Overview

Senior Project Manager

Rate £80 per hour Inside IR35

Location Corsham (hybrid)

Clearance Active Security Clearance (SC) / Sole UK Required

Project Description and Requirement

We are seeking a Senior Project Professional to lead the transformation of a complex system upgrade within a high-profile, mission-critical programme supporting the UKs Military Satellite Communication capability. The initiative will leverage COTS products to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose solution, requiring tailored customisation to meet specific operational requirements and integrate seamlessly with existing systems and tools.

The Senior Project Professional will be accountable for day-to-day programme delivery, leading a multi-disciplinary team and ensuring successful outcomes against time, cost, and quality objectives. The role requires close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders across technical, commercial, and operational domains, and demands strong planning, governance, and project controls to manage dependencies, risks, and overall programme performance throughout the delivery lifecycle.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Programme Delivery Expertise: Proven track record of delivering complex technical projects/programmes using both Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
• Planning & Controls: Experienced in developing and maintaining integrated programme plans, applying robust project controls, and using tools such as MS Project, Primavera, or equivalent to track progress, manage dependencies, and ensure delivery against milestones.
• Stakeholder Management: Ability to engage and manage diverse stakeholders including engineering teams, vendors, customers, and senior leadership.
• Risk & Issue Management: Skilled in identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks throughout the project lifecycle.
• Budget & Resource Management: Experience managing multi-million-pound budgets and cross-functional delivery teams.
• Vendor & Contract Management: Comfortable working with third-party suppliers, negotiating contracts, and managing deliverables.
• Governance & Reporting: Familiar with programme governance frameworks and capable of producing high-quality reporting for senior stakeholders.
• Agile Leadership: Facilitate Agile ceremonies, including Sprint Planning, Daily Group Stand-ups, Retrospectives, and Reviews. Ensure adherence to Agile principles and use Azure DevOps to manage the delivery lifecycle effectively. Identify, monitor, and resolve impediments, risks, dependencies, and constraints to maintain project momentum and ensure timely delivery.

Optional/ Desired Experience & Skills

• Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC): Strong understanding of software engineering processes, including requirements gathering, design, development, testing, and deployment.
• Network Management Systems: Hands-on experience with NMS platforms, ideally in telecoms or satellite communications environments.
• Satellite Communications: Familiarity with satellite network architecture, protocols, and operational constraints.
• Systems Integration: Experience managing integration of software with hardware and existing infrastructure, including interfacing with legacy systems.
• Systems Engineering: Understanding of systems engineering principles, including requirements decomposition, interface definition, verification and validation, and lifecycle traceability.
• Agile Software Development - Experience controlling development of use case, data flows, Epics and user stories
• Scrum Master Certification (e.g., CSM, PSM) with proven experience in delivering software projects in demanding environments, ideally including one or more of the following: SAFe, Disciplined Agile, DSDM