Job description for Project Manager

Are you ready to take the lead on impactful projects and drive meaningful change? We are seeking a motivated individual to join our team as a Project Manager, where you will have the opportunity to deliver semi-complex projects, manage multiple simple projects, or oversee complex control accounts with minimal supervision.

In this role, you will lead projects across a variety of business contexts, shaping acquisition strategies and ensuring alignment with the organisation’s overarching vision. Your expertise will be instrumental in driving success and delivering results that make a real difference.

A key focus of this role will be your involvement in the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which is set to go live in February 2026. This digital transformation initiative is a cornerstone of the position, offering you the chance to play a pivotal role in achieving implementation, optimising processes, driving efficiencies, and unlocking significant benefits for the organisation.

You will also be responsible for tracking project progress, utilising management information to monitor budget variances, and addressing schedule or resource changes. Your ability to form recovery actions, supported by an auditable record of assumptions, will be critical to ensuring project success.

Interviews will take place face-to-face at MOD Sealand and will commence in the week commencing Monday 27th August 2025 (please note this is subject to change).

We champion flexible ways of working. Regular in-person attendance is required (this is expected to be approximately 60% of your working week) to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance and business need. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.

 What you’ll be doing

• Accountable for the delivery of their projects’ outputs within the performance/cost/time envelope for a semi-complex project, multiple simple projects or complex control accounts
• Responsible for ensuring the most cost-effective and efficient means of delivery, whilst mitigating risk and leveraging opportunities
• Support an open, honest, no blame culture. Actively highlighting failures and shortfalls positively and drawing through LFE into the project or control account, advising on mitigations and engaging with ownership to project lead to mitigate wider occurrence
• Responsible for embedding and adhering to all governance and policy and enable the required compliance throughout their team, ensure appropriate challenge and gain approval to deviate when necessary
• Deliver project requirements within the performance/cost/time envelope. Sustain and leverage value through the monitoring and management of contract performance against commitments (product and services) and meet our own obligations under the contract

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you’ll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Proven demonstration of Project Management skills (e.g. planning, risk, cost control)
• Experience in stakeholder and supplier engagement and building positive working relationships.
• Experience of implementing or optimising ERP solutions

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Core Behaviour 1: Changing & Improving
• Core Behaviour 2: Working Together
• Technical Competence 1: Stakeholder Manager Supervised Practitioner
• Technical Competence 2: Controlling a Project Practitioner

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,100, Ministry of Defence contributes £12,486 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 25 days’ annual leave +1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday
• Flexible and hybrid working options
• Market-leading average employer pension contribution of 28.97%
• Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards
• Access to specialist training and funded qualifications
• Support for progression
• Huge range of discounts
• Volunteering days
• Enhanced parental leave schemes

Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. So whether you’re looking for a new opportunity, a next step, or a helping hand as you return from a career break, bring your experiences and help deliver for the defence of tomorrow. Here you’ll find a supportive, family-friendly organisation to be a part of – and if you need any assistance with your application, just let us know.

Further Information

• Civil Service Recruitment Principles: Recruitment Principles – Civil Service Commission
• Candidate Information Pack: https://bit.ly/DES-Candidate-Information-Pack
• Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/DES-Terms-and-Conditions
• Civil Service Code: The Code – Civil Service Commission

Any personal data that you provide during the Recruitment process will be treated in accordance with the MOD Privacy Notice which can be accessed here.

Please note as a Disability Confident Leader we want to ensure you receive any reasonable adjustments that you need throughout the recruitment process. If you do require any reasonable adjustments, you can let us know on your online application under the section ‘Please indicate and give details of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the recruitment process.

Selection process details

Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

1. Pre-sift – We will check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.
2. Sift – Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills. Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.
3. Interview – If you’re invited to interview, you’ll be assessed against the Sift categories (CV Review) listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. 

Please Note: In the event of a tied score at interview, the Order of Merit will be distinguished based on the relative importance of the assessed competencies as per the hierarchy below:

• 1st: Core Behaviour 1
• 2nd: Core Behaviour 1
• 3rd: Technical Competencies
• 4th: CV Review

In the event of a further tie using the method above, we reserve the right to utilise an additional assessment.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact department via email: DESHR-WSC-PMOCOMPLAINTS@mod.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Recruitment Complaints – Civil Service Commission