Technical Project Manager in Reading, United Kingdom

Technical Project Manager

At OQC, we aren’t just theorising about the future; we’re building it. Born from a philosophy of bold innovation, we’ve successfully transitioned quantum computing from an academic dream into a commercial reality. The most exciting thing is that we’re just getting started and we’ve recently closed our £260 million Series C funding round – the largest fundraise ever completed by a quantum computing company in Europe.

The Purpose

As a Technical Project Manager, you'll lead complex technical and scientific projects that are critical to OQC's next stage of growth. You'll turn ambiguity into action, bringing structure to evolving challenges and aligning technical teams, resources and priorities to deliver outcomes that advance our wider technology and business objectives.

The Role

Working within the Office of the CSO, you'll take end-to-end ownership of complex projects, from defining the delivery strategy through to successful completion. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, you'll work across technical disciplines and business functions, influencing senior stakeholders, navigating competing priorities and making evidence-based decisions that keep ambitious programmes moving forward.

What You'll Be Working On

• Lead complex technical and scientific projects from definition through to delivery, owning scope, outcomes, timelines, resources and quality.
• Turn evolving or ambiguous technical requirements into clear delivery strategies, plans, milestones and priorities.
• Own project risks, issues and dependencies, anticipating barriers and driving effective mitigation and resolution.
• Lead project governance and decision-making, aligning technical teams, senior stakeholders and sponsors around priorities and accountabilities.
• Manage project budgets and forecasts, identifying financial and resource constraints and providing clear recommendations.
• Challenge assumptions and delivery approaches where needed, using evidence to influence decisions and protect project outcomes.
• Drive continuous improvement across project delivery, sharing expertise and strengthening OQC's project management practices, tools and governance.

What We're Looking For

• Significant experience independently leading complex projects within technical, engineering, scientific or similarly complex environments.
• A track record of delivering through ambiguity, changing requirements and significant cross-functional dependencies.
• Experience defining project delivery strategies and selecting appropriate methodologies rather than simply executing predefined plans.
• Strong risk, issue, dependency, budget and resource management capability.
• Proven ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders, resolve competing priorities and secure decisions needed for delivery.
• Strong project governance, reporting, facilitation and presentation skills, including communicating complex information to senior stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of Agile, Waterfall and other relevant project delivery approaches.
• Sound judgement, decisiveness and the ability to operate independently while knowing when strategic, financial or resource decisions require escalation.
• No specific formal qualification is required; equivalent practical experience independently delivering complex technical projects will be considered.

The 'Nice-to-Haves'

• Experience leading significant multidisciplinary technical or scientific programmes or workstreams.
• Experience within an R&D, deep-tech or scientific organisation.
• Experience developing or improving a PMO or wider project management capability.
• Experience presenting project recommendations and delivery decisions to executive-level stakeholders.
• A recognised project management qualification or certification such as PRINCE2, Agile, APM or equivalent.
• A relevant technical, scientific or engineering qualification.

Why Join OQC

You will join a world-class team at the forefront of the next computational era. We offer a culture of bold innovation, the chance to work with unique lab infrastructure, and the opportunity to see your work redefine the limits of computation.

Learn more about our benefits and positive work culture here: