UK Ministry of Defence
Senior Project Manager
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Senior Project Manager
Senior Project Manager – UK USVF Bases (Defence Infrastructure Organisation)
Location
RAF Fairford, GL7 4DL
Contract
37 hours per week
About the Role
Join the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), delivering secure, sustainable, and versatile infrastructures for the UK’s Defence Estate—from zero-carbon accommodations to military aircraft runways. You’ll form part of a global leader in defence infrastructure, shaping environments that enable US Visiting Forces (USVF) to live, work, train, and deploy.
You’ll become part of the DIO’s Major Programmes and Projects (MPP) USVF team, responsible for driving a £3.2bn portfolio of design and construction on UK USVF bases.
Job Description
The Senior Project Manager’s Responsibilities
Reporting to the Assistant Head of Major Programmes and Projects USVF, the Senior Project Manager will:
- Lead capital design and construction projects for US Visiting Forces, delivering high-value, defence sector infrastructure against established standards.
- Coordinate integrated project teams to deliver projects from RIBA stages 0–7, ensuring adherence to time, cost, quality, and performance parameters.
- Ensure NEC contract compliance and operational obligations, supporting customer needs to secure project approvals.
- Monitor and report on financial performance while managing risks and delays proactively.
- Provide assurance reviews and project evaluations at critical stages, ensuring alignment with DIO’s Key Infrastructure Process.
At RAF Fairford, you’ll oversee a collection of construction, refurbishment, and replacement projects across the design-to-delivery pipeline, supported by a team fostering a High Performing Team ethos.
Your Key Contributions
As the Senior Project Management champion, you’ll:
✔ Client-Management: Interfacing with the ‘Intelligent Client’ role, curating vendor relationships secured via UK MOD procurement processes. ✔ Contract Assurance: Managing proactive contract oversight, contracting parties, and compliance to optimise performance, quality, time, and cost. ✔ Efficiency & Problem-Solving: Including budget control, financial forecasting, risk escalation, and managing commercial disputes for smooth project execution. ✔ Project Guarantee: Aligning project governance, technical scrutiny, and regulatory compliance with strategic delivery targets.
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Leadership Accountability
As a DIO leader, you commit to:
🔹 Accountability: Own and model decorum, ensuring role delegation is transparent and results-driven. 🔹 Empowerment: Foster progression and ownership within your teams, facilitating skill enhancement and career ambiguity. 🔹 Inclusion: Foster a culture where diversity of thought enhances outcomes and operational strategy.
Person Specification
Desirable Experience & Qualifications
- Project Track Record: Demonstrated ability to deliver high-value, high-profile construction projects within regulatory strictures.
- Qualifications: Preferential for project management certifications (e.g., APMQ, APM PMQ, Prince2).
- Registration/Bodies: Membership with recognised project management professional bodies.
Licence Requirement: A driving licence is mandatory, as sufficient public transport links are unavailable.
Essential Behaviours (Assessed)
DIO evaluates candidates against three key behaviours:
- Delivering at Pace (completion efficiency vs complexity)
- Managing a Quality Service (adjustment of service delivery trends and outcomes)
- Leadership & Influence (embedded through informal/strategic channels of communications)
Assessed during application: 🆔 Delivering at Pace 🆔 Quality Service Management
For interview, you’ll be scrutinised against: 🆔 Leadership 🆔 Communicating and Influencing
Technical Skills (Tested via assessment)
Proficiency in: 🔸 Schedule Management (P3M09) Practitioner 🔸 Budget and Cost Control (P3M11) Practitioner
Working for DIO
Salary and Benefits
A competitive salary of £46,040, with employer contributions totalling £13,337 under the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme (effectively 28.97% employer contribution).
Further benefits include:
🔵 Flexible hours & home-work policy 🔵 Inclusive & sustainable environment, promoting diversity 🔵 Tailored learning/development programme 🔵 Hybrid working options (office co-location: ≥60% requirement applies). 🔵 Annual leave framework (up to 30 days following 5+ years service, excluding public/QBE holidays). 🔵 Paid leave for statutory/NHS/reserve commitments (up to 15 days resorting volunteer reserve). 🔵 Career mobility (Civil Service transfer scheme) 🔵 Employee Assistance Programmes 🔵 Parental/Adoption leave incentives
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Many sites feature budget gyms, shops, on-site recreational resources—check within BASE at Fairford.
Additional Conditions
🚗 No relocation assistance for external hires. 🚗 Six-month probation applies for External recruits. 🚗 **Travel to interviews **—expenses not reimbursed.
Security & Clearance
✅ Mandatory police-level security clearance check. ✅ Baseline personnel security standards (for government asset access).
Selection Considerations
This role does NOT meet military risk sponsorship requirements. Applicants requiring sponsorship are ** automatic disqualifiers**.
Civil Service code adheres to all roles, and off-field judgments, breaches, or negative though inconsistencies in integrity may restrict eligibility (historical or current).
❗ Awards feed solely from interviews.
Ties to Minor Limited leave or settled/pre-settled status presumptions under EUSS details apply.
Questions & Application
For support or application questions, contact: 📧 Russell Liddington – russell.liddington862@mod.gov.uk 📞 +44 (0)7971 708555
The vacancy is specific to interface assessment via Success Profiles, utilising objective assessment of candidate Skills/Experiences/Behaviours (P3M/ASP/P3B deployments).
Cheerfully inspect DIO Candidate Information Guide & Functional Framework links provided.
Deadline/Commitment: During perturbations of application drawdown, eager 6+ month Reserve Placement priority (CSC Criteria) - reserves assessed.
Candidate Events
- Security Checks: Automatically triggered post-interview invite.
- Interview,” Mid-Autumn 2026: Fairford Location, scheduled minimum 2-days’ notifications.
- Reserved Norm: Dual functioning roles evaluation optional (registered via DBS or Civil Service)xReserves & Processing Timeframe presented.
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