KL Talent Solutions are proud to be assisting our client on their search for a Project Delivery Lead. The project delivery lead is responsible for establishing clarity, structure and accountability in the delivery of NPI and major cross functional projects across the business.

The role exists to ensure projects are properly planned, owned, coordinated, and delivered to agreed timescales, with risks actively managed and responsibilities clearly defined. The role was created to address gaps in project timelines, undefined ownership, and insufficient coordination between departments. Rather than acting as a traditional, process heavy project manager or a hands on engineering resource, the project delivery lead operates as a delivery leader who combines technical credibility with strong leadership, influence and communication.

The postholder is accountable for building and maintaining project timing plans, defining delivery schedules, and ensuring that all project activities and dependencies are clearly mapped and understood. A key aspect of the role is to define and agree departmental responsibilities at the outset of projects, ensuring ownership sits with the appropriate functions and is actively upheld throughout delivery.

The project delivery lead does not own engineering design, manufacturing execution, or operational tasks. Instead the role focuses on coordination, governance, and delivery discipline, working across design engineering, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, quality, IT, Production and commercial teams to ensure progress is predictable and transparent.

Success in the role relies on the ability to influence without authority, build trust across functions, and communicate clearly at all levels of the organisation. The role operates independently, with guidance rather than instruction, and will receive strong support from leadership to be effective.

Responsibilities:

Develop, maintain, and own project timing plans and delivery schedules for NPI and major projects

Ensure project scope, budget, milestones, dependencies, risks, and deliverables are clearly defined and understood

Lead the mapping of end-to-end NPI project activities, ensuring a shared understanding of what is required to deliver a project

Define and agree clear departmental responsibilities and ownership for all project deliverables

Drive accountability for delivery through regular review, challenge, and follow-up

Act as the central coordination point across all project stakeholders

Identify delivery risks early and drive mitigation through the appropriate functional owners

Ensure changes to scope, timing, or priorities are visible, assessed and agreed

Provide clear, concise, and accurate project reporting to leadership and stakeholders

Establish and embed practical project delivery process that adds value rather than bureaucracy

Support continuous improvement in how projects are planned, communicated, and delivered

Maintain clear boundaries to ensure the role remains focused on delivery leadership rather than operational execution

Attributes/Competencies

Essential:

Proven experience leading complex, cross functional projects in technical or manufacturing environments

Sufficient technical understanding to engage credibly with engineering and operational teams

Strong ability to build and manage project plans, schedules, and delivery governance

Demonstrated leadership and influencing skills without reliance on direct authority Excellent verbal and written communication skills

High levels of organisation, clarity, and attention to detail

Comfortable challenging constructively and holding others to account

Educated to degree level in a technical discipline

Desired:

Experience in NPI or product led manufacturing environments

Formal project management training or qualification

Experience in defining or improving project delivery frameworks