Project Manager

Project Manager
Salary: £35,000 £40,000 per annum
Location: Hybrid London EC1Y/Home

About MQ Mental Health Research

MQ is a multi-award-winning charity, funding mental health research. By connecting scientists with supporters, together we strive to understand mental health, improve treatments, and prevent mental illness.

We're at a critical point in our development, following the launch of our new 5-year strategy, MQ aims to transform the lives of everyone affected by mental illness.

We'd love for you to join our friendly, high performing team, based in London. This a hybrid role with 2 days based in our London office and 3 days from home/remote working.

What you'll be doing:

As a Project Manager, you are responsible for ensuring your projects are delivered on time and on budget, to the highest possible standards.

The role will support projects from design and planning through to delivery, dissemination and impact, working closely with senior academics in the UK and internationally, including partners at institutions such as King's College London and the University of Oxford, alongside lived experience experts (patients and carers with experience of mental illnesses).

Some projects involve international collaboration across multiple time zones and engagement with external stakeholders including funders such as Wellcome.

The successful candidate will be empathetic and confident, with the professional judgement required to work effectively with people with lived experience of mental illness, and comfortable operating in complex, innovative research environments that involve a degree of uncertainty, while delivering work to high professional standards and in line with GDPR and safeguarding policies.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Support projects from design and set-up through to delivery, dissemination and evaluation
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring delivery to agreed timelines, quality standards and budgets
• Demonstrate strong judgement in prioritising work and managing competing deadlines
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans including objectives, milestones, risks, dependencies and stakeholder mapping
• Track progress using Excel spreadsheets and shared online documents, ensuring accuracy and version control
• Dissemination, impact and content development
• Assist with the coordination and development of outputs including academic papers, reports, blog posts and other formats such as digital content
• Support and facilitate focus group discussions, workshops and consultations with patients and carers

Who we're looking for:

We'd love to hear from you, if you have:

• A proven track record in programme or project management, demonstrated through at least three years relevant work experience or a proven track record of managing complex projects as part of an academic qualification (e.g. Master s dissertation or PhD thesis)
• The ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritise effectively when working to competing deadlines
• A desire to work in an agile way and remain effective when managing complex, innovative research projects that involve uncertainty or evolving scope
• The ability to work independently with minimal supervision, demonstrating sound judgement, initiative and accountability
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to work accurately
• Strong organisational and time management skills
• High level of competence using Excel spreadsheets and shared online documents
• Familiarity with GDPR, data protection and safeguarding requirements
• Project management qualification (e.g. Agile qualifications, PRINCE2) would be highly desirable.

Why Join MQ?

We offer a great working experience within a friendly team. Hybrid working (in the London office Mondays and Tuesdays, with the remaining days from home). We are located near Barbican Tube.

Plus, we offer lots of generous benefits and training opportunities.

We're a Sunday Times Top Company to work for.

Benefits

• Flexible working: As a mental health charity, staff wellbeing is of paramount importance. We operate a core hours policy (10-4) to encourage flexible working and staff are mainly home based with the requirement to come into the office two days per week. A standard full-time working week is 35 hours, plus an hour for lunch breaks.
• Holidays: Annual holiday entitlement of 31 days (inc. office closure between Xmas and New Year) plus bank holidays.
• Wellbeing Allowance: MQ provides an allowance of up to £1200 per annum for each employee to spend on activities that increase their wellbeing. This is paid through payroll and is taxable.
• Virtual GP & Other wellbeing services - Get quick GP appointments and support with cancer and caring responsibilities through our Zurich benefits scheme.
• Cycle to work scheme: An interest-free loan is available to enable employees to purchase a bike and accessories, repaid via equal deductions from the employee s salary over 12 months.
• Employee Assistance Programme: All employees and their families have access to a 24-hour confidential advice and support line.
• Counselling: Employees have access to a number of free face-to-face sessions, via the EAP scheme.
• Pension: MQ makes contributions of 5% and employees make contributions of 3%.
• Life Assurance - Up to 4 x your salary in the event of death in service.
• Season Ticket Loan: An interest free season ticket loan is available, repaid via equal deductions from the employee s salary over 12 months.
• Personal Development: We value employee development and review individual training needs through our performance management system. HR also runs internal management development sessions for all staff.

Closing date: 15th February 2026

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

As an employer committed to inclusivity, we welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.

Safer recruitment is important to us and the successful applicant will be asked to provide two references. You will also be required to complete a safeguarding self-declaration and undertake a DBS check.

No agencies please.