Senior Project Manager – Digital MES; FTC

Job Description Summary

As Senior Project Manager – Digital MES, you will deliver a new Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for our Cheltenham facility. This is the first site to be upgraded as part of a global programme of similar upgrades. Working closely with the IT project manager, you will own the end‑to‑end deployment of the MES solution r role focuses on schedule, cost, risk management, production continuity, cross‑functional collaboration, and supplier contract management.

The project is a two‑year fixed‑term contract.

Lead the full lifecycle of the site MES project from planning and requirements through design, build, test, deployment, and stabilisation.

• Develop and maintain an integrated site‑level schedule covering process design, system configuration, infrastructure, data readiness, testing, training, cutover, and change management.
• Drive clear stage‑gate reviews with site and functional stakeholders, ensuring decisions, scope, and priorities are documented and understood.

• Establish and manage the site project baseline for schedule and budget, tracking progress, forecasting to completion and managing integration with global programme.
• Maintain a structured risk and issue log with clear owners, mitigation plans, and follow‑up.
• Proactively identify schedule and cost risks, propose recovery plans, and escalates issues when needed with recommended options.

• Protect production continuity by planning cutovers, data migrations, and system changes around key production windows and customer deliveries.
• Work with shop leadership and supervisors to define readiness activities, including trials, simulations, and parallel runs where appropriate.
• Coordinate training, floor support and hyper‑care to ensure a stable transition from legacy processes/systems to the new MES.

• Lead a cross‑functional site core team including operations, manufacturing engineering, quality, planning, materials, IT/OT and maintenance.
• Facilitate decisions on process standardization, work instructions and system configuration, balancing business requirements with solution standards.
• Ensure alignment with site safety, quality, cybersecurity and regulatory requirements throughout the project.

• Partner with Sourcing and Legal to manage MES and related services suppliers supporting the site deployment.
• Oversee supplier performance against scope, schedule, cost and quality commitments, including change requests and extensions.
• Conduct regular supplier check‑ins and governance sessions to review progress, risks and open actions.

• Work with selected vendors to build and execute a communication plan for site leadership, functional stakeholders and shop‑floor users.
• Provide clear, concise project status updates, including milestones, risks and decision needs, to site leadership and sponsors.
• Support change management activities, including user engagement, demos and communications that explain impacts and benefits.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Information Technology, Business or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Extensive project management experience delivering complex digital or manufacturing system projects within a highly regulated industry sector environment.
• Demonstrated experience implementing MES, ERP or similar shop‑floor systems in a live production environment.
• Proven ability to manage schedule, budget and scope with measurable results.
• Strong risk and issue management capabilities with experience driving mitigation and escalation.
• Experience working with external suppliers and managing contracts, statements of work and performance.
• Proficiency with project management tools for scheduling, resource planning and reporting.

• Master’s degree in engineering, Business or a related discipline.
• Formal project management certification (PMP, Prince2 or equivalent).
• Experience in aerospace, aviation or other highly regulated manufacturing industries.
• Direct experience with MES platforms (e.g., Ibase
  
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