Principal Project Manager

Principal Project Manager (Defence) £65,000–£75,000 | Andover | Fully Onsite

Are you an experienced Project Manager with a strong engineering or technical background looking to take ownership of significant projects within a specialist engineering environment?
This is an opportunity to join an established engineering business delivering complex £1m–£15m projects, predominantly within the defence sector.
You’ll take ownership of projects from day-to-day delivery through to financial performance, customer relationships and project governance, while working closely with engineering, manufacturing and senior leadership teams.
The RoleYou’ll be responsible for:

• Leading the day-to-day delivery of £1m–£15m projects
• Managing complex customer and stakeholder relationships
• Taking ownership of project cost, schedule, quality and delivery
• Developing and managing project schedules using MS Project
• Managing project budgets, forecasts and financial performance
• Identifying, managing and mitigating project risks
• Coordinating engineering, manufacturing, supply chain and project teams
• Managing subcontractors and external partners
• Monitoring milestones, costs, schedules and project progress
• Providing regular project updates and exception reporting to senior management
• Ensuring projects follow defined project lifecycle and governance processes
• Supporting pre-bid and bid-stage activities
• Identifying opportunities for follow-on business with existing customers
• Helping develop and strengthen the wider Project Management function

What We're Looking For

• Strong Project Management experience within a technical or engineering environment
• Experience managing complex engineering/manufacturing projects
• Experience within the defence sector is highly relevant
• Strong understanding of project finances and commercial performance
• Experience with risk, resource, schedule and stakeholder management
• Confident managing customers, subcontractors and multidisciplinary teams
• Strong MS Project, Excel and Microsoft Office skills
• Excellent communication, negotiation and problem-solving skills
• Engineering or technical qualification/background
• SC clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain SC clearance

The Package£65,000–£75,000 depending on experience
Andover area
Fully onsite
£1m–£15m project values
Predominantly defence-focused programmes
SC clearance or eligiblity required