Senior Project Manager – Factory Expansion & Manufacturing Readiness
Location: Rugby, UK
Reporting to: UK Defence Portfolio Leader
Key Interfaces: Factory Director, Site Leadership Team, Infrastructure Senior Project Manager, Project Control, Engineering, Procurement, Supply Chain, Construction & Commissioning Teams
Role OverviewWe will oversee the end-to-end delivery of a major machine shop and factory extension programme, acting as the overall Project Management lead. The role is accountable for the full lifecycle delivery of the facility, from early definition through construction coordination, equipment specification and procurement, installation, commissioning, and final readiness for manufacturing operations. The successful candidate will act as the primary customer‑facing representative, ensuring alignment with key stakeholders, including UK Defence customers, while working closely with the Infrastructure Senior Project Manager who will lead building and civil works. This role is critical to ensuring the facility is delivered on time, fully operational, production‑ready, and aligned with business objectives.
Key Responsibilities
- Overall Project Leadership & Delivery – Own full project lifecycle delivery of the factory extension and machine shop capability.
- Integrated project plan – Lead planning for equipment definition and procurement, factory fit‑out and layout, installation and commissioning, manufacturing readiness and ramp‑up.
- Maintain delivery on time, within budget, and in line with safety, quality, and performance targets.
- Customer & Stakeholder Management – Act as the primary interface with end customers, lead all customer communications, governance, and reporting, and ensure close alignment on contractual flowdowns, change control, cost management, reporting and funding approvals.
- Build strong relationships with portfolio leadership, factory director and site teams, and programme and executive stakeholders.
- Prepare and lead steering committees and project reviews.
- Integration with Infrastructure Delivery – Work in partnership with the Infrastructure Senior Project Manager, consultants and building contractor to align building readiness, utilities and services, and equipment installation requirements.
- Manage dependencies between construction and manufacturing system installation.
- Equipment & Factory Fit‑Out – Lead definition, specification, and procurement of machine tooling and production equipment, finalise factory layout, process flows, and production capability requirements, coordinate suppliers and installation planning, and ensure readiness of tooling, fixtures and production systems.
- Commissioning & Manufacturing Readiness – Lead commissioning strategy and execution, and ensure the facility achieves operational readiness, safety certification and production capability validation. Support initial production ramp‑up and issue resolution.
- Financial & Commercial Accountability – Own project P&L, cost control, revenue forecasting, and cash flow; ensure full compliance with UK Government Single Source Contracting Regulations, monthly cost reporting and evidence, and claim support; drive financial discipline through budget management, cost optimisation initiatives and supplier and contract management; identify and deliver cost‑out and value opportunities.
- Risk & Opportunity Management – Lead project‑wide risk & opportunity management process, maintain and communicate R&O registers, define and execute mitigation strategies, and elevate critical risks with proactive solutions.
- Project Governance, Planning & PMO Practices – Establish and lead robust project governance, reporting and KPIs; implement best‑in‑class project management practices, milestone tracking, visual management and performance dashboards; drive structured reporting internally and to customers.
- Cross‑functional Team Leadership – Lead a multidisciplinary project team across manufacturing, procurement, engineering, construction & commissioning, quality, finance and planning.
- Continuous Improvement & Lessons Learned – Implement continuous improvement processes, capture lessons learned, integrate into execution strategy, and drive operational excellence and process optimisation.
Qualifications & Experience
- Extensive experience as a Senior Project Manager delivering complex industrial or manufacturing projects.
- Proven track record in factory build/expansion/industrialisation projects, equipment installation and commissioning.
- Strong understanding of engineering, procurement, manufacturing and construction lifecycles.
- Demonstrated experience in customer-facing leadership roles.
- Experience managing large budgets, contracts and commercial performance.
- Knowledge of manufacturing processes, industrial environments, lean, continuous improvement and operational excellence.
- Experience in defence or regulated industries preferred (SC clearance required or eligible).
Key Skills & Competencies
- Strong leadership and stakeholder management capability.
- Excellent communication skills at executive and operational levels.
- Strategic mindset with a strong delivery focus.
- High level of financial and commercial acumen.
- Ability to manage complexity, ambiguity and multiple interfaces.
- Problem‑solving mindset with structured decision‑making.
- Experience leading large cross‑functional teams in complex environments.
Success Measures
- Facility delivered on time, on budget and fully operational.
- Successful commissioning and manufacturing readiness achieved.
- Strong customer satisfaction and stakeholder alignment.
- Effective integration between infrastructure and production systems.
- Delivery of financial targets and project performance metrics.
SC Level clearance is required. Applicants not cleared will not be accepted into the business until clearance is provided. Dual passport holders are acceptable if the second country is approved by the vetting authority.
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