Meet James Martin, Senior Project Manager at tlmNexus

Calm under pressure, James Martin is naturally curious, highly organised, and genuinely fascinated by solving difficult problems.

“I have always enjoyed taking knotty problems and applying structure to them,” he explains. “If someone hands me a problem, the fun bit is working out how to structure a solution.”

James did not originally set out to become a project manager. After university, while trying to establish himself as a writer, he worked in call centres as a way of paying the bills. What began as a practical necessity gradually developed into a successful operational management career.

“I made my way up the ranks to call centre manager and eventually moved into the project world almost by luck,” he says. “I had worked in communications, which I really enjoyed, but I realised I had a natural aptitude for organisation, creating clear pathways and deliverables where those things did not exist before.”

That move into operational transformation projects proved pivotal and when working within financial services, James became involved in a major business process transformation programme alongside a management consultancy. He qualified in PRINCE2 and Agile methodologies, later running his own PMO before progressing into programme and senior project management roles.

“My background was really in operational business change,” he explains. “Those projects are big, chunky programmes with real impact but I’d been doing them for a long time, so had already started moving into Agile software delivery to challenge myself and broaden my skillset. I really loved it, and joining tlmNexus allowed me to dive further into that world whilst still bringing broader operational awareness.”

The combination of operational and software experience is particularly valuable at tlmNexus, where projects often sit at the intersection of engineering, Defence operations and specialist software delivery.

James joined the company more than four years ago after spotting something unusual in the job advert.

“It was very specific about doing projects properly and putting the right resources behind them,” he recalls, “and this appealed to me. Then when I met Hayley, my boss, her approach completely matched what had been advertised, which told me something about the company’s integrity. She and I have a very similar philosophy around projects and people.”

What has kept him at tlmNexus is not just the work itself, but the culture surrounding it.

“There is a genuine pleasure in working with people here because everyone is an expert at what they do,” he says. “There is also a real sense that even as a very small cog in the mighty wheel of the MOD, what we do contributes towards keeping people safe in the air.”

As Senior Project Manager, James oversees a varied portfolio of projects, ranging from small software adjustments and patches through to major Defence rollouts involving multiple delivery teams and platforms.

“If we sell a new product or onboard an existing product with a new customer, that onboarding becomes my responsibility,” he explains. “I bring together analysts, product owners, technical leads, developers and integration specialists, and make sure projects remain on budget, on schedule and aligned with customer requirements.”

What he particularly enjoys is the sheer variety of interaction his role involves.

“On any given day I will work with almost everyone in the business,” he says. “One hour I might be talking with the Customer Integration Engineers about how we make a product suit the customer best. The next I am in a scrum with the technical teams, learning from people who are exceptional at what they do and translating that into something meaningful for wider stakeholders.”

That constant collaboration is all the more motivating within Defence aviation and airworthiness environments, where for James, the operational context carries genuine significance.

“In one sense, project management remains the same whatever sector you work in,” James says. “I have worked in utilities, finance and education, all of which have important outcomes, but Defence feels different. Even when you’re ten steps removed from the front line, you know the systems support people operating in incredibly demanding situations.”

Coming into tlmNexus as a civilian among a largely ex-military workforce brought its own learning curve.

“You are not just learning the products,” he explains. “You are learning the platforms, the manufacturers, the delivery teams, the culture and the relationships between all those different groups. A lot of colleagues here have experience of the environments we support, so I rely heavily on their knowledge.”

For James, though, the biggest challenge, and arguably the most important skill in project management, is understanding people.

“People often obsess over methodologies like Agile, PRINCE2 or Kanban,” he says. “But the real skill is understanding individuals; what motivates them, how they communicate and how they want to be communicated with.”

That emphasis on collaboration and problem-solving is something he believes sets tlmNexus apart.

“In previous organisations, people often had competing priorities and projects struggled to maintain engagement,” he says. “At tlmNexus, everybody genuinely wants to solve the problem. There is no blame culture. If something goes wrong, the conversation is always: what do we do to fix it?”



One project currently standing out for James is the rollout of a complex airworthiness module which will have huge benefits for the majority of our air platforms and users.

“It is a large, complex programme that has thrown up lots of interesting challenges,” he says. “What I enjoy most is seeing how the products are used operationally across different platforms and organisations. You build a much clearer picture of the people behind the systems and what they need day-to-day.”

Outside work, James channels his creativity in very different directions. He has self-published a science fiction novel on Amazon, “written entirely by my own hand, not using AI,” he adds with a smile, and is a passionate live music fan with a particular love of British rock band The Wildhearts.

“I am always going to gigs,” he says. “I have an armful of music tattoos and I am constantly reading, travelling or trying to learn guitar, albeit badly.”

He describes himself as ‘a massive history nerd’, spending weekends exploring castles, National Trust properties and cathedrals across England. He also appreciates interior design; his Brighton home includes a room inspired by the bold colours and playful geometry of the Italian Memphis Group design movement.

Ultimately, though, it is curiosity about people, systems, technology and the world around him that seems to underpin both his work and his wider life.

“I want to experience as much as humanly possible in my life,” he concludes.

For tlmNexus, James’ passion and enthusiasm is one of the less visible factors helping to drive the strong momentum for which the company has become known.