Defence Project Manager

The Opportunity Hub UK Ltd; Town of Oxford; Hybrid; CAD 99,000 - 149,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range: £52,500–£79,000

Hybrid work model

Private medical and dental insurance

Enhanced pension scheme

Performance-based bonuses

Job summary

The Opportunity Hub UK Ltd is seeking a Senior Defence Project Manager in Oxford to lead multi-year defence programmes, ensuring scoping, budgeting and schedule control meet contractual commitments.

You will coordinate cross-functional teams, report risks to senior stakeholders and maintain governance documentation, while upholding MOD standards and security classifications. Hybrid work with regular office presence is offered.

Qualifications

• Proven PM experience within defence, aerospace or comparable regulated government sector.
• Knowledge of PRINCE2 or APM applied in practice.
• Eligible for SC/DV clearance or holding security clearance.
• Strong stakeholder management across engineers and government clients.
• Financial literacy in budgeting, forecasting and cost control on large programmes.
• Calm under pressure to handle defence timelines and maintain composure.

Responsibilities

• Own the delivery of defence programmes from initiation through to closeout, managing scope, budget and schedule against contractual commitments.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams including engineering, procurement and security-cleared specialists across multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Report progress and risk to senior stakeholders and, where relevant, government client representatives.
• Manage project risk registers, escalating issues before they become problems.
• Ensure every deliverable meets MOD compliance, security classification and quality assurance standards.
• Lead governance meetings and maintain the documentation trail that defence contracts demand.

Skills

Project management

PRINCE2/APM

Security clearance SC/DV

Stakeholder management

Budgeting/Cost control

Calm under pressure

Job description

Perfect role for a senior professional looking to grow their Defence & Government career in Oxford.

Defence programmes in the UK run on a different clock to most industries. Budgets are scrutinised, timelines are non-negotiable, and the margin for error on a live contract is thin. This is an established defence sector employer, part of a large enterprise operation with a track record of delivering complex, multi-year programmes for government and MOD-linked clients. They need a Defence Project Manager who's done this before and won't need their hand held.

Here’s what you’ll be doing:

• Own the delivery of defence programmes from initiation through to closeout, managing scope, budget and schedule against contractual commitments
• Coordinate cross-functional teams including engineering, procurement and security-cleared specialists across multiple concurrent workstreams
• Report progress and risk to senior stakeholders and, where relevant, government client representatives
• Manage project risk registers, escalating issues before they become problems rather than after
• Ensure every deliverable meets MOD compliance, security classification and quality assurance standards
• Lead governance meetings and maintain the documentation trail that defence contracts demand

Here are the skills you’ll need:

• Proven project management experience within defence, aerospace or a comparable regulated government sector
• Working knowledge of project frameworks such as PRINCE2 or APM, applied practically rather than academically
• Comfortable holding security clearance or eligible to obtain SC/DV clearance
• Sharp stakeholder management skills. You'll be dealing with engineers one hour and government clients the next
• Financial literacy across budgeting, forecasting and cost control on large programmes
• Calm under pressure. Defence timelines slip for reasons outside your control, and you'll need to manage that without losing the room

Key perks and benefits:

• £52,500 to £79,000, depending on experience
• Hybrid working, with regular time in the Oxford office balanced against home working
• Private medical and dental insurance
• Enhanced pension scheme
• Performance-based bonuses on top of base salary

Why pursue a career in Defence & Government?

Defence spending in the UK isn't slowing down, and Oxford has quietly become one of the country's strongest hubs for defence and government technology work, sitting alongside the region's research institutions and specialist engineering firms. A Defence & Government career gives you structured progression, serious project scale, and a level of job security that few other sectors can match right now. For a Defence Project Manager with the right background, Oxford offers no shortage of long-term opportunity.