Project Manager | Circa £50,000 negotiable + excellent benefits | Permanent | Hybrid 

Are you ready to make a real impact? As a Project Manager with us, you'll play a crucial role in planning, executing, and completing transformational projects that align with our strategic vision. You'll collaborate with multiple teams and stakeholders, driving initiatives that shape the future of our company.

As well as managing individual projects, you’ll facilitate communication and collaboration between multiple delivery teams, ensuring they are working towards common goals and priorities. To achieve success in this role, you’ll need to adopt an agile mindset, embracing flexibility, iterative development, and collaboration.

This is your opportunity to be at the heart of exciting projects and make a significant difference!

What you'll be doing:

• Strategic Planning & Execution: Lead the creation and execution of detailed project plans that ensure all activities are organised and aligned with our project management framework.
• Innovative Research & Workshops: Conduct cutting-edge research and facilitate engaging workshops to define and agree on project deliverables.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, addressing their needs and concerns effectively.
• Requirements Analysis: Identify, document, and validate project requirements, ensuring clarity and eliminating confusion. Define testing scripts and verification criteria to meet these requirements.
• Proactive Risk Management: Assist in identifying and mitigating risks, issues, dependencies, and constraints associated with projects.
• Insightful Project Reviews: Draft reports and presentations to support project reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Resource Optimisation: Support the effective deployment and utilisation of project resources.
• Comprehensive Documentation & Training: Prepare complex documents, gather data for special reports, and contribute to user training and post-project reviews.
• Continuous Learning & Development: Develop your skills through ongoing education, training, and staying updated with industry best practices.

Skills & experience that will set you up for success in this role:

• Qualifications & Experience: Industry-recognised qualification(s) and/or demonstrable work experience in project management.
• Coordination & Facilitation: Experienced in the facilitation of Programme Increment Planning sessions. Defining dependencies and order of priority across directorates.
• Stakeholder Management: Ability to work positively with stakeholders to achieve outcomes and deliver change.
• Relationship Building: Proven ability to build strong relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Organisational Skills: Exceptional planning and organisational skills to manage conflicting requirements.
• Agile Mindset: Experienced facilitator and communicator, with the ability to foster a collaborative environment where teams can thrive, and priorities are confirmed.
• Influence & Decision-Making: Confident decision-maker with the ability to influence others and resolve conflicts empathetically.
• Communication: Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Leadership: Self-motivated with a proven ability to lead, engage, and motivate teams.
• Positive Attitude: A proactive, ‘can do’ approach and the ability to work at pace.

Additional skills / experience we'd welcome in the team (desirable):

• Programme Management: Experience managing cross-organisational programmes.
• Forward-Thinking: A mindset capable of anticipating and navigating challenges in a dynamic environment.
• Change Management: Knowledge of change management principles and experience embedding change.
• Professional Membership: Member of the Association for Project Management.

Did you know...

Research tells us that men are more likely to apply to jobs if they meet only 60% of the criteria, whereas women often hesitate or don't apply unless they meet all of the criteria. This difference in application behaviour can contribute to the gender gap in career advancement and opportunities.

We know the perfect candidate doesn't exist! If you think you have what it takes but don't tick every box, we'd still encourage you to apply - it could be a perfect fit!

Perks & Benefits

Salary - Circa £50,000 negotiable dependent on skills & experience.

• 10% non-contributory pension
• 29 days holiday (inclusive of Christmas shutdown) + public holidays
• Group Life Assurance (equal to 3 x basic salary)
• Group Income Protection (after 2 years’ service)
• Salary Sacrifice schemes (cycle to work, home & tech scheme)
• Moneyhealth’s Financial Coaching & Wellbeing Platform
• Health Cash Plan (cash back on eligible medical treatments)
• Benenden Health Care (opt-in benefit)
• Reward & Recognition Programme
• Discounted gym membership
• Sports & Social club
• Payroll charitable giving
• Subsidised on-site restaurant
• Free on-site parking

When we work

Our standard working hours are 8:30 - 16:30 Monday - Thursday, early finish on Friday - 8:30 - 15:45 (Talk to us about flexible working if this doesn’t quite suit you – we take work-life balance seriously!)

How we work

We understand the benefits of remote and in-person collaboration, and therefore have a hybrid working model – you’ll be expected to work from our office in Thatcham at least two days per week.

What we do

At the cutting edge of automotive research in the UK, Thatcham Research has a unique role in shaping the design of new vehicles and influencing ever higher standards of safety, security and repair. With an on-site Crash Laboratory, Repair Technology Centre and Training Academy, our research expertise is driving some of the very latest automotive developments in technology, materials and standards in this fast moving and highly technical industry.

Our active safety track site is one of the leading accredited Euro NCAP testing facilities, trialling and assessing the very latest developments in vehicle safety and assistance technologies.

Our Values

As an organisation that believes a strong set of Values are key to our organisational success and a sense of belonging for all colleagues, we ask that you understand, represent and apply our Values of Fearless, Inquisitive, Resourceful, Supportive and Trusted and demonstrate these Values throughout the recruitment process.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace which values diversity and embraces each individual's authentic self. We are proud to champion a culture where colleagues freely share their diverse perspectives, recognising that these contribute to our innovative spirit. Our journey of growth and understanding is continuous as we actively invest in diversity training, workshops, and partnerships to ensure positive change.

Beyond our membership in the Automotive 30% Club, we collaborate with various organisations to advance equity not only in gender but also across ethnicity, age, disability, social mobility, LGBTQ+ identities, experiences, and thinking. Our aspiration is to create an environment where everyone thrives, achieves, and experiences a genuine sense of belonging.

Recruitment process

We’re proud to manage our recruitment in-house and believe this direct approach enables us to give you the best possible Employee Experience we can – which starts right here, your application! We’re continuously striving to improve the candidate journey, and transparency (or communication) is a key area of focus – yes, even with salary & benefits.

What can you expect from our recruitment process?

• Regular updates on the progress / outcome of your application
• An initial telephone screening call with our Recruitment Business Partner
• First interview with the hiring manager, usually via Teams
• Second/Final interview, in-person at our office (we may give you a role specific task to present on!)
• Personalised feedback following your interview – because everyone deserves that!
• An opportunity to give us your honest feedback in a short survey on all of the above

We’re committed to removing invisible barriers. If there are any adjustments we can make to better support you, please let us know when you apply.

All applicants must have Right to Work in the UK.