Account Manager - DSTL

VIVO Defence; Salisbury; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player seeks a proactive Account Manager to drive strategic delivery and operational excellence on a high-profile contract. This role is crucial in aligning operational performance with client expectations and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. You will implement strategies to ensure high-quality maintenance services, manage risks, and develop solutions that enhance customer value. If you're ready to make a significant impact in a dynamic environment, this is the opportunity for you.

Benefits

Car or car allowance

Bonus scheme

6% employer matched pension contribution

Life assurance 3 x base salary

Private medical cover for self and partner

25 days annual leave

Qualifications

• Proven experience in senior operations or contract delivery roles.
• Strong commercial and analytical awareness.

Responsibilities

• Lead the successful delivery of the DSTL contract.
• Ensure compliance with KPIs and SLAs.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with stakeholders.

Skills

Strategic Planning

Customer Satisfaction

Communication Skills

Analytical Skills

Problem-Solving

Education

Degree-level qualification

Job description

VIVO, a 50:50 joint venture between Serco and EQUANS, has been awarded places on the Defence FM and Housing Maintenance framework contracts.

VIVO embodies both experience and innovation. It combines Serco's comprehensive track record delivering engineering, technical and FM services to the UK MOD for over 55 years with EQUANS' market leading FM, energy, asset optimisation and regeneration capabilities.

Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire

Salary: Competitive + car/car allowance + benefits

Full time, permanent

Account Manager - Driving Strategic Delivery and Operational Excellence on the DSTL Contract

VIVO Defence Services is seeking a proactive and experienced Account Manager to lead the successful delivery of the DSTL (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) contract. This role is pivotal in aligning operational performance with contractual obligations, customer expectations, and VIVO's strategic objectives, while fostering a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and compliance.

You will play a central role in implementing the operational strategy within the DSTL contract, ensuring delivery of high-quality maintenance services-including reactive, planned, and grounds maintenance-that meet all contractual KPIs and SLAs. Your responsibilities will include regular service reviews, ensuring statutory compliance across DSTL assets, identifying and mitigating risks, and developing the capability to successfully deliver capital projects that align with client needs. A strong commitment to health and safety underpins the role, and you will be expected to implement and lead a Zero Harm strategy across the estate.

From a financial and growth perspective, you will be accountable for ensuring that contract objectives are achieved within budget and performance targets, reporting regularly on outcomes and identifying opportunities to enhance customer value. You will be instrumental in developing solutions that exceed expectations and strengthen VIVO's market position, helping to secure future business growth.

A core aspect of your role involves building and maintaining collaborative, trust-based relationships with DSTL, DIO, and other internal and external stakeholders. You'll lead procurement relationships with commercial suppliers and foster excellent customer relations by ensuring engagement at the local level is consistently strong.

Within your team, you will be expected to lead with purpose and clarity, supporting staff wellbeing, promoting diversity, and creating a positive, inclusive working environment. You'll ensure that best practices, policies, and procedures are consistently followed and aligned with the VIVO Management System, sharing learnings across the wider organisation.

What You Need To Do The Job

You'll need to demonstrate outstanding planning skills, an ability to deliver customer satisfaction, and a clear focus on prioritising and problem-solving under pressure. Strong communication, influencing, and collaborative working skills are vital, as is the ability to manage change, respond to ambiguity with innovation, and generate results in partnership with other teams. Attention to detail and analytical capability are also essential, including the ability to interpret and report on performance data and trends.

The successful candidate will hold a degree-level qualification or equivalent, with a track record of professional development. You'll bring proven, relevant experience in a senior operations or contract delivery role, with excellent communication and interpersonal skills to ensure effective stakeholder engagement. You must also demonstrate strong commercial and analytical awareness and have a history of delivering change in complex, fast-paced environments.

This is a customer-facing role that requires high visibility and regular travel to DSTL and VIVO sites across the UK. Candidates must be UK nationals and able to obtain unrestricted SC Clearance.

If you're ready to bring strategic focus, operational rigour, and leadership excellence to one of our most high-profile contracts, this is the opportunity to make a lasting impact with VIVO Defence Services.

What We Offer:

• Car or car allowance
• Bonus scheme
• 6% employer matched pension contribution
• Life assurance 3 x base salary
• Private medical cover for self and partner
• 25 days annual leave

VIVO Defence Services

The role you have applied for is with VIVO Defence Services, a joint venture between Serco and EQUANS. By applying for this role, please be aware that information contained within your CV may be shared between VIVO Defence Services, Serco and EQUANS during the recruitment process.

At VIVO, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. Therefore, we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool.

We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working and operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly a Disability Confident Employer. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.