About the Company
Our client is a leading European space and aerospace technology group, developing and delivering advanced satellite systems and mission-critical technologies for institutional and commercial customers.
The company is involved in complex European space and Defence programs, where technical excellence, reliability, security, and successful delivery are critical.
For a major program in the field of reconnaissance and early-warning systems, we are looking for an experienced (Senior) Project Manager – Integrated Systems to take overall project responsibility for a large-scale, highly complex space and Defence program.
The Role
As Senior Project Manager – Integrated Reconnaissance and Early Warning Systems, you will take overall responsibility for the planning, management, and successful delivery of a complex space program with a project value exceeding €500 million.
Unlike a project management position focused on an individual satellite or subsystem, this role covers the complete end-to-end system, including the satellite, ground, and user segments, as well as the overarching system integration.
You will lead and coordinate project activities across these different areas and act as the primary project interface toward the customer, suppliers, subcontractors, senior management, and the wider corporate organisation.
The position combines large-scale program leadership, technical understanding, commercial responsibility, customer management, and organisational leadership. You will be accountable for ensuring that the overall system is successfully delivered in line with contractual requirements, technical objectives, budget, and schedule.
Your Responsibilities
- Take overall responsibility for the planning, management, and successful delivery of a complex space project with a value exceeding €500 million
- Lead and coordinate project activities across the satellite, ground, and user segments
- Oversee and coordinate the integration of the complete end-to-end system
- Act as the primary project interface and accountable representative toward the customer, suppliers, subcontractors, and the wider corporate organisation
- Define project objectives in close collaboration with the customer and senior company management, taking the overall corporate strategy into account
- Ensure the correct definition of the technical baseline for the systems and items to be developed, manufactured, integrated, and delivered
- Ensure alignment between customer requirements, technical scope, schedule, budget, and contractual commitments
- Define and maintain the overall project schedule, including major milestones and dependencies across the different system segments
- Define and implement the project budget allocation based on contractual commitments and the approved overall budget
- Monitor project execution and ensure adherence to technical, schedule, cost, and contractual objectives
- Build, lead, support, and develop the multidisciplinary project organisation
- Provide functional and/or disciplinary leadership to members of the project team
- Coordinate activities and dependencies between internal departments, business units, engineering organisations, and project functions
- Develop and agree on sub-project arrangements, responsibilities, and interfaces with relevant business unit managers
- Regularly report on project status, progress, budget, risks, dependencies, and key issues to relevant stakeholders
- Drive the resolution of complex project challenges and conflicts across organisational and technical boundaries
- Ensure effective communication and collaboration between the customer, internal teams, suppliers, subcontractors, and senior management
Your Profile
- University degree in Aerospace Engineering or a comparable technical discipline
- Strong technical understanding of complex aerospace, satellite, or integrated systems
- At least 10 years of relevant professional experience, including significant leadership responsibility
- Proven experience leading large-scale projects in satellite development
- Experience managing highly complex projects involving multiple technical segments, organisations, suppliers, and subcontractors
- Strong understanding of satellite systems and the wider space-system environment
- Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams and managing dependencies across different technical workstreams
- Strong understanding of the relationship between technical scope, customer requirements, contractual commitments, budget, and schedule
- Proven ability to manage projects with significant commercial and financial responsibility
- Excellent analytical capabilities and a strong entrepreneurial and commercially aware mindset
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills
- Strong conflict-resolution and problem-solving capabilities
- High level of assertiveness and the ability to make and drive decisions in complex project environments
- Highly organised, structured, and reliable approach to work
- Confident, professional, and persuasive communication style
- Proven ability to build, lead, and develop large multidisciplinary project teams
- Ability to operate effectively with senior customers, executives, engineering leadership, suppliers, and external partners
Candidates with experience delivering major space and satellite programs involving multiple system segments will be particularly relevant. Experience coordinating satellite, ground, mission, or user-segment activities at overall system level would be highly valuable.
What’s Offered
- A senior project leadership position within a major European Defence and space program
- Overall responsibility for a project with a value exceeding €500 million
- Responsibility across the complete satellite, ground, and user system
- Leadership responsibility for the integration and delivery of a highly complex reconnaissance and early-warning system
- Significant ownership across project scope, budget, schedule, technical delivery, system integration, and stakeholder management
- Direct interaction with major institutional and Defence customers, suppliers, subcontractors, and senior management
- Opportunity to lead a large multidisciplinary organisation working on strategically important European space technology
- Collaboration with experienced engineering, Systems Engineering, satellite, ground-segment, and specialist technical teams
- Hybrid working model, depending on project and operational requirements
- Location in Bremen or Weßling near Munich
- Long-term career opportunities within the European space, aerospace, and Defence sector
