Senior Project Manager
Overview of Responsibilities
The Role
Reporting to the Head of Whole Programme, you will be responsible for leading the delivery of a diverse portfolio of Science & Technology projects, ranging from early-stage technical studies and proof-of-concept activities through to large-scale research, development and innovation programmes worth millions of pounds.
Working closely with Design Authority, Engineering Delivery Teams, Integrated Project Teams, and wider stakeholders, you will identify opportunities to reduce risk, improve plant design, and accelerate programme delivery. You will thrive in an environment characterised by uncertainty, technical complexity, and evolving requirements, bringing structure, direction, and leadership to transform ideas into tangible outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the successful delivery of an approved portfolio of Science & Technology projects.
- Develop and manage a pipeline of innovative concepts, research opportunities, and risk reduction initiatives.
- Translate ambiguous requirements into clearly defined projects, business cases, and delivery plans.
- Provide leadership to project teams, ensuring effective governance, planning, scheduling, budgeting, and risk management.
- Drive prioritisation activities to ensure investments align with programme objectives and strategic goals.
- Establish and maintain performance baselines, tracking progress and implementing corrective actions where required.
- Collaborate across the STEP programme to remove barriers, secure resources, and maximise delivery performance.
- Manage project budgets ranging from hundreds of thousands to multi-million-pound investments.
- Produce high-quality reporting and insights for senior stakeholders and governance boards.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and delivery excellence.
- Support recruitment, development, and leadership of project management professionals.
About You
We are looking for an experienced project leader who enjoys working in highly innovative, technically challenging environments and has the ability to bring clarity and momentum to complex programmes.
You will likely have:
- Significant experience delivering complex projects or programmes within science, engineering, technology, R&D, energy, defence, infrastructure, or other highly regulated sectors.
- Proven experience managing multiple projects and stakeholders simultaneously.
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire, influence, and build high-performing teams.
- Experience working in environments with significant uncertainty, ambiguity, and evolving requirements.
- Excellent programme and project management expertise across scope, schedule, cost, risk, governance, and controls.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively at all levels.
- A track record of identifying opportunities, solving problems, and driving successful outcomes.
- Experience managing significant project budgets and complex resource requirements.
Why Join STEP?
This is more than a project management role. It is an opportunity to contribute to one of the UK’s most ambitious scientific programmes and help deliver a technology that could transform how the world generates clean energy.
You’ll work alongside some of the brightest minds in science, engineering, and programme delivery, tackling challenges that have never been solved before and playing a key role in turning fusion energy into a reality.
Qualifications
Essential:
Significant experience in leading and delivering significant multi £m scale projects in complex, technical and highly regulated environments
Extensive experience working on development phase of projects and understand the balance needed between robust controls and flexibility as the design evolves
Well versed and significant experience using various project management methodologies.
Vast experience of leading team in ambiguous environment
Significant experience of influencing leaders and key stakeholders to drive Science and Technology
Have a innovating and R&D mindset
Significant experience of developing projects working with wide range of stakeholders
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders and can engage effectively with technical and non-technical professionals in a complex matrix organisation
A strong experience of budget, commercial and project/programme methods.
Significant Experienced and comfortable with change and the ability to work autonomously with an organisation that is undergoing significant transformation and can demonstrate a proven ability to conform to shifting priorities, demands and timelines through analytical and problem-solving capability
Significant experience of working with technical and operational ambiguity, in fast-developing programme.
Have Project Management certifications like APM Chartered Project Professional
Graduate level education completed
Beneficial:
Working in Research Development and Innovation and projects of highly technical nature
Previous experience of Fusion or similar industry
Have significant years of experience in working in project environment
Membership and other professional qualifications like MSP.
Significant experience managing teams of five or more.
Additional Information
We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly women in STEM and individuals from British black and ethnic minority backgrounds, and individuals with disabilities. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.
UKFE is committed to being accessible. Please email talent@ukifs.uk if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.
This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions. Whilst not required at this time, there is a possibility of an SC Clearance being required in the future. If a candidate already holds an SC clearance, that clearance can be transferred to UKFE.
As we work towards our mission and goals, guided by our principles, STEP has six behaviours that are intended to capture the spirit of how we work:
- We champion safety
- We all matter
- We act as one
- We embrace change
- We are pioneering
- We deliver
For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the following link for information on criminal records checks: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.
