Head of Project Management- Propulsion

Your role and your team:

This role will be part of the Program Management team which reports to the VP Program Management and is responsible for the successful delivery of our aircraft programs.   Deployed to an Integrated Project Team (IPT) managed by an IPT Leader, you will lead IPT level Program Management and be the reporting line manager for Project Managers assigned to you.  In addition to managing the performance and development of your team, you will be responsible for implementing program governance at IPT level including efficient project delivery in line with defined objectives and priorities, schedule development and adherence, impediment removal, risk management, and resource demand/allocation. 

Working with a cross-functional team including engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, and PMO functions, you will use your experience of managing complex fast-paced aerospace projects to:

• Management & Leadership – Tell the truth of the project with no sugarcoat and no drama.  Ensure the team and key stakeholders understand the current status versus the objectives and are clear on actions required to deliver those objectives.  Unleash creativity and innovation from the project team toward maximizing operational and delivery performance.  Encourage delivery ownership with the people delivering the work. Manage the performance of your team through regular feedback and coaching.  Be a role model for project management, general leadership behaviors and Lilium values.  Support and encourage the personal and professional development of your team. 
• Program Deliverables – Manage the Project Objectives on behalf of the IPTL and ensure the teams have planned and scheduled all work within their scope in line with those objectives. Optimize scope, trading and allocating the available time, quality requirements, budget and resources.  Drumbeat the delivery of tasks and firm deliverables in line with the objectives.  Ensure the basics of schedule, cost, resource, risk, opportunity and industrialization are done brilliantly and factored into technical decision making by the teams.
• Project Governance – Deploy the Program Governance model within the project team and lead the team through the processes.  Share best practices across the PMO and encourage improvements.  Provide coaching to the Project Managers and Scrum Masters. 

Your Day to Day:

• Be the line manager for the propulsion Project Management team.  
• Manage the Program Iteration process on behalf of the IPTL to establish, align and record Project Objectives for the IPT scope across the entire development cycle
• Be responsible for evaluating Project / Program impacts and communicating these with clear recommendations to the IPTL and Program.  Deputise for the IPTL
• Be consulted on technical decisions to ensure that Program implications and risks are considered and accounted for eg impact on industrialisation, schedule, or cost
• Ensure Project Objectives are translated into achievable Sprint Deliverables for the Iteration.  Manage these via the Project Managers and Scrum Masters and drumbeat their delivery.
• Support rapid resolution of obstacles to delivery through attendance of team, IPT and program daily escalation sessions and subsequent resolution activities
• Facilitate IPT level delivery related meetings such as Sprint planning, reviews and retrospectives
• Own the development, management and delivery of the schedule and pay particular attention to interdependencies and deliverables to other teams and suppliers
• Act as an 'Early Warning' for non-delivered handoffs, parts and materializing risks and opportunities. Ensure that cross-IPT topics (whether project interfaces or related work-streams) are identified and manage these on behalf of the VP Program Management as requested
• Actively manage risks and opportunities, ensuring mitigation activities are well planned
• Ensure the Change Control process is adhered to by the team and support its administration
• Manage program costs and resource demands / allocations
• Contribute to the creation of a strong Program Management function through implementing best practice project management processes, methods and tools within the teams with which you work in line with guidance from the PMO. Be a role model for strong project management in Lilium

Your Profile:

• Demonstrable experience in managing cross-functional teams and ability to work closely with a broad range of stakeholders.
• Experience in managing a direct team of reports, including tasking, delegation of responsibilities, performance and development management, recruitment and team set-up.
• Proven Project Management skills with a minimum of 10 years Project Management experience, ideally within a complex aerospace environment. Strong preference to candidates who have participated in at least one aircraft development program, ideally E-VTOL, and are familiar with all phases of the project lifecycle including development, certification and operational phases. 
• In depth experience in Propulsion / Powertrains.
• Excellent understanding of all Project Management fundamentals including scheduling, risk management, estimation, project communications and budget and resource management.
• Ability to probe and challenge assumptions.
• Practical experience in a range of Project Management methodologies including predictive Project Management (eg waterfall) and Agile Methodologies (eg SAFE, SCRUM). Preferably hold a PM qualification equivalent to IPMA Level C or higher as well as Scrum Master or other Agile Project Management qualification.  Chartered Engineer status favourable.
• Undergraduate or Master's degree in a technical field (e.g. Engineering) or experience in a technical aerospace environment in lieu.
• Enthusiastic and eager to learn and adapt your style to a start-up environment; puts the team first; robust and passionate in following given objectives; uses failure as a learning experience.
• Excellent communicator in English, fluency in German would be beneficial.

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