Rapid Fusion
Project Manager
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Project Manager – Own our projects from bid to through-life support, and build the PMO
Location: Exeter, UK (Clyst Honiton) — Onsite and at customer facilities
Travel: Yes
Salary: Competitive + benefits + expenses
Type: Full-time, permanent
About Rapid Fusion
Rapid Fusion designs, builds and delivers large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) systems for polymer components, from our R&D centre at Skypark in Exeter. Every pellet extruder and robotic 3D-printing cell we make is designed and built in the UK. We supply customers in aerospace and defence (including the MOD), automotive, construction and marine, as well as universities and research centres, directly and through resellers worldwide. We move fast, and every system we ship is a project in its own right.
The Role
We're looking for a Project Manager to take our customer and internal projects from first bid to long-term support, and to put in place the project management structure a growing technology business needs.
You'll run each project end to end: from the bid and project initiation, through ordering components, manufacturing and installation, to acceptance testing, customer training and through-life support. You'll also lead internal projects as we grow, such as new facilities, systems and process improvements.
This is our first dedicated project management role, so you'll set the standard. You'll design and roll out a compliant project framework that fits our ISO 9001 quality system and the needs of aerospace and defence customers. As the business grows, the role has clear room to establish a Project Management Office (PMO) and build and lead a project management team.
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What you’ll do
Deliver customer projects end to end. Throughout each project, you’ll own the plan, budget, risks, changes and customer communication, and report progress to the leadership team.
Stage - Your contribution
- Bid - Work with the sales and engineering on scope, schedule, cost and risk for tenders and proposals
- Project initiation - Run kick-off, agree scope and acceptance criteria with the customer, set up the plan, budget, risk register and reporting
- Procurement - Coordinate ordering of components and bought-in items; track lead times, suppliers and deliveries
- Manufacturing - Plan build slots with production, track progress, manage changes and escalate issues
- Acceptance testing - Plan and manage factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT) and customer sign-off
- Training - Schedule and coordinate operator and maintenance training
- Through-life support - Hand over to support, manage warranty and service commitments, and capture lessons learned
Lead internal projects
Run internal projects that help us scale, from new facilities and equipment to systems and process changes.
Apply the same discipline to internal work as to customer projects.
Build our project management framework
Design and implement a compliant project lifecycle, with stage gates, templates, and controls for risk, change and documents.
Align the framework with our ISO 9001 quality management system and relevant customer and defence requirements.
Introduce practical tools and reporting that suit a fast-moving team of our size.
Grow the function over time into a PMO, and recruit and develop a project management team.
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What you’ll bring
Essential
- Design and implement a compliant project lifecycle, with stage gates, templates, and controls for risk, change and documents.
- Align the framework with our ISO 9001 quality management system and relevant customer and defence requirements.
- Introduce practical tools and reporting that suit a fast-moving team of our size.
- Grow the function over time into a PMO, and recruit and develop a project management team.
- Eligibility for UK security clearance.
Desirable
- A project management qualification, such as APM PFQ/PMQ, PRINCE2 Practitioner or PMP.
- Experience in advanced manufacturing, robotics, CNC, automation or capital equipment.
- Exposure to aerospace, defence or MOD projects and their documentation requirements.
- Experience of factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT) and installation projects.
- An engineering or technical background.
- Experience of setting up project processes or a PMO.
What We Offer
- A competitive salary and benefits package (TBC).
- The chance to shape how a fast-moving UK technology company delivers its projects, from day one.
- A clear path to lead a PMO and build your own team as we grow.
- Varied work across the full lifecycle, on some of the largest polymer 3D-printing systems built in the UK.
- Direct access to the MD and CTO, and the freedom to make real decisions.
- Customers and partners across aerospace, defence, automotive, marine and research.
How to Apply
Send your CV and a brief note on your relevant experience to matthew.duckering@rapidfusion.co.uk.
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