Defence Project Manager

Location: Bristol, MOD Abbey Wood
Working pattern:-Up to 3 per week onsite at Abbey Wood
Multiple vacancies:-Level 2 and 3 Project Managers

We are recruiting Project Managers to support the delivery of projects within a complex UK defence environment.

This requirement is focused on people with genuine defence project management experience and personal accountability for delivery. It is not a PMO administration, Project Controls, planning or reporting-only position.

Please check the essential requirements before applying Applicants must:

• Have substantive project management experience gained within defence
• Hold sole British nationality due to mandatory security requirements. Dual nationals cannot be considered
• Live within a sustainable commuting distance of Bristol
• Be able to attend MOD Abbey Wood-3 daysper week
• Have previously held UK SC clearance
• Hold a recognised project or programme management qualification

Current valid SC clearance would be strongly advantageous although it is not an absolute requirement where previous UK SC can be evidenced.

The role

You will support or lead the controlled delivery of defence projects, work packages, control accounts or defined delivery elements through the appropriate lifecycle stages.

Responsibilities may include:

• Owning project objectives, milestones, deliverables and delivery plans
• Managing performance against agreed scope, cost and schedule expectations
• Identifying variance and coordinating proportionate corrective action
• Managing project risks, issues, dependencies, opportunities and change
• Producing accurate project performance information for governance and decision making
• Working with Project Controls on schedules, baselines, forecasts and performance information
• Coordinating customers, suppliers and multidisciplinary delivery functions
• Supporting or leading formal project governance, assurance and approval activity

Experience required

We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate what they personally owned and delivered rather than simply showing exposure to defence programmes.

Strong candidates are likely to have experience involving:

• MOD or other clearly identifiable UK defence project delivery
• Ownership of a project, work package or control account
• Formal project governance and assurance
• Cost, schedule and performance management
• Risk, issue, dependency and change management
• Customer and supplier engagement
• Cross-functional working with areas such as engineering, commercial, finance, requirements and Project Controls

For Level 3 positions, you should be able to demonstrate established Project Manager accountability for a semi-complex project, several simpler projects or complex control accounts. This should include meaningful responsibility for delivery decisions, performance and multidisciplinary stakeholders.

For Level 2 positions, we will consider candidates with narrower scope where there is still clear evidence of practitioner-level project delivery ownership.

Desirable experience

• APM PMQ is preferred for Level 3 candidates but other PM qualifications applicable.
• Experience within MOD, DE&S or a comparable defence acquisition environment would be particularly relevant.
• Familiarity with CADMID, Work Breakdown Structures, baselines or wider project controls concepts would also be useful where backed by practical delivery experience.

Location requirement

This role requires attendance at MOD Abbey Wood in Bristol-up to 3 days per week. If this is not applicable to you, please do not apply.

Applicants need to live within a genuinely sustainable commuting distance of Bristol. A routine long-distance weekly commute from another part of the UK will not meet the intended working requirement.

If you meet the essential eligibility and defence experience requirements, apply with your CV for consideration.