Rajiv Patel

Accomplished Programme and Project Leader with extensive experience in managing complex transformation initiatives across defence, aerospace, manufacturing, and technology sectors. Demonstrates expertise in P3M governance, project controls, and performance management, with a strong focus on baseline management and Earned Value Management. Skilled in advanced planning using Primavera P6 and MS Project, ensuring effective risk, issue, and dependency management. Proven ability to align senior stakeholders across government organisations and international suppliers while maintaining high standards of quality, compliance, and operational governance. Adept at developing KPIs and executive dashboards for performance reporting. Committed to building high-performing teams through leadership and coaching.

• APMP (Project Management Qualification) – Association for Project Management
• SPC (SAFe Practice Consultant) – Scaled Agile Inc.
• SA (SAFe Agilist) – Scaled Agile Inc.
• ICP-ACC (ICAgile Certified Agile Coach) – ICAgile

• Delivered £200M+ product delivery programmes across defence, aerospace, government, and financial sectors—consistently on time, within budget, and aligned to strategic outcomes.
• Mobilised and led AED 5M–13M UAE Government programmes, delivering Mixed Reality training systems and critical national infrastructure cybersecurity deployments across the UAE banking sector.
• Mobilised and led a UAE strategic national cryptographic programme (UAE banking sector and Du Telecoms)—defining scope, engagement model, execution approach, and a fully costed 24/7 operational support model.
• Built programme delivery capability from inception, establishing governance frameworks, baselines, and control mechanisms that stabilised execution and secured strong client endorsement.
• Recovered and re-aligned fragmented multi-stakeholder environments (client, vendor, internal), enabling a clear and executable delivery path after prolonged misalignment.
• Re-baselined and stabilised failing or at-risk programmes, restoring delivery confidence and securing continued executive sponsorship.
• Shaped and mobilised complex commercial programmes, accelerating time-to-start and aligning cross-functional stakeholders across government and enterprise environments.
• Designed and implemented target operating models (TOMs) and PMO governance frameworks—improving delivery accuracy to 85% and reducing operational costs by 30%.
• Managed £60M+ programme portfolios, including SaaS, ERP, and high-security government/defence initiatives (e.g. HSM, national cyber programmes), generating £10M+ in additional orders.
• Delivered $12M+ revenue through secure SaaS platform delivery and improved bid-to-contract conversion performance.
• Led enterprise Agile transformations across aerospace, agriculture, and digital sectors—improving delivery velocity by 40% and reducing delays by 50%.
• Embedded Lean-Agile practices (Scrum, Kanban, OKRs, CI/CD, TDD)—enhancing predictability by 35% and reducing time-to-market by 30%.
• Delivered integrated ERP and CRM platforms supporting 300+ users, enabling operational efficiency across finance, logistics, and compliance functions.
• Built and scaled high-performing global teams (UK, US, Belgium, Sri Lanka), driving autonomy, collaboration, and sustained delivery performance.
• Implemented portfolio-level reporting and insight frameworks (Power BI, Jira, Confluence), improving executive visibility, governance, and risk management.
• Coached 100+ stakeholders and 20+ Agile teams, increasing organisational maturity, stakeholder alignment, and delivery effectiveness.
• Achieved ISO certifications (9001, 14001, 27001, 45001) through robust QHSES frameworks and disciplined delivery assurance.

• Delivery & Agile Tooling:
• Microsoft Project, Monday, MS Project Server, Primavera P6.
• Experience working with collaboration and delivery tools such as SharePoint, Jira, Confluence, MS Project, or Smartsheet.
• ERP, CRM & Enterprise Platforms:
• SAP, Baan, Salesforce, IFS Applications, IFS CRM, IFS Aurena
• Data, Reporting & Visualisation:
• Power BI, advanced Excel modelling, executive dashboards, KPI frameworks
• Strong Excel capability (pivot tables, lookups, formulas) and ability to build crisp, executive-ready PowerPoint materials.
• Delivery Frameworks & Methods:
• Agile (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe), Lean, DevOps, CI/CD, Value Stream Mapping, OKRs, PI Planning
• PRINCE2, MSP, Earned Value Management (EVM), RAID, RACI, governance frameworks

• Mission-critical communications systems and secure mobile technologies
• Defence electronics and high-assurance secure communications platforms
• Complex weapons systems and integrated defence capability programmes
• Aerospace systems, aircraft subsystems, avionics, and mission support equipment
• Embedded hardware and software integrated solutions
• Cryptographic, HSM, cybersecurity, and secure network infrastructure solutions
• Mixed Reality (MR) and simulation-based military training systems
• Critical national infrastructure and sovereign security programmes
• Manufacturing, production, systems integration, and operational support environments
• ERP/CRM-enabled operational and logistics transformation platforms
• Air-gapped, classified, and high-security operational environments
• Multi-supplier engineering, manufacturing, and technology delivery ecosystems

• Outside of work, I enjoy gardening, walking, and exploring how technology and engineered systems work. I have a long-standing interest in aviation, aircraft technology, aerospace engineering, and innovation, alongside a keen interest in people psychology, leadership behaviours, and how teams and organisations operate effectively.