Principal Project Manager

Role summary: Leading the delivery of a defined project within a significant asset management and technology transformation programme. The role will oversee the deployment of new systems, processes, data and ways of working across one or more operational sites.

Working within a wider programme of concurrent projects, the Project Manager will be accountable for successful project delivery while coordinating closely with programme leadership, project teams, functional stakeholders and suppliers. The role will manage key dependencies, resources, risks and interfaces to ensure delivery remains aligned with wider business objectives.

You will be experienced in managing complex transformation projects within a structured or regulated environment and will be comfortable working across business, technical, data, operational and change functions.

What you will be doing:

• Provide overall leadership for the project throughout its lifecycle, maintaining focus on agreed outcomes.

• Establish clear direction, priorities and accountability across the project team.

• Coordinate delivery across multiple functions and resolve ambiguity, conflicts and gaps in ownership.

• Develop and maintain integrated project plans covering activities, milestones, dependencies and key interfaces.

• Monitor project performance, challenge assumptions and identify emerging delivery risks and concerns.

• Manage changes to scope, priorities, resources and delivery plans, ensuring impacts are assessed and communicated.

• Maintain effective project governance, assurance and reporting arrangements.

• Provide senior stakeholders with clear, evidence-based updates on progress, risks, issues, priorities and delivery confidence.

• Proactively manage risks, issues, dependencies and cross-project impacts, escalating where appropriate.

• Identify and secure the capability and capacity required to deliver the project.

• Establish clear responsibilities and effective ways of working across matrix teams.

• Manage resource demand and availability, particularly where specialist capability is shared across concurrent projects.

• Build effective relationships with programme leadership, project teams, functional stakeholders, operational sites and suppliers.

• Ensure operational needs and constraints are understood and reflected in project delivery.

• Facilitate collaboration, alignment and decision-making across projects and organisational boundaries.

• Communicate complex information clearly to technical, operational and executive audiences.

• Coordinate business, data, technology and operational activities required for successful delivery.

• Manage interfaces and dependencies with other projects and workstreams, including shared resources and sequencing.

• Maintain focus on implementation readiness, user adoption and sustainable transition into operations.

• Maintain appropriate oversight of project costs, commitments and financial performance.

• Support commercial and investment decisions with clear project delivery insight.

• Manage supplier expectations and monitor their contribution to project outcomes.

• Ensure commercial decisions and changes support value, affordability and delivery objectives.

• Produce high-quality project documentation, reports, decision papers and executive presentations.

Formal qualifications or training:

• Significant experience managing complex projects within a multi-project programme or transformation environment.

• Demonstrable experience delivering projects against defined time, cost, quality, scope and governance expectations.

• Experience developing integrated project plans, establishing baselines and managing forecast variance and change.

• Experience coordinating business, technical, data, testing, change, training and operational-readiness activities.

• Strong experience of project governance, assurance, risk and dependency management.

• Experience planning resources and delivering through matrix teams where specialist capability is shared across projects.

• Experience working in a regulated, safety-conscious, public-sector, infrastructure, engineering or similarly controlled environment.

• Experience of asset management, maintenance management, enterprise systems or technology implementation would be advantageous.

• Experience of multi-site transformation or operational system deployment would be advantageous.

• Knowledge of data migration, data governance, reporting or master-data transformation would be advantageous.

• Experience managing systems integrators, technology suppliers or specialist contractors would be advantageous.

• Familiarity with project planning and controls tools such as Primavera P6, Microsoft Project or equivalent would be advantageous.

• Strong leadership, communication, influencing, analytical and stakeholder-management skills.

• Ability to work effectively with geographically dispersed teams and travel to operational sites where required.

Make a Difference with DBD:

At DBD, we know you're looking for more than just a job - you aspire to make a real impact in the nuclear industry. We offer unique opportunities for growth, empowering you to take influential roles within client organisations.

Our dedicated team collaborates with clients to positively influence projects across Defence, Decommissioning and New Builds. Having doubled in headcount year-on-year, over the past two years, we continue to welcome new, talented individuals to our team.

We're committed to your success. DBD invests in your development and supports your career trajectory in any direction you want to take it.

Join us to play a key role in shaping the nuclear sector's future.

Make a difference today with DBD.

Benefits: up to 20% bonus, 25 days holiday, enhanced pension, private health insurance, private dental, and more