This project is the European Union's answer to the pressing challenges of tomorrow to provide secure connectivity services and enhanced communication capacities to the EU and its Member States as well as to governmental users, private companies and European citizens while ensuring high-speed internet broadband to cope with connectivity dead zones. SES – together with other consortium partners and core members - was selected by European Commission to build and to operate the IRIS2 multi-orbit satellite constellation. The IRIS2 team enters next project phases and there is a strong need of support for all the activities around service provisioning and products that the system can offer in the future.
SES is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead and establish the engineering governance framework within the IRIS² program—a major European secure connectivity initiative. The successful candidate will support the Director of Engineering for SES by ensuring that the engineering perimeter of the program operates under a robust governance structure, supporting clear priority management, effective communication, and strategic alignment with the broader program (Program One).
This role will involve close collaboration with multi-disciplinary engineering teams, program management, and executive stakeholders. It may include people management responsibilities and requires a strategic leader with strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
Design, implement, and maintain an effective governance model for the engineering perimeter within the IRIS² program.
Define and oversee processes for decision-making, risk management, and issue escalation.
Ensure governance aligns with the overall Program One objectives and SES’s project management standards.
Priority & Resource Management:
Establish mechanisms for prioritization of engineering activities, ensuring optimal resource allocation.
Maintain visibility on workload, deliverables, and dependencies across engineering functions.
Communication & Stakeholder Engagement:
Create clear channels of communication across engineering teams and program governance boards.
Facilitate alignment between engineering leadership, program management, and external partners.
Leadership & Team Management:
Lead a cross-functional team of project coordinators, engineers, or technical leads (as applicable).
Coach and mentor team members to enhance project delivery capability within the engineering perimeter.
Define and monitor KPIs for engineering governance effectiveness and delivery performance.
Drive adherence to project schedules, budgets, and quality targets.
Support compliance with SES’s quality, security, and sustainability standards.
Excellent project management skills, with strong time management skills to prioritize tasks effectively in a fast-paced environment
Strong ability to work independently and without supervision in complex environments, e.g. project or matrix organizations
Flexibility and adaptability in response to changing project requirements and environments
Ability to think strategically and align project goals with organizational objectives
Effective communication skills, both written and verbal
~ Strong leadership and teamwork skills, with experience managing diverse expert teams and complex project organizations
Master’s degree in Engineering, Project Management, or a related technical discipline.
~10+ years of experience in project/program management within aerospace, telecommunications, or complex system engineering environments.
~ Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
~ Proficiency with project management methodologies (PMI, PRINCE2, or Agile) and associated tools.
Familiarity with systems engineering and integration practices.
Travel as required for project realization purposes