Implementation Project Manager
Location
UK-based, remote or hybrid depending on location
Contract
Permanent, full-time
Reports to
Product Growth Manager
About TRL Software
TRL Software develops specialist transport software that helps organisations manage road networks, improve transport operations and make better infrastructure decisions. Our products are used by public-sector and infrastructure organisations in the UK and internationally.
We are part of TRL, a global leader in transport innovation with a long history of helping make transport safer, cleaner, more efficient and more accessible. Our software plays a practical role in that mission: helping customers manage complex networks, use data more effectively, and deliver better outcomes for road users and communities.
We are growing our software implementation and delivery capability as we win new customer contracts and continue to expand the use of our products. This is an exciting time to join: the role sits close to customers, product, software delivery and business leadership, and will have a direct impact on how we deliver successful outcomes for our customers.
About the role
We are looking for an Implementation Project Manager to lead the delivery of customer software implementation projects. The role will suit a developing implementation or project management professional who has built strong delivery foundations and is now ready to take greater ownership.
When we win a new customer contract, you will be responsible for turning that contract into a well-managed implementation project. This will involve planning the delivery, managing timelines and budgets, coordinating internal teams, working with customer stakeholders, tracking risks and dependencies, and ensuring the implementation is delivered professionally.
You will need to understand the full implementation journey, including project mobilisation, customer onboarding, configuration, data and technical dependencies, testing, readiness, go-live and handover into ongoing support or customer success. You do not need to be the deepest technical expert in the room, but you do need to understand enough to ask good questions, spot risks, challenge assumptions and keep delivery moving.
This is a hands-on delivery role for someone with sound project management fundamentals and the confidence to bring pace, structure and accountability to important customer-facing work. You will support, and be supported by, a well-established and experienced team at all levels of the business.
The main focus of the role will be customer software implementations. At times when implementation workload is lighter, you may also support selected internal projects, usually centred on product, software or operational improvement. This internal work is secondary to the core implementation role.
This role does not include line management responsibility, but it does require the ability to manage delivery teams through influence, clarity and persistence.
Key responsibilities
- Plan and manage software implementation projects for new customer contracts.
- Own project plans, timelines, budgets, milestones, risks, issues and dependencies.
- Coordinate activity across product, software, commercial, customer success, support and delivery teams.
- Act as the customer-facing project lead during implementations, providing clear communication on progress, responsibilities, risks and next steps.
- Manage the implementation journey from mobilisation through onboarding, configuration, testing, go-live and handover.
- Work with customers and internal teams to clarify requirements, configuration assumptions, data needs, technical dependencies and readiness criteria.
- Build strong working relationships with customer stakeholders and internal delivery teams.
- Manage scope, assumptions, dependencies and change during implementation projects.
- Track progress against time, cost and scope, and intervene when projects are drifting.
- Raise blockers early and drive action to remove them.
- Hold people accountable for actions and deadlines while maintaining constructive working relationships.
- Support smooth handover from sales into implementation, and from implementation into ongoing customer success or support.
- Provide clear, practical reporting to internal stakeholders and leadership.
- Help improve implementation processes, onboarding materials, templates and delivery discipline without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
- Support selected internal projects when required when implementation workload is lighter.
Essential requirements
- Demonstrable experience managing software implementation or delivery projects – likely gained through around 3+ years in a relevant role
- Degree-level education, preferably in a STEM subject.
- Relevant project management qualification or certification, such as APM or equivalent.
- Understanding of software implementation activities, including customer onboarding, configuration, testing, go-live planning and handover.
- Strong project planning, governance, risk management, stakeholder management and reporting skills.
- Experience working with both internal teams and external customers.
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to be clear, direct and commercially aware.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, customers or workstreams at the same time.
- Strong judgement, organisation and attention to detail.
Desirable experience
- Experience in a B2B SaaS software environment.
- Experience in implementation consulting, professional services or customer delivery.
- Experience working with public-sector customers or contracts.
- Experience working with configurable software products.
- Experience working with offshore engineering or delivery teams.
- Scrum Master or Engineering Management experience.
- Familiarity with Agile ways of working.
What we need from you
We need someone proactive, dynamic and delivery-focused. You should be able to work at pace, bring structure to complex implementation work, and keep people focused on the outcome.
You will need to strike the right balance between process and flexibility. We want good project management discipline, but not process for its own sake. The right person will be biased towards results, customer outcomes and practical delivery.
You must be comfortable challenging people when needed. That may mean pushing for decisions, escalating risks, chasing actions, managing scope or having difficult conversations. You should be direct and tough when required, but able to keep people onside and maintain good relationships.
You will also need to understand how to work with customers: professional, clear, calm under pressure, and commercially aware. You should be able to guide customers through the implementation process, help them understand what is needed from them, and make sure they are ready to use the software effectively.
What success looks like
Customer implementations are well planned, well communicated and delivered professionally. Customers understand what is happening, what they need to do, and what decisions are required. Configuration, onboarding, testing and go-live activities are properly managed. Internal teams have clear ownership, realistic plans and visible progress. Risks and blockers are raised early rather than left to drift.
You will bring discipline without bureaucracy, pace without chaos, and challenge without unnecessary friction. Most importantly, you will help ensure customers are successfully implemented and set up to get value from our software.
