Head of Project Management
Salary £ 70,000 - 75,000 per annum
Bedford
Vacancy listed 31/03/2026
Application deadline 30/04/2026
Details
ARA is a unique SME representing some of the best engineering of our time. With a strong and rich heritage, we are proud to have a passionate workforce of highly skilled engineering and aerodynamic professionals. We are a leading specialist in model design and manufacture, aerodynamic testing and numerous associated technologies, e.g. Computational Fluid Dynamics.  We are actively involved in research, providing meaningful and innovative solutions and services to our global customer base.

Our site in Bedford is centred around our impressive transonic wind tunnel – the equipment which drives it – whilst the research performed is often unique to ARA and involves many bespoke processes.

We are looking to recruit a Head of Project Management to lead the definition and implementation of a professional, fit-for-purpose project management capability across ARA spanning customer and internally funded projects, covering the complete project lifecycle from prospect to closure.  This role has direct delivery responsibility for all customer-funded (external) projects, discharged through a team of Delivery Project Managers.  In addition, there is a functional governance responsibility for all project managers and all project management activity.

Typical hours: Full-time, 38-hour per week  

Salary range: up to £75K (depending on experience)

Grade: 3

Main Duties and Responsibilities:
 
·   Develop and lead the project management Vision across the organisation
  • Lead a team of Delivery Project Managers, helping set priorities and acting as a point of escalation
  • Lead development and evolution of the project management processes and tools, including introduction of appropriate process KPIs
  • Tailoring corporate requirements and implementing as appropriate for ARA
  • Support and develop the Delivery Project Managers to increase their acumen, help them anticipate issues and offer specific technical project management support as required
  • Develop and mature the Sales & Operations Plan and Integrated Resource Plan
  • Improve key project data reporting capability, working with the Senior Leadership Team to understand options for action
  • Providing project management governance and support to the other Project Managers across ARA
  • Contribute to the general success of the business as a senior member of the management team
 
 
Additional Requirements:

 
People and Behaviour
  • Create an environment of professional, respectful behaviour across teams and stakeholders
  • Build and sustain a collaborative, high-performance team culture aligned to organisational values
  • Ensure open, transparent, and effective communication across teams and levels
  • Take accountability for team and individual performance, conduct, and capability
  • Embed organisational values, policies, and the Code of Conduct into everyday decision-making and leadership practices
  • Champion inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunity across the workforce
  • Champion employee wellbeing by fostering a supportive team culture and ensuring employees have access to the guidance and resources they need
 
Development and Accountability
  • Lead and oversee performance discussions (P&DRs), capability development, and succession planning
  • Establish and cascade departmental targets aligned to organisational strategy, track performance against key measures, and communicate progress, risks, and outcomes to teams and senior stakeholders
  • Ensure effective feedback, coaching, and development frameworks are applied consistently
  • Identify, address, and escalate strategic, operational, or people-related risks and issues
  • Ensure effective cadence of team meetings and meaningful one-to-one engagement across teams
  • Drive a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence
  • Ensure compliance with site security procedures and project security requirements
 
Health and Safety Responsibilities
  • Role Model active health and safety leadership, e.g. challenging unsafe acts, prioritising health and safety improvements, sponsoring completion of preventive and corrective actions, promoting actions that support employee health and wellbeing 
  • Take accountability for ensuring the project management team understand their health and safety responsibilities (to themselves and their colleagues) 
  • Ensure systems and processes are in place for the project management team to comply with quality, health, safety, and wellbeing requirements
  • Ensure the project management team follow all relevant health and safety controls
  • Ensure project management team complete all relevant health and safety training in a timely manner 
 
Skills and Attributes:

Technical Skills 
  • Ability to analyse and interrogate project performance data, conveying key messages to senior stakeholders
  • Build sufficient technical understanding of ARA operation to help Delivery Project Managers challenge Technical Managers’ estimating and delivery performance
  • Critically evaluate Project Management Plans and offer specific coaching input to improve
 
Competencies
  • Ability to quickly understand the operating landscape and set both own and team priorities
  • Self-starter who is comfortable acting autonomously but engages stakeholders appropriately
  • Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to foster collaborative working relationships with colleagues at all levels
  • Strong customer focus, including the ability to have constructively challenging conversations
  • Be readily adaptable to changing circumstances and comfortable with ambiguity 
  • Flexible, positive attitude and approach
  • Drive and commitment to improve own skills and be receptive to new ideas and ways of working
  • Keen attention to detail, in terms of quality of work produced and adherence to project schedules
  • Able to analyse situations, anticipate challenges, and develop clear plans that support long‑term goals
 
Teamwork and Leadership
  • A team player, confident and capable of mentoring and coaching less experienced colleagues
  • Possess strong leadership credentials including inter-personal and people management skills
  • Competent in making critical decisions promptly
  • Have a desire to succeed, see those around them achieve success, and be driven by continuous improvement
  • A collaborative problem solver
 
Qualifications/Experience:
 
Essential
  • Formal project management qualification (e.g. APMP, PMQ, PMP, Prince 2) or demonstrated experience in managing complex projects
  • Ability to understand a technical narrative in unfamiliar disciplines with guidance from technical experts; employing questioning to ascertain necessary understanding
  • Experience of managing a project management team in a commercial, high tempo environment
  • Experience of implementing process improvement and change across an organisation
  • Track record of delivering a portfolio of technically demanding and multidisciplinary projects simultaneously and within demanding quality/cost/schedule constraints
  • Use of best practice project management processes and toolsets
  • Must be eligible to hold UK security clearance
 
Desirable
  • Educated to degree level in a STEM subject or equivalent skills or experience in a technically demanding discipline
  • Experience leading a project management team in an Aerospace or Defence organisation
  • Experience in building a project management capability in a SME environment
  • Some commercial experience / exposure to contract negotiations

Please note that we operate a preferred supplier list for recruitment agencies. We are not seeking additional agency support for this vacancy and kindly ask that speculative approaches are not made.
 
The successful candidate must satisfy security clearance requirements – including the last 5 years continual UK residency.
 
Aircraft Research Association Ltd is proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. We recognise the value in an inclusive and diverse workforce and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified people.
 

Benefits

Annual leave – 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays per annum
Contributory pension scheme whereby the company matches up to a 7% contribution
Private medical insurance
Life cover of 3 x basic annual salary
Enhanced company sick pay
BAE shares as part of the BAE share incentive plan (SIP)

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