Senior Project Manager - Applied Research

Department: Project Management

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Bristol, UK

Compensation: GBP 55,000 - GBP 75,000 / year

Description

We're building the UK's next generation engineering powerhouse, providing critical technology that strengthens national security and resilience.At Rowden, we design and integrate advanced systems that sense, connect, and protect data in challenging environments where quick decisions are vital. Our solutions use intelligent automation to enhance speed and efficiency and are built to be reliable and straightforward for critical operations in remote or high-pressure settings.

Headquartered in Bristol (UK), we combine modern engineering methods with cutting-edge commercial technology to create adaptable, mission-critical systems. We focus on solving the tough challenges that others overlook, ensuring our customers can operate effectively in an ever-changing world.

About The Role

We are looking for a Senior Project Manager - Applied Research to lead customer research projects at the cutting edge of defence and national security. You'll help shape and deliver early-phase science and technology programmes - Explorative, fast-moving work that de-risks and matures the mission-winning technologies and solutions of the next generation.

This is a hands-on role that requires both technical curiosity and delivery discipline, coordinating multi-stakeholder activity, managing uncertainty, and keeping impactful projects on course. Projects will span Rowden's core technology areas, with a particular focus on machine learning and sense-and-effect systems in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Rowden is one of the UK's fastest-growing tech companies, built on a track record of delivering some of the most complex systems integration programmes in our sector. That record rests on clear standards: a relentless focus on user experience and outcomes, a commitment to delivery at pace, and trust earned through consistency and transparency.

Our customers operate in high-consequence environments, so reliability, pace, and clarity are essential. You'll ensure they experience all three through disciplined planning, transparent communication, and the ability to adapt when the situation changes.

Candidates must be eligible for SC Clearance. Due to the nature of this role and the sensitivity of the work involved, applications are restricted to UK nationals. More information about security clearance is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Key areas of responsibility

As a Project Manager at Rowden, you will be responsible for:

• Focusing on ensuring an exceptional stakeholder experience.
• Ensuring project outputs are delivered on time and within scope.
• Ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
• Facilitating strategic discussions with internal and external stakeholders.
• Capturing and maintaining project documentation.
• Developing creative solutions with internal and external suppliers.
• Managing project finances, including forecasting and budgeting.
• Documenting and communicating risks, issues, actions, decisions, and lessons.
• Defining and reviewing project metrics and KPIs.
• Establishing a communication schedule to update stakeholders on project progress.
• Ensuring clear roles and responsibilities within the project team.
• Regularly reviewing the quality of work to meet customer and Rowden standards.
• Nurturing cross-functional relationships with key stakeholders and business partners.

Key skills, experience and behaviours

We're looking for someone who is passionate about enabling innovation and who actively invests in their technical and professional growth. This role will immerse you in cutting-edge applied research where curiosity, structure, and delivery discipline all matter. You'll be learning constantly, but some key skills and experience you should already bring include:

• Proven experience managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking, with the ability to build persuasive cases for investment, experimentation, or further development.
• Confident facilitating, and sometimes leading, technical discussions across multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience with executive level communication and presentations.
• Experience in proactively identifying and planning for project risks, resolution steps and escalation needs.
• Experience in managing projects and delivering outcomes within a regulated environment or industry would be advantageous.

About You

You will be a dynamic and proactive individual with a passion for science, technology and engineering, capable of delivering projects successfully and building strong, lasting relationships. We believe the following behavioural competencies are key to success in this role:

• Excellent organisational skills.
• Work well with others and exhibit strong interpersonal skills.
• You take initiative and can make decisions under pressure by asking the right questions upfront.
• Building trust and maintaining productive relationships across varied interests.
• Remaining effective when priorities, requirements, or circumstances change.
• Handling disagreements constructively to preserve team cohesion.
• Expressing ideas clearly to stakeholders, senior leaders, and team members.
• Approaching challenges with pragmatic and creative thinking.

Working at Rowden

We are committed to building a flexible, inclusive, and enabling company. Our aim is to create a diverse team of talented people with unique skills, experience, and backgrounds, so please apply and come as you are!

We also recognise the importance of flexible working and support this wherever we can. We typically operate a flexible, hybrid-working model, with an average 3 days in the office each week (dependent on the role). We welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility, part-time working requirements and/or workplace adjustments with all our applicants.

Rowden is a Disability Confident Committed company, and we actively encourage people with disabilities and health conditions to apply for our roles. Please let us know your requirements early on so that we can make sure you have everything you need up front to help make the recruitment process and experience as easy as possible.

Finally, if you feel that you don't meet all the criteria included above but have transferable skills and relevant experience, we'd still love to hear from you!