Program Manager

East Midlands based | Major OEM account | Great career prospects

OK - this is not your typical job advert... but then it's not a typical PM job.

There are three main components to it...

You'll be working with an international aerospace company and running the delivery of an existing contract with their major OEM customer. That means looking after the main KPIs - cost, quality, delivery, and keeping the customer happy. That's the part you'll probably expect if you're a PM now.

You'll also be responsible for growing the account: spotting new opportunities within it, building relationships beyond your day-to-day contacts, and contributing to the company's sales activities with other major customers internationally.

Additionally, you will support the global sales team with pricing, building cost models, and writing quotations for new opportunities as they land - and they land frequently.

Oh, and you'll need to be a qualified mechanical engineer. Because the technical conversations about design modifications with customers need to be credible, not just commercial.

Most people are strong in one of these three areas, competent in a second, and light (at best) on the third. That's why this role is hard to fill. Is it program management, is it sales, is it bids and proposals? It's actually a bit of all three. But that's what makes it interesting.

Also interesting is the long-term career progression that this role offers - which we can talk about further down the line.

Who am I looking for?

To do this well, you'll need a mechanical engineering qualification and a background in a relevant engineered-products environment. Real experience of managing a substantial project or programme, and genuine commercial exposure - pricing, quotations, tenders or proposals you've actually built, not just seen.

You'll also need evidence that you've grown a customer relationship or spotted an opportunity within one, rather than just maintained it. I'm looking for someone with confidence with numbers and commercial judgement under pressure, and the ability to be commercially and technically credible with stakeholders at all levels in large international customers.

Aerospace OEM experience is ideal, but if your background is in automotive, defence, capital equipment, or other high-value engineered-products, with real experience of major-customer relationships, ...