Commercial Project Manager (SC Cleared), Defence Programme

Commercial Project Manager (SC Cleared), Defence Programme

SC cleared role | Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire | £60000 to £70000 DOE plus benefits | Permanent | Site based

The Commercial Project Manager brief in one sentence

Take sole charge of a high-value defence production programme, win commitment from every part of the factory, and turn it into progress on every customer order, delivered on time and in full.

The organisation and the programme

Our client is a specialist high-technology manufacturer near Tewkesbury, part of a privately owned UK engineering group that is growing through investment and acquisition. Having developed and qualified a new technology for a major UK defence customer, the business won a high-value volume production contract, and that contract has already grown by around a third since it was placed.

A dedicated production area and new equipment have been commissioned specifically for the programme. The engineering work is complete and the product is qualified. What matters now is delivery at volume, to a customer whose senior leadership is regularly on site and expects nothing less than on time, in full.

Why the business is appointing a Commercial Project Manager

This programme is too important to sit across several people's desks. The business wants one Commercial Project Manager who owns it from end to end, reports directly to the Managing Director and has one clear objective: securing commitment from every part of the business and turning it into progress on customer orders, delivered on time and in full. You will have regular access to the group's executive leadership and the backing to challenge any part of the business on the customer's behalf.

What you will be doing as Commercial Project Manager

Your day starts with knowing where every order stands. You will walk each production area, see the work for yourself and secure firm commitments from supervisors on what will move today and what is at risk. When a machine goes down, a material is late or another customer's order competes for capacity, you will be the first to know and the first to act, working with the Production Director, planning and quality to put a recovery plan in place and hold people to it.

You will be the customer's first point of contact. Their most senior people visit site, sometimes at short notice, and they will want straight answers from someone who knows the detail. Some of those conversations will be uncomfortable. You will handle them calmly, explain what has happened and what you are doing about it, and push back professionally when a request cannot be met. You will keep the customer's executive team and the group's executive leadership up to date on progress against every order, often daily, and join the Managing Director on occasional visits to the customer.

You will not be the technical authority. Experienced Technical, Engineering and Production Directors provide that. Your value is asking the right questions, getting clear answers quickly and turning them into commitments the customer can rely on. Pricing and contract negotiation sit with the Managing Director, so your attention stays on delivery.

What success looks like

Success is measured by one number: on time, in full. Within six months the customer should be calling you first, rather than looking for an engineer or a director. Within twelve months the programme should be running to plan, with the business trusted to take on the follow-on programmes that are already expected, and you should be the natural choice to lead them.

Is this SC cleared Commercial Project Manager role right for you?

You have spent much of your career in defence, with the Ministry of Defence, DE&S, the armed forces, a defence prime or a supplier delivering into one. You have owned delivery against production schedules, recovered programmes that were slipping and reported to senior leaders who expected the full picture. You understand how defence customers think, communicate and escalate, and you are at ease in a room with their most senior people.

You would rather be accountable for a programme than be one of several people managing it. You keep your composure when the pressure rises, you can influence people you do not manage, and you build reports that people trust because they are accurate and clearly presented. An APM, PRINCE2 or MSP qualification is welcome. An engineering degree is not essential.

SC clearance and eligibility

This is an SC cleared role. Because of the nature of the defence customer, applicants must be sole UK nationals and must hold, or have previously held, security clearance above BPSS, typically SC or DV. Lapsed clearance is welcome, so please state the level and when it was last active.

Package and location

The Commercial Project Manager role offers a base salary of £60000 to £70000, depending on experience, and a comprehensive benefits package. The role is site based five days a week near junction 9 of the M5, within easy reach of Cheltenham, Gloucester, Worcester, Malvern, Evesham, Pershore, Stroud and Hereford.

How to apply for the Commercial Project Manager (SC Cleared) role

Martin Veasey Talent Solutions is handling this appointment in confidence. Please apply with your CV and a few lines on the defence programme you are proudest of delivering. The client will be named once a confidentiality agreement is in place, and we aim to respond to every applicant within two working days.

Available immediately? An interim to permanent route is also open on a fixed term contract. Please tell us your earliest start date
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed