Location: Reading (hybrid working) Duration: 5 month initial contract Rate: £87.15ph UMB (Inside IR35) Role details: Our client, a reputable leader in the Defence & Security sector, is currently seeking a talented Product Delivery Manager to join their team. This contract role, based in Reading with hybrid working options, offers an exciting opportunity to manage and improve digital engineering capabilities crucial for safety and functional safety engineering. Key Responsibilities: Deliver and continuously enhance Safety digital capabilities, including model-based hazard analysis, safety requirements management, and safety case authoring. Define and deploy technical baselines, methodologies, and work instructions for consistent safety practices across various programs. Translate business and engineering needs into clear product roadmaps and prioritised backlogs for Safety capabilities. Ensure full integration with the DE Digital Thread, ensuring end-to-end traceability from safety objectives to compliance evidence. Engage with stakeholders to understand requirements, develop roadmaps, and align delivery plans with enterprise priorities. Monitor service performance, manage risks, and ensure high standards of performance through effective teamwork and collaboration. Support technology evaluations, manage vendor relationships, and drive innovation in safety verification and evidence generation. Job Requirements: Experience in safety management, safety case development, and safety engineering. Strong knowledge of functional safety and safety assurance practices in safety-critical industries. Technical understanding of hazard identification, risk assessment, and traceability to verification cases and compliance evidence. Ability to define and enforce common data models, taxonomies, and metadata standards for safety engineering data. Experience with regulatory frameworks and certification processes in defence or aerospace industries. Excellent project management skills, including planning, scheduling, budgeting, and risk management. Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and align diverse teams. Security clearance or eligibility for clearance in defence programmes is mandatory. Desirable Skills: SAFe or similar Agile delivery qualifications. Understanding of assurance/safety cases and compliance evidence practices in safety-critical engineering. Knowledge of Product Line Engineering (PLE) and feature modelling. Experience managing suppliers and system integrators for safety analysis platforms. Ability to operate pragmatically and remain outcome-focused in dynamic environments. If you are an experienced Product Delivery Manager with a strong background in safety and functional safety engineering, looking for a new challenge in the Defence & Security sector, we would love to hear from you. Apply now to join our client's dynamic team in Reading.