The Project Manager (Technical) is a key delivery role within the PCE Office at Safran Electrical & Power UK. Rather than being permanently assigned to a single programme, PMs (Technical) are deployed flexibly across the portfolio by the Engineering Acceleration Manager — directed to where they are most needed at any given time, whether that is supporting an active development programme, managing a legacy or historic programme through to close‑out, or contributing to PCE Office improvement initiatives.
Tasked by the Senior Project Manager (SPM) of the assigned programme, the PM (Technical) takes ownership of defined Work Packages and is responsible for ensuring delivery within Quality, Cost, and Schedule (QCD) objectives. They serve as a core member of the Integrated Project Team (IPT), coordinating day‑to‑day project activities, managing risks, tracking actions, and maintaining project data in Safran’s project management tools.
This role is designed both as a substantive delivery position and as a structured development pathway towards Senior Project Manager level. PMs (Technical) who demonstrate strong delivery capability and leadership potential will be supported to progress, with access to professional qualifications, mentoring, and cross‑programme exposure.
Key Responsibilities
1. Project Organisation & Structuration
- Contribute to the development and maintenance of the full project breakdown structure in accordance with Safran One Safran project management standards, comprising: Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) — the complete breakdown of the product into systems, sub‑systems, and components; Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) — the hierarchical breakdown of all tasks required to produce deliverables; Organisation Breakdown Structure (OBS) — defining Work Package ownership and team responsibilities; Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) — identifying human and material resources by skill family; and Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) — the financial framework aligned to Work Packages.
- Ensure each Work Package is thoroughly described in terms of objectives, budget, and duration, and is linked to one or more deliverables. Each Work Package must have a single identified owner.
- Support the development and maintenance of the Project Development Plan (PDP) — the reference document for the project specifying the development approach, management responsibilities, meeting rituals, decision‑making process, and applicable standards (including APQP). Ensure the PDP is updated at each major project milestone (Master Engineering Review) and remains consistent with any higher‑level programme plan.
- Develop an initial cost estimate (NRC, RC) for the assigned project or Work Package in line with programme targets, using the Safran cost estimation methodology and consistent with the WBS and macro schedule.
- Develop and maintain the Development Logic (DEVL) inputs for the project, including identification of Customer CTQs (Critical to Quality), Key Design Drivers (KDDs), project milestones, and project flowchart activities from project launch to entry into service and beyond.
- Ensure all project documentation is established, approved, and maintained in accordance with Safran project management standards, the development lifecycle process, and applicable regulatory requirements.
2. Project Support & Delivery
- Support the Senior Project Manager in day‑to‑day delivery of assigned projects, taking ownership of defined Work Packages, action logs, and milestone tracking.
- Coordinate the project team and all WBS elements to ensure delivery within QCD objectives, escalating risks and issues to the SPM promptly and with recommended courses of action.
- Participate in Integrated Project Team (IPT) meetings, capturing minutes, tracking actions, and following up with functional leads to drive closure.
- Maintain schedule updates, risk register entries, and action tracking in Planisware OSMOZ and other project management tools, ensuring data quality and timeliness.
- Contribute to project status reports and governance pack preparation, ensuring accuracy and consistency of data presented to senior stakeholders.
3. Planning, Scheduling & Reporting and Risk Management
- Establish and maintain project schedules at the appropriate level of the One Safran scheduling architecture: from Work Package‑level detailed schedules through to project‑level schedules aligned to the project Master Integrated Schedule.
- Develop and maintain the project Development Logic flowchart and milestone plan, identifying key milestones, dependencies, and critical path activities, and integrating with customer and project milestones.
- Apply rolling‑wave planning principles: maintain detailed schedule visibility for the next three to six months, extending by three months on a regular cycle; update the schedule weekly in IPT rituals.
- Establish and maintain the project baseline; trace all change requests against it and identify scope, cost, and schedule deviations clearly and promptly.
- Ensure generation of the monthly project dashboard and KPIs for all assigned projects, covering RC/NRC, milestone tracking, technical progress, deliverables, KDDs, and Earned Value data where applicable.
- Support cross‑site schedule alignment between UK, France, and US teams, coordinating inputs and dependencies with counterpart Project Managers and ensuring consistency with the Master Integrated Schedule.
- Maintain the APQP timeline for sensitive deliverables — those associated with preliminary project risks — and monitor their maturity through scheduled assessments in line with the Safran APQP standard.
- Manage project risks and opportunities in accordance with project development logic and the One Safran risk management process, considering return‑of‑experience (RETEX) from previous projects.
- Identify and maintain a maximum of seven key Development Logic (DEVL) parameters — those parameters whose major deviation would require a revision of the project’s DEVL — and maintain a risk analysis and mitigation action plan accordingly.
- Maintain project risk and opportunity registers, supporting the SPM in risk workshops, margin analysis, and review cadences. Identify alternate development paths (‘Plan B DEVL’) where appropriate.
- Conduct cost, schedule, and risk impact assessments for any project evolution or change, and present recommendations to the SPM or PCE with a clear analysis.
- Raise and track Engineering Change Requests and Change Notices in the company PLM system in line with the CR‑CN process, supporting the Configuration Management function.
- Assess and document project margins — technical, schedule, and financial — to protect the project against non‑quality events and support risk mitigation planning.
4. Customer & Stakeholder Coordination
- Support the customer relationship under direction from the Senior Project Manager, including planning coordination, scope management, and coordination of technical exchanges.
- Report project status within the project team and represent the assigned project at IPT and governance meetings.
- Build effective working relationships across UK, French, and US project teams, supporting the cross‑site collaboration model of the PCE Office.
5. Legacy & Historic Project Management
- Take ownership of historic project activities as directed, including close‑out plans, concession tracking, warranty obligations, and customer correspondence management.
- Maintain accurate project records and configuration status in line with SEP document management standards and PLM requirements.
- Liaise with Engineering, Quality, and Customer Support teams to resolve legacy project queries and obligations in a timely manner.
- Manage end‑of‑project archiving activities in accordance with Safran document retention and configuration management policies.
- Provide a synthesis at project closure covering performance versus original estimate, changes in scope, risks, and lessons learned.
6. Continuous Improvement
The Project Manager (Technical) plays an active role in the continuous improvement of project management practice. This includes contributing lessons learned from project delivery into the wider engineering community, supporting the improvement and consistent application of project management methods and tools, and actively participating in the Safran Project Management network and expert community. The Project Manager (Technical) is expected to champion best practice, share knowledge across sites, and support the development of good project management discipline within the team.
7. Compliance & Governance
- Ensure proper application of Safran Group project management processes and standards across all assigned projects, including compliance with the development lifecycle process, applicable internal governance controls, and APQP requirements.
- Apply the One Safran Management Cycles framework: maintain a structured calendar of project management rituals (weekly work package meetings, weekly/monthly project reviews) covering risk and opportunity management, scope and configuration management, resource and capacity management, and financial reporting (ETC/EAC/variance analysis).
- Ensure proper workload and capacity management on assigned projects using the company project management tool, flagging constraints and resourcing risks early and coordinating with line managers as required.
Person Specification
Essential Experience & Qualifications
- Demonstrable experience in project management within an engineering environment, with a strong track record of delivering against QCD (Quality, Cost, Schedule) objectives.
- Practical experience applying project structuration frameworks equivalent to the Safran One Safran standard: PBS, WBS, OBS, RBS, and CBS — including creating and maintaining these structures collaboratively with project and functional teams.
- Experience developing and maintaining a Project Development Plan (PDP) or equivalent project reference document, covering development approach, team organisation, meeting rituals, decision‑making, and applicable standards.
- Working knowledge of cost estimation methodologies (NRC/RC) and the ability to develop and converge bottom‑up estimates against top‑down programme targets.
- Experience in risk and opportunity management including planning activities: identifying customer Critical To Quality metrics, establishing project milestones, building development flowcharts, assessing margins, and maintaining mitigation plans.
- Experience leading or coordinating cross‑functional project teams in a matrix organisation, with familiarity with Work Package management and multi‑level scheduling architectures (master schedule to detailed Work Package schedule).
- Proficiency in project management methodologies and tools — planning, scheduling, cost structuring, monitoring, and control — in line with a stage‑gate development lifecycle.
- Degree‑level qualification in Engineering, Project Management, or a closely related discipline — or equivalent combination of education and demonstrable work experience.
Desirable Experience
- Aerospace and/or defence project management experience, with familiarity with regulated development processes.
- Knowledge of an equivalent stage‑gate development lifecycle process.
- Knowledge of Planisware OSMOZ (Safran’s project management platform) or equivalent enterprise PM/ERP system.
- Familiarity with the company PLM system and engineering change management processes.
- Experience of APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) and aerospace quality standards (AS9100).
- APM PMQ, PMP, or equivalent professional project management qualification (or willingness to work towards one).
- Experience with Agile project management methodology and its application in an engineering development context.
- French language skills (working proficiency) — beneficial for cross‑site coordination with the programme community.
Skills & Behaviours
- Delivery Focus: Gets things done. Tracks actions relentlessly, follows through on commitments, and drives progress without needing constant direction.
- Structured Planning: Brings rigour to scheduling and Work Package management. Creates clarity from complexity through well‑maintained plans and trackers.
- Adaptability: Comfortable moving between programmes, priorities, and contexts. Embraces the flexible deployment model and thrives in a varied, fast‑paced environment.
- Collaboration: A natural team player who builds effective working relationships across functions and sites; fosters an inclusive, supportive team culture.
- Communication: Clear and concise — both written and verbal. Able to present project status accurately to a range of audiences, and to coach others on effective communication.
- Problem Solving: Self‑motivated with strong problem‑solving and decision‑making skills. Proactive in identifying issues and escalating with a recommended solution rather than the problem alone.
- Emotional Resilience: Able to work effectively against demanding targets in a complex, multi‑disciplined environment, maintaining composure and focus under pressure.
- Autonomy: Able to organise activity, manage priorities, and take decisions within their scope without requiring constant supervision.
- Learning Mindset: Actively seeks to develop PM skills and knowledge; engages with coaching, feedback, and formal development opportunities.
This role is designed as both a substantive delivery position and a structured development pathway towards Senior Project Manager level within the PCE Office and the wider Safran engineering community. PMs (Technical) who demonstrate strong delivery capability, cross‑programme breadth, and leadership potential will be actively supported to progress into programme‑aligned SPM roles as they develop.
Training & Development
- Safran University and the Group’s internal training and development programmes.
- APM PMQ or equivalent professional PM qualification — with funding and study support provided.
- Mentoring and coaching from Senior Project Managers and the Engineering Acceleration Manager.
- Cross‑programme and cross‑site exposure through the flexible cross‑programme deployment model.
- Early finish on a Friday - 0800‑1645 Mon‑Thurs, 0800‑1200 Friday
- Onsite canteen
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