delivery, ensuring work meets both client expectations and our standards.
• Clear, intentional communication. You communicate with purpose, plan conversations for the right outcomes and handle pressure and challenge calmly.
• Team leadership. You build trust, foster collaboration, and protect teams from unnecessary noise while holding people accountable.
• Creative problem solving. You enjoy working in complexity and find practical solutions within real-world constraints.
• Affinity with technology. You are curious and comfortable in technical environments, with an interest in how systems, automation, and emerging tools can improve delivery.

JOB DETAILS

• Reports to: Head of Project Management
• Department: Project Management
• Contract: Full-time
• Key External Relationships: Client Teams, Project Stakeholders, Subcontractors, Suppliers, Freelance Labour
• Key Internal Relationships: Projects Team, Engineering, Business Support, Sales, Finance, Technical Services

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