Senior Project Manager in Manchester

Senior Project Manager | Novacyt Group

Contract type: 6-months FTC

Location: Hybrid / Manchester Science Park

Salary & Benefits: Competitive salary + benefits

Are you an experienced Senior Project Manager who thrives on delivering complex projects, bringing cross-functional teams together and turning strategic priorities into successful outcomes?

Novacyt Group is looking for a Senior Project Manager to lead some of our most complex and strategically important programmes, including New Product Introduction (NPI), product development, major external collaborations, operational transformation and Executive Leadership Team-sponsored initiatives.

This is a high-impact role where you'll work across scientific, operational, regulatory and commercial teams, helping Novacyt successfully deliver new products, partnerships and strategic initiatives that support our continued growth.

The opportunity

Reporting to the Head of Project Management, you'll take ownership of a portfolio of complex projects from initiation and planning through to execution, governance and successful delivery.

You'll work closely with colleagues across R&D, Operations, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Commercial and Finance, as well as senior external partners and collaborators.

Your focus will be on ensuring projects are delivered to agreed scope, quality, cost and timelines, while providing clear governance, proactive risk management and effective communication throughout the project lifecycle.

What you'll be doing

• You'll lead the delivery of complex, cross-functional projects and programmes, including:
• Taking full accountability for projects from initiation through to successful closure.
• Developing integrated project plans covering milestones, dependencies, risks, resources and deliverables.
• Leading cross-functional teams and ensuring issues and blockers are resolved effectively.
• Driving the end-to-end NPI process, from product development through manufacturing and commercial readiness.
• Ensuring key stage-gate deliverables, including DHF, verification & validation, technology transfer and regulatory submissions, remain on track.
• Partnering with Quality, Regulatory and Operations teams to support compliance with relevant IVD and medical device requirements.
• Leading major external collaborations and establishing effective joint ways of working with strategic partners.
• Delivering high-profile ELT-sponsored initiatives, including business transformation and M&A integration workstreams.
• Maintaining strong project governance, RAID management, change control, reporting and financial oversight.
• Providing senior stakeholders with clear project insight, recommendations and escalation where required.
• Mentoring and supporting junior Project Managers and project-facing colleagues.

You'll also contribute to the continued development of Novacyt's project management capability, sharing best practice and helping us establish consistent and effective ways of working across the organisation.

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone with significant experience leading complex, multidisciplinary projects and a strong track record of delivering against scope, cost, quality and timelines.

You'll bring:

• Strong project and programme management experience.
• Experience delivering high-visibility projects involving Executive Leadership or Board-level stakeholders.
• Excellent knowledge of project governance, planning, risk management and change control.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Commercial awareness and sound business judgement.
• The ability to coordinate multiple complex workstreams and competing priorities.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience mentoring or coaching colleagues.
• A recognised Project Management qualification - PRINCE2, APM or similar
• Strong IT capability, including MS Project, Excel and PowerPoint, together with project or portfolio management tools.

You'll be highly organised, collaborative and comfortable working in an environment where priorities can evolve. You'll be someone who takes ownership, remains calm under pressure and focuses on practical solutions that keep projects moving forward.

What would make you stand out?

Experience within a regulated, science-led or product development environment would be particularly valuable, including:

Diagnostics | IVD | Medical Devices | Biotechnology | Pharmaceutical | Advanced Engineering

We'd also be particularly interested in candidates with experience of NPI, product development, technology transfer, regulatory-driven projects, strategic partnerships, M&A integration or business transformation.

Experience working within an SME or fast-growing organisation where structures and processes are continuing to evolve would also be advantageous.

Why Novacyt?

This is an opportunity to take on a highly visible role where you'll have the chance to influence projects that are important to Novacyt's future.

You'll work alongside talented scientific, technical, operational and commercial colleagues, as well as senior leadership and external partners, helping turn ideas and strategic priorities into successful delivery.

You'll also have the opportunity to shape how we manage complex projects and strengthen project management capability across the Group.

Our values

Delivery Quality | Collaboration | Customer Centricity | Integrity | People First | Ownership

If you're an experienced Project Manager who enjoys solving complex problems, bringing people together and delivering projects that make a tangible difference, we'd love to hear from you.

Interested? Apply today and join Novacyt Group as our Senior Project Manager.

Closing date: Sunday 18th October