Project Manager

Overview of Responsibilities

About us  

Fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs. UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research organisations to achieve ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.  

About the job 

As Project Manager, you’ll lead the delivery of projects or programme workstreams supporting UKAEA’s fusion energy mission. You’ll manage projects across areas including science, engineering, technology, research and facility development, with typical annual budgets of £500,000 to £5 million. You’ll ensure agreed outcomes are delivered within time, cost and quality requirements.

We are recruiting four Project Managers on 24-month fixed-term appointments. The roles are available on either a full-time or part-time basis, and we welcome applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements. If applying part-time, please indicate your preferred working pattern in your cover letter.

What You’ll be Doing

• Provide daily leadership and management of the project and project team.  
• Evaluate and present decisions that secure the benefits the project is tasked to deliver. 
• Ensure a suitable benefits realisation strategy is in place to monitor long-term benefit delivery against the business case.  
• Identify and manage stakeholder relationships ensuring necessary support at senior levels where required. 
• Manage internal and external relationships. 
• Manage supplier contracts, procurement activity and contractual performance. 
• Develop project management plans, schedules, milestones and delivery controls. 
• Manage budgets, monitor financial performance and address forecast under or overspends. 
• Identify and manage project risks, issues, dependencies and changes. 

• Coordinate project governance, assurance reviews and reporting to boards and senior leaders. 

What You’ll Bring

• A strong track record of managing projects, preferably within a related technical, scientific or engineering environment.
• A recognised project management qualification such as APM PMQ or PRINCE2.
• Demonstrable knowledge of different project delivery methodologies and their governance requirements.
• Proven capability in managing project budgets of up to £5 million annually.
• Previous responsibility for contract management and working with suppliers or contractors.
• Strong commercial awareness and experience of using project controls to support sound delivery decisions.

UKAEA is an onsite organisation, and this role requires regular onsite presence (usually 3 days per week) in line with business needs. We actively support flexible working arrangements where this is compatible with the role.

Benefits 

We have a generous range of benefits (see the full list here) and highlights include:   

• A salary of £57117 inclusive of a £5800 specialist allowance
• Up to 7% corporate performance bonus 
• Final salary defined benefits pension scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution  
• 25 days annual leave plus 2.5 ‘privilege’ days; 8 Bank Holidays
• Additional 3 days of site closure over Christmas break  
• Flexible working options plus family-friendly leave provisions  

Our commitment to ED&I 

UKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. 

Please email talent@ukaea.uk if you have any questions or require adjustments to help you participate fairly in our recruitment process, for example changes to the way we interview or share information. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience for all candidates. 

We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All appointments are made on merit and further information can be found here.