Strategic Technical Project Manager for Deep-Tech Hardware

This Technical Project Manager role offers the opportunity to sit at the centre of a growing deep-tech business developing advanced optical and semiconductor-based systems. You'll work closely with technical leadership, engineering teams and external partners to keep complex R&D programmes aligned, structured and moving forward. It's a role suited to someone who enjoys bringing clarity to technically challenging environments without overcomplicating processes.

Our client is a VC-backed hardware startup developing next-generation optical systems for high-precision manufacturing applications. With active grant-funded programmes, external foundry partnerships and ambitious growth plans, they are looking for someone who can combine strong programme coordination with enough technical understanding to operate confidently in a complex engineering environment.

As the Technical Project Manager, you'll oversee programme planning, grant delivery, partner coordination and reporting across multiple workstreams, acting as a key operational link across the business.

• Managing complex R&D programmes across engineering teams and external partners.
• Maintaining project plans, milestones, RAID logs and delivery schedules.
• Supporting grant-funded programme reporting, monitoring meetings and compliance requirements.
• Coordinating relationships with foundries, commercial partners and research organisations.
• Supporting investor and leadership reporting with clear programme updates.
• Managing dependencies, risks and changing priorities within a fast-moving startup environment.

• Experience managing technically complex hardware or deep-tech projects.
• Background working within VC-backed startups, scale-ups or advanced R&D environments.
• Familiarity with grant-funded programmes and structured reporting processes.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work across technical and commercial teams.
• Understanding of semiconductor, photonics or foundry-driven development environments is advantageous.
• Formal project management qualification such as PRINCE2 or similar.

You'll join at a genuinely exciting stage of growth, with the opportunity to help shape how programmes are delivered within a highly technical business. The role offers strong visibility, meaningful ownership, equity participation and the chance to work alongside a small but ambitious engineering team solving complex real-world problems.