Project Manager

Role Overview

AB Dynamics is looking for a Project Manager to manage the successful delivery of a variety of technical and non-technical projects of varying scope, scale, and budget.

Reporting to the Head of Programmes, the Project Manager will be responsible for ensuring the efficient planning, execution, and delivery of assigned projects, to facilitate on-time and on-budget delivery to the required company standards and quality.

As the main point of contact for all project-based communication, the Project Manager should have excellent communication skills to build effective working relationships with all company departments, as well as internal and external customers. In addition, the role requires that the Project Manager be responsible for regular governance reporting to the Head of Programmes and relevant senior managers within the business. 

The successful candidate will be motivated, enthusiastic, and keen to develop within the Project Manager role.

Responsibilities

• Work with responsible departments within ABDynamics to define project activities and schedules.
• Engage with all project stakeholders to verify and validate the project scope, ensuring you thoroughly understand the contractual requirements of each project.
• Monitor scope creep and requirement compliance by coordinating with the project Technical Lead, subject matter experts and other key project team members and stakeholders.
• Detail project plans, including key milestones and project review meetings, to ensure clear communication with internal teams and customers. This will include the consideration of procurement lead times, assembly, test, and shipping/ logistics.
• Monitor, report, and manage the project budget, and identify and take actions to avoid any negative impact on the declared profit margin. This will include producing costing forecasts.
• Ensure project plans are harmonised with other business systems, e.g. MRP system, to develop predictive activities such as procurement of long lead times. This includes capturing any scope creep and working with the Business Development team to evaluate potential variations.
• Hold and chair regular project progress review meetings, cost register reviews, negotiations, risk mitigation sessions, marketing updates, and scope management discussions.
• Run Start-up meetings, daily stand-ups, monthly project reviews, Contract Status Reviews (CSRs) and Gate Reviews with the team, ensuring full involvement and support of all service providers and independents as required.
• Produce regular governance reports for each managed project, illustrating and providing evidence for the relative ‘health’ of the project.
• Demonstrate a clear overview of progress, risk, issues, and readiness at reviews with clear and accurate signed-off minutes issued, and all actions logged/progressed through a central action log.
• Ensure that project non-conformances are regularly reviewed and that there is a plan for their closure in a timely manner.
• Ensure the manufacturing costs for new products are defined and manage the engineering activity to ensure targets are met. Work closely with cross-functional engineering design teams, including electronics, mechanical, and software, in a matrix organisation.

Essential

• 3-5 years of experience in project managing small to medium-sized projects (projects may include Engineer to order, New Product Development, Continuous Product Development)
• Experience in managing multi-disciplinary project teams to achieve successful project delivery,
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Tools, specifically MS Project, Excel and Word.
• Confident and effective communicator with a good level of written and oral English
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to work within a defined project delivery process (life cycle management, New Product Development, Stage Gate development, waterfall methodologies)

Desirable

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent qualification) in Engineering or related field in robotics, mechatronics, autonomous systems, electronic engineering, or mechanical engineering.
• A relevant Project Management qualification (Prince 2, APM).
• Experience working within any of the automotive, defence, agriculture, materials handling or general software industries.
• Familiarity with JIRA issue tracking and management software
• Familiarity with requirements management and associated management tools – e.g JAMA
• Familiarity with the IFS Enterprise Resource Planning tool

Why join us?

We are part of the AB Dynamics Group, an innovative, dynamic listed business with a friendly and supportive working environment. In addition to competitive salaries, our attractive benefits package includes a discretionary company bonus scheme, 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays), and generous company pension contributions.

At AB Dynamics Group we set ourselves ambitious objectives and strive to work according to our values of customers, people, diversity, innovation, excellence and responsibility. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We do not discriminate against staff based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.