Executive Project Manager: Customer Projects

The Executive Project Manager is responsible for leading the Project Management: Customer Projects Department and ensuring the successful execution of Rheinmetall Denel Munitions' customer project portfolio from contract handover through to final delivery. The role provides leadership, direction, governance, and project management expertise to a team of Project Managers, ensuring that projects are effectively planned, executed, monitored, and controlled in accordance with contractual commitments, customer requirements, technical specifications, quality standards, and revenue objectives. The incumbent is accountable for establishing and maintaining project management systems, methodologies, tools, governance frameworks, and reporting processes that drive execution excellence, proactively managing portfolio risks and recovery actions, overseeing project performance and backlog conversion, and ensuring the successful delivery of customer projects in support of the company's strategic, operational, and financial objectives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead, manage, mentor, and develop a team of Project Managers to ensure the successful execution of customer projects and the achievement of company objectives.
• Drive planning excellence, execution discipline, risk management, accountability, and continuous improvement across the customer project portfolio.
• Ensure projects are planned, executed, and delivered in accordance with contractual commitments, customer requirements, technical specifications, quality standards, budget constraints, and revenue objectives.
• Drive the conversion of the customer project backlog into successfully delivered projects, supporting the achievement of quarterly and annual revenue targets.
• Monitor portfolio performance, delivery schedules and revenue forecasts, ensuring the timely identification, escalation, and management of risks, issues, constraints, and opportunities.
• Provide executive leadership and hands-on intervention on projects experiencing significant delivery, customer, technical, operational, commercial, or contractual challenges to drive resolution and recovery.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional task teams to resolve critical project issues, remove execution barriers, accelerate decision-making, and protect customer commitments and revenue performance.
• Directly manage strategically important, high-value, high-risk, or complex customer projects where executive project management expertise, leadership, and stakeholder engagement are required.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve project management systems, tools, methodologies, governance frameworks, and performance management processes to support consistent and effective project execution.
• Ensure accurate and timely portfolio reporting and provide executive management with clear visibility of project performance, revenue achievement, forecast accuracy, delivery commitments, and key project risks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Project Management, Business Management, Manufacturing Management, or a related discipline.
• Professional Project Management certification is essential (PMP®, PRINCE2 Practitioner, IPMA, or equivalent recognised project management qualification).
• Postgraduate qualification in Project Management will be advantageous.

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years' experience in project, programme, contract, or delivery management within a complex manufacturing, engineering, defence, aerospace, or industrial environment, with a demonstrated track record of successfully leading large, complex customer projects and delivering results through effective risk management, issue resolution, recovery planning, and execution within demanding operational and contractual environments.
• Proven experience leading, managing, mentoring, and developing project or programme management teams in a customer-focused delivery environment.
• Experience in engaging directly with customers and managing strategic customer relationships throughout the project lifecycle, including contract execution, delivery planning, schedule negotiations, progress reviews, issue resolution, and executive-level stakeholder engagement.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating and integrating activities across Production, Planning, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Product Development, Finance, Sales functions.
• Experience within the defence, munitions, aerospace, or other highly regulated manufacturing industries will be an advantage.

Knowledge and Skills

• Expert knowledge and practical application of project management principles, methodologies, governance frameworks, and best practices across the full project lifecycle.
• Advanced project, programme, and portfolio management capability, including planning, scheduling, resource management, project controls, risk management, forecasting, and performance management.
• Strong project controls expertise, including schedule development, critical path analysis, progress measurement, earned value concepts, risk assessment, change control, and recovery planning.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex project portfolios, balance competing priorities, and drive the successful conversion of backlog into delivered projects and revenue.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to interpret contractual requirements, evaluate delivery risks, and understand the impact of project performance on revenue and business objectives.
• Strong leadership, coaching, mentoring, and team development skills, with the ability to build a high-performing project management function.
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to engage effectively at customer, management, and executive levels.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing, production planning, supply chain, quality, engineering, and contract execution processes within a complex project delivery environment.
• Ability to lead project recovery initiatives, resolve complex execution challenges, and drive accountability across a matrix organisation.
• Advanced proficiency in SAP, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint and project portfolio reporting and dashboard tools.

• Competitive compensation package with incentive bonus and pension fund
• Medical Schemes
• Stable employer background
• Opportunity to work on major projects within our Weapons and Ammunition Division
• Extensive Employee Assistance Program to support overall health and wellbeing
• Career development and progress opportunities
• Individual and diverse training opportunities and programs (Bursary Schemes)
• Subsidized canteen on site with themed days and multiple dietary options
• Innovative and dynamic working environment and culture
• Work as part of a team with real purpose in what we do
• Participation in (international) Rheinmetall activities and events

Rheinmetall Denel Munition is an Employment Equity Employer that gives preference to suitable candidates who add to the diversity of the company.