Salary: £50,000 - £60,000 per annum FTE + Benefits
Status: Fixed Term - 6 Months /Full-time hours preferable (requests for part-time/flexible working arrangements are welcome)
About us
Energy Systems Catapult is an independent research and technology organisation. Our mission is to accelerate Net Zero energy innovation.
Launched in 2015 by Innovate UK, the Catapult has built a team of more than 250 people, with a range of technical, engineering, consumer, commercial, incubation, digital and policy expertise. They draw on sector-leading test facilities, modelling tools, and data collected from our back catalogue of more than 500 research projects.
We use that ‘whole energy’ system capability to support innovative companies -- small and large – to test, trial and scale their new products and services. Our impact comes when those innovators attract new customers, new investment and new grants so they can thrive in the future energy system.
Based in Birmingham, Energy Systems Catapult is part of a network of nine, world-leading technology and innovation centres, established by Innovate UK. The Catapult Network fosters collaboration between industry, government, research organisations, academia, and many others to transform great ideas into valuable products and services.
We believe that innovation often stems from connecting different areas and ideas, and that working together in person can be an important enabler for that. We therefore expect people to be in the Birmingham office ~40 days/year (roughly one day per week).
Context
We have two main Directorates that win and deliver our work: our ‘Platforms’ which are the externally-facing business areas that generally lead our business development / proposal development activities; and our ‘Capabilities’ which are the internal business areas that provide the technical expertise needed to deliver our projects.
We take a flexible approach to the workplace, combining working from home with time in the office, which ensures we keep some of the benefits of home working whilst enabling the Catapult to operate efficiently.
We are seeking a Senior Project Manager on a 6-month fixed term contract initially. The successful candidate will report into our Innovation Project Management (IPM) team and will take responsibility for specific projects within the Catapult. The project portfolio is diverse and includes technology, commercial market and business value proposition development activities in the context of multi energy vector solutions.
Key work activities
- Hold full accountability for delivering higher-value complex projects, as well as programmes of work, ensuring they are delivered on-time, on-budget, and to scope, in line with the Catapult’s Project Management Lifecycle procedure. This includes achieving high levels of customer satisfaction through proactive leadership and maintaining daily interface with project teams.
- Work closely with the Commercial Directorate during the development of major and complex bids, assessing the deliverability of proposals and generating plans and resource profiles.
- Generate (with wider team input as appropriate) and ensure timely signoff of all project management documents needed for the initiation, detailed planning, execution and closure of the projects.
- Work with the project team to establish strong and effective customer relationships, including managing complex stakeholder arrangements such as consortiums or those with significant governance structures. This will involve leading regular external project reviews and issuing written project updates to key customer stakeholders.
- Managing and monitoring project scope and leading customer negotiations on change.
- Engagement and management of third-party suppliers, ensuring they perform to the relevant contractual expectations and deliver the expected outputs for the project.
- Be responsible for project compliance with issues such as Health and Safety, Data Protection, IP, etc.
- Identify, document and actively manage project risks and issues.
- Report on project progress and strategic insights, including presenting quarterly updates to business executives where required.
- Ensure appropriate resourcing of the projects, identifying constraints and negotiating with team leaders.
- Build stakeholder relations within the energy sector as appropriate to support all phases of project development and delivery.
- Demonstrate leadership by providing guidance, coaching, and support to more junior staff, with the potential to take on formal line management responsibilities in the future.
- Support the Innovation Project Management team by leading on process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, consistency, and best practice across projects and programmes.
What credentials are we ideally looking for?
- Proven track record of successfully delivering complex, high value projects.
- Professional Project Management Qualification (AMP or PMP).
- Degree in a relevant field.
- Experience in managing collaborative projects comprised of a cross functional team that could include internal staff, consultants, external contractors, public and private sector partners and clients; provide clear direction and allocate tasks as appropriate.
- Understanding of key management topics, including stakeholder engagement, Health and Safety, Data Protection, Intellectual Property, contractor management.
- Be comfortable in managing the uncertainty inherent in advanced innovation projects.
- Proven experience of successfully managing complex projects in an innovation environment with both technical and commercial content; experience within the energy sector could be advantageous but is not a prerequisite.
- Proven ability to demonstrate leadership skills, including coaching, mentoring, or developing colleagues.
- Be comfortable with the hands-on work and flexibility required in a small team.
- Excellent IT skills, to include MS Word, MS Project, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel.
- Willing and able to travel around the UK (and potentially overseas) as required.
- Strong presentation and communication skills.
- Ability to excel in a rapidly growing, fast-paced organisational environment.
- Taking ownership of work and managing workload effectively and efficiently.
- Persuasive and approachable, you can successfully manage relations with clients, colleagues and other stakeholders.
- Open to change and adapts well to setbacks or pressurised situations.
- Supportive, positive and constructive in relation to your interactions with colleagues and external organisations.
- Experience of working with public sector partners and an appreciation of how these organisations work, their motivation and constraints, could be advantageous. but is not a prerequisite.
- Proven ability to manage relationships between organisations with different priorities and find ways forward that all parties are content with.
Employee Benefits:
Annual leave 28 days plus bank holidays (FTE) + Buy/Sell holidays Buy/sell holiday – maximum 1 week based on contracted hours + Pension 2 for 1 contribution via salary sacrifice scheme up to 10% + Discretionary bonus scheme + Recognition scheme to celebrate “above and beyond”+ EV Scheme Salary sacrifice + Cycle2work Salary sacrifice + Life assurance 4 x salary + Health Cash Back Plan + Retail and gym discounts + Employee Assistance Programme 24/7 phoneline and 6 free counselling sessions + Snacks and drinks + Annual company off-site event.
Flexible working options for eligible employees = (Sabbatical/Compressed/Staggered/Flexible hours) + Working within a hybrid office attendance model with the expectation of being in the office at least 1 day a week + and:
Maternity Leave = (100% 13 weeks / 50% 13 weeks/SP 13 weeks/Unpaid leave for 13 weeks)
Adoption Leave = (100% 13 weeks/50% 13 weeks/SP 13 weeks/Unpaid leave for 13 weeks)
Paternity Leave = (100% 2 weeks)
Shared Parental Leave = (100% 10 weeks/50% 13 weeks/SP 13 weeks)
Would you like to Apply?
The closing date for applications is Sunday 7th September 2025
Please note that at this time we are unable to provide UK visa sponsorship.
We welcome applications from all, including those who may be returning to work, those wishing to work flexibly for any reason, and those who may need additional support.
Energy Systems Catapult undertakes innovative and exciting work that will help shape the future of energy, with this in mind we encourage candidates to submit their applications as early as possible, as we do reserve the right to remove this advert or close it to further applications at any point during the recruitment process.
(Strictly No Agencies).
"We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of race, sex, disability, religion and belief, sexual orientation, or status regarding gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity."
Privacy Statement
Purpose of the Privacy Statement
The purpose of this Privacy Statement is to make you aware of how and why your personal data will be used during any recruitment process and how long it will usually be retained for. This statement provides you with certain information that must be provided under the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (GDPR).
In the recruitment process we, Energy Systems Catapult Limited, are a “Data Controller”. This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal data about you.
The Energy Systems Catapult Limited is located at Cannon House 7th Floor, 18 Priory Queensway, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, B4 6BS and can be contacted by email at: dataprotectionoffice@es.catapult.org.uk.
Data Protection Principles
We will comply with data protection law and principles, which means that your data will be:
Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way;
Collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to you and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes;
Relevant to the purposes we have told you about and limited only to those purposes;
Accurate and kept up to date;
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Kept securely.
The Kind of Personal Data we hold about you
In connection with your application for work with us, we will collect, store and use the following categories of personal information about you:
The information you have provided in our application form;
The information you have provided to us in your curriculum vitae and covering letter;
Any information you provide to us during an interview;
Any other information provided by you as part of the recruitment process.
We may ask you for information to allow us to monitor our equal opportunities and diversity performance in recruitment. Also, if you inform us that you have a disability we will keep this information on record to allow us to make reasonable adjustments as needed.
How we will use your Personal Data
We will use the personal data we collect about you to:
Assess your skills, qualifications and suitability for the role;
Carry out background and reference checks, where applicable;
Communicate with you about the recruitment process;
Keep records relating to our hiring processes;
Manage recruitment related activities, which includes setting up and conducting interviews and tests for applicants, evaluating and assessing the results thereto, and as is otherwise needed in the recruitment and hiring processes;
Comply with legal or regulatory requirements.
We will also use information about any disability you may have to consider whether we need to provide appropriate adjustments during the recruitment process.
Such processing is lawful as it is necessary for our legitimate purpose in seeking to attract, evaluate, and select applicants for employment.
Data Sharing: Greenhouse Software Inc
Your personal data will be shared with Greenhouse Software, Inc., a cloud services provider located in the United States of America and engaged by us to help manage our recruitment and hiring process. Accordingly, if you are located outside of the United States, your personal data will be transferred to the United States once you submit it through this site. This transfer will be subject to appropriate additional safeguards under the Privacy Shield so as to comply with EU law.
Data Retention
We will retain your personal data for a period of 12 months after we have communicated to you our decision about whether to appoint you to the role. We retain your personal data for that period so that we can show, in the event of a legal claim, that we have not discriminated against candidates on prohibited grounds and that we have conducted the recruitment exercise in a fair and transparent way. After this period, we will securely destroy your personal data in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Your Rights in Connection with Personal Data
Under the GDPR you have the right to request access to your personal data, to request that your personal data be rectified or erased, and to request that processing of your personal data be restricted or transferred.
When you apply for this role, and tick the confirmation box below, you have provided consent for us to process your personal data for the purpose of the recruitment exercise. You have the right to withdraw your consent for processing for that purpose at any time. Withdrawal of consent to process your data may mean that we cannot continue with your application to us.
If you wish to exercise the rights granted to you under GDPR please contact: dataprotectionoffice@es.catapult.org.uk.