I am Darren McNeill, a Senior IT Project Delivery Manager with 23+ years of experience leading large-scale technology transformations across UK Government, Defence, and global enterprises. I specialise in complex infrastructure delivery, Azure cloud migration, application deployment, service transition, and operational readiness. I thrive on turning strategic priorities into actionable delivery plans, aligning cross-functional teams and vendors to achieve mission-critical outcomes while maintaining security and governance. Known for strong leadership, analytical problem-solving, and clear communication with senior stakeholders, I manage budgets, RAID registers, risk and issue management, and governance frameworks to deliver on-time, within scope, and within budget. I am SC-cleared (valid to March 2027) and focused on delivering value in high-pressure, high-visibility programmes.

Darren McNeill

I am Darren McNeill, a Senior IT Project Delivery Manager with 23+ years of experience leading large-scale technology transformations across UK Government, Defence, and global enterprises. I specialise in complex infrastructure delivery, Azure cloud migration, application deployment, service transition, and operational readiness. I thrive on turning strategic priorities into actionable delivery plans, aligning cross-functional teams and vendors to achieve mission-critical outcomes while maintaining security and governance. Known for strong leadership, analytical problem-solving, and clear communication with senior stakeholders, I manage budgets, RAID registers, risk and issue management, and governance frameworks to deliver on-time, within scope, and within budget. I am SC-cleared (valid to March 2027) and focused on delivering value in high-pressure, high-visibility programmes.

Available to hire

I am Darren McNeill, a Senior IT Project Delivery Manager with 23+ years of experience leading large-scale technology transformations across UK Government, Defence, and global enterprises. I specialise in complex infrastructure delivery, Azure cloud migration, application deployment, service transition, and operational readiness. I thrive on turning strategic priorities into actionable delivery plans, aligning cross-functional teams and vendors to achieve mission-critical outcomes while maintaining security and governance.

Known for strong leadership, analytical problem-solving, and clear communication with senior stakeholders, I manage budgets, RAID registers, risk and issue management, and governance frameworks to deliver on-time, within scope, and within budget. I am SC-cleared (valid to March 2027) and focused on delivering value in high-pressure, high-visibility programmes.

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Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate

Work Experience

Senior IT Project Manager – Contract at FCDO Services
December 31, 2025 - December 31, 2025
Delivered £3.3M Global Visa Upgrade Programme across UK & 6 overseas sites, realising £5.4M savings. Directed Azure cloud migration and legacy decommissioning across 9 global locations with zero downtime. Led 45+ technical specialists (architects, DBAs, developers, testers, analysts, service teams). Managed full-service transition including readiness, runbooks, training, and Early Life Support. Oversaw governance, RAID, financial control, testing, and senior stakeholder reporting. Delivered multiple concurrent infrastructure and application projects within ITIL and security standards.
Client Project Manager – Contract at BAE Systems
December 31, 2017 - December 31, 2017
Delivered multi-country network deployment across UK, UAE, Oman, India, Malaysia & Egypt. Managed migrations of ERP systems, applications, databases, and switching infrastructure. Oversaw £550K legacy network decommissioning with full audit and security compliance. Coordinated multi-time zone teams and vendors with strong governance and change control. Directed service transition and operational readiness aligned to ITIL.
Senior IT Project Manager – Contract at Rolls-Royce
December 31, 2016 - December 31, 2016
Delivered organisation-wide browser and Java upgrade for 4,000+ endpoints in a live operational environment. Led compatibility testing, phased rollout strategy, and remediation planning to ensure stability.
IT Project Manager – Contract at BAE Systems
December 31, 2015 - December 31, 2015
Delivered major business change and collaboration programmes (£540K–£580K). Led network and infrastructure upgrades across EMEA supporting secure defence operations. Managed service transition, readiness and governance reporting to Director/Board level. Ensured compliance with BAE security, audit and continuity frameworks.
IT Project Manager – CSC at BAE Systems
December 31, 2011 - December 31, 2011
Delivered multi-country WAN/LAN/server programmes including a £1.5M IT governance and separation initiative in South Africa.
IT Project Manager – Serco Group at Serco Group
December 31, 2007 - December 31, 2007
Delivered international infrastructure deployments across Oman, UAE, Gibraltar & the UK supporting secure government environments.

Education

Add your educational history here.

Qualifications

BTEC National Diploma – Computer Studies
January 11, 2030 - November 25, 2025
PRINCE2 Practitioner
January 11, 2030 - November 25, 2025
ITIL Foundation
January 11, 2030 - November 25, 2025
PPSO Foundation
January 11, 2030 - November 25, 2025

Industry Experience

Government, Professional Services, Computers & Electronics, Software & Internet