Technical Project Manager
Keep our grant-funded drone systems R&D on plan, on budget and reported on time
- Bristol, UK
- Full time
- Permanent
- Office-based
- Closes 27 November 2026
About HVN Labs
HVN Labs builds and operates drone systems. We develop the complex control and coordination technology behind our next generation of drone products, much of it through grant-funded research and development.
The role
You will manage the delivery and reporting of our grant-funded projects. Each quarter you will report progress and claim costs from the funding body, keeping budgets and records accurate between reports and preparing change requests when plans move.
You will work closely with our engineers to track technical progress, and also coordinate new funding bids and our patent portfolio with support from the wider team. You will report to our CTO.
This role suits someone early in their career who wants to move into technical project management. You don't need grant experience, and there is room to grow as our funded programme expands.
What you will do
- Prepare and submit quarterly progress reports and cost claims for our grant-funded projects.
- Maintain project budgets, forecasts and audit-ready records of spend and effort.
- Prepare project change requests with the engineering and leadership teams.
- Track progress against grant milestones with the engineering team.
- Keep the risk register current and report regularly to leadership.
- Coordinate funding applications, contributing to the writing alongside our technical and commercial teams.
- Capture inventions with our engineers, liaise with our patent attorney and track filing deadlines.
- Work with the software team to set up the tools that support reporting and tracking.
What you will need
- Some experience of project coordination, administration or a similar role. A placement or internship counts.
- A methodical approach and a high standard of accuracy with recurring, deadline-driven work.
- Confidence with budgets and spreadsheets.
- Clear, precise written English.
- Comfort with technical subjects and a willingness to get to grips with how our engineering works.
- To live within commuting distance of Bristol and be based in our Bristol office.
Nice to have
None of these are required. Experience in any of them will help.
- UK public grant funding
- Quarterly claims and change requests
- A degree in engineering, science or another technical subject
- R&D, hardware, robotics or aerospace
- Patent or IP management
- Funding bids
Where and when
The role is full time and based at our office at Future Space, UWE North Gate, Bristol. You will normally work on site every day, with some flexibility by agreement.
We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.
What we offer
Salary: competitive and dependent on experience.
- Responsibility for live grant reporting from your first months, working directly with engineering and leadership.
- Exposure to the full R&D lifecycle, from funding and engineering through to flight test and live operations.
- Training in grant reporting, bid coordination and patent management from colleagues who know our funding processes.
How to apply
Email your CV and a short covering note, around 300 words, to [email protected] with the subject line Application: Technical Project Manager.
In your note, tell us about a time you kept a piece of recurring, deadline-driven work accurate and on track, and what you would do differently next time.
Before you apply, please check that you have the right to work in the UK without sponsorship and can be based in our Bristol office.
Closing date: Friday 27 November 2026. We review applications as they arrive and may close the vacancy early, so we encourage you to apply soon.
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