Are you an experienced Project Manager with a background in aerospace looking to venture into the realms of Space Laser Communication?

Join us and you will be working with a fun, experienced, and forward-thinking space engineering team to deliver transformative free-space optical communications technology to help solve some of Earth’s most critical problems, from spectrum and bandwidth saturation to economic inclusion and climate change. But that’s not all! We work extensively with aerospace primes, space agencies and specialist research partners which will provide you with exposure to cutting-edge technologies and exciting challenges, all in a fast-paced, supportive startup environment. You will be an integral part of a growing team which has already won international prizes and awards including having completed the Catalyst Accelerator which is backed by the US Air Force, Space Force and Microsoft.

How you will make an impact

As Project Manager, you will be responsible for projects ranging from customer product builds to delivery of key R&D activities for our lasercom technologies and operational company activities. You will work closely with the Chief Commercial Officer and Senior Project Manager to deliver projects on time, within scope and budget.

The role will involve maintaining oversight of a variety of Archangel Lightworks’ projects, regularly liaising with the Senior Project Manager to support one another with the management of projects, associated resources (both internal and external), risks, interdependencies, and reporting activities. In the shorter term, you will be supporting the management of planning and trial activities (e.g. liaising with the Civil Aviation Authority and site operators) ahead of our Optical Ground Station demonstrations in 2024.

The role is suitable for an experienced project professional looking for the next step in their career, or for a candidate coming from a similar role who is excited about lasercom technologies. A background in the aerospace industry or a similar sector would be advantageous. Archangel Lightworks operates on a day-to-day basis using Agile processes, so familiarity with Agile would be beneficial.

Salary range: £45k-65k

Your responsibilities will include:

Planning and managing assigned projects to the specified scope, timeline, and cost; and managing expectations and scope changes where required

Working closely with the engineering team to translate technical requirements and specifications to define project scope and plans
Stakeholder management including both outsourced suppliers and customers e.g. ESA, IUK, and others.
Working with technical and non-technical staff to identify and manage risks and inter-dependencies of projects, and their impact both on project timelines and cross-functional effects across the business
Supporting the development of project management tools and processes
Co-ordinating and contributing to formal documentation review and change control processes

Must have requirements

Experience managing projects within an engineering/scientific environment
Track record of successful engineering/scientific project ownership and delivery
Familiarity with stage gate based development processes

Qualification/accreditation in Project Management e.g. PMQ, PRINCE2 Practitioner, Agile Certification; or equivalent project leadership experience

Nice to have requirements

You don’t need these to apply, but please highlight if you have any of them to help your application stand out:

Domain Knowledge: Familiarity with satellite systems, laser communication technology, telecommunications, and aerospace engineering concepts is highly desirable
Start-up experience: We are a small company developing disruptive technology so experience working within a scientific/engineering start-up environment would be advantageous

Eco-system outreach: We engage with a large aerospace and lasercom eco-system as we build our network of partners both for future collaboration and demonstration activities, so experience managing outreach activities would be desirable
Bid writing: We run a number of grant-funded (and similarly funded) projects; therefore, experience supporting bid writing and funding application activities is desirable
Change management: Archangel Lightworks is a growing company with processes and tools that are scaling as needed, so experience implementing business changes / change management would be advantageous