Associate Project Manager Higher Apprenticeship

Thales; Fareham; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary £24k

Holiday 201 hours

Employer pension

Healthcare plan

Hybrid work

Learning & development

Employee discounts

Wellbeing initiatives

Life Cover

Volunteer hours

Job summary

Thales UK invites you to join a two-year higher apprenticeship in project management, combining on‑the‑job experience with academic study through The Apprentice Academy. You’ll learn to plan, govern, and deliver projects while earning a salary and working toward the Level 4 Project Manager Associate apprenticeship standard.

You'll support UK and northern Europe customers, manage work packages, and collaborate with cross‑functional teams.

Qualifications

• 2 A Levels grade C or above or equivalent L3 qualification.
• Five GCSEs grade 4/C or above, including English Language and Mathematics.
• Applicants with a relevant degree are not eligible.

Responsibilities

• Support Tier1 customers in the UK and northern Europe with cards, readers, tokens and software.
• Scope and define projects based on customer work requests.
• Deliver solutions in line with customer requirements and Thales proposals.
• Drive projects with clear communication on planning, risks, resources and quality.
• Manage project budgets and Thales Digital Banking interests.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams in the UK and overseas.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Team management

Communication

Governance

Education

A Levels

GCSEs

Equivalent L3

Job description

Turn your curiosity into a career.

If you're passionate about engineering, eager to learn, and looking for a degree apprenticeship that combines academic study with exciting on-the-job experience, we'd love to hear from you.

Benefits of the programme:

• Earn a salary while studying
• Gain hands‑on experience in a project manager role
• Receive job‑specific training and development
• Achieve a recognised qualification
• Secure a permanent role from the start of your apprenticeship
• Have your tuition fees fully paid

About the Role

• Supporting Tier1 customers primarily in the UK and northern Europe, providing cards, card readers, authentication tokens, Fido Security keys and software solutions.
• Scope and define projects based on customer work requests.
• Deliver the solution in compliance with customer requirements and Thales’ proposal.
• Drive the project ensuring customer satisfaction with clear communication of project planning, risks, resource level & quality.
• Manage project budget and Thales Digital Banking interests.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams in the UK and overseas

What You Will Learn

• Project management methodologies
• Work package specification, definition and allocation
• Team management
• Stakeholder engagement and communication
• Governance and compliance

Apprenticeship Programme

Through our higher apprenticeship you’ll be making the most of your talents, getting to understand the Project Management Function from the ground up; and doing so with the help of one of the biggest and best names in the industry.

Throughout your apprenticeship, you’ll receive on‑the‑job training tailored to work alongside your studies, giving you the hands‑on experience needed to develop practical skills and knowledge.

The programme will be delivered via a virtual delivery model combining:

• live virtual workshops
• 1-2-1 coaching calls
• Self‑directed learning activities

This is a 2-year programme, working towards the Level 4 Project Manager Associate Apprenticeship standard, with our training provider, The Apprentice Academy. Upon successful completion of your End Point Assessment, you will roll off into the Thales UK Bid and Project Management job family.

A Levels

• 2 A Levels grade C or above in any subject or equivalent L3 qualification such as BTEC Diploma (MM), T Level (Merit) or Level 3 apprenticeship.

GCSEs

• Minimum of five GCSEs at Grade 4/C or above
• Must include: English Language
• Must include: Mathematics

Please note that applicants who already hold a relevant degree will not be eligible for this programme.

Benefits

• Competitive salary of £24,000 per annum
• Performance‑related pay uplifts
• Holiday entitlement of 201 hours a year (plus a company day and bank holidays)
• Contributory Company Pension
• Health Care Cash Plan
• Hybrid/flexible working options
• Employee assistance programme
• Learning and development support
• Employee discounts and wellbeing initiatives
• Life Cover
• 80 Hours Volunteering per year (first two years)

For further information about our Future Talent recruitment process, including hints and tips, or to connect with a member of the Future Talent Team, a Graduate, or an Apprentice, please visit Thales Future Talent - Connectr.

Please note, assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February - May 2027. Induction week for all Graduate and Apprentices will take place from Monday 6 September - Friday 10 September 2027.

Closing date: Our applications will close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 17 February 2027, this is the only time we will be accepting applications this year. Please note, we will be in contact by the end of February 2027 with details of next steps.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ROLES MAY CLOSE EARLIER THAN THE ADVERTISED DEADLINE IF WE RECEIVE A HIGH NUMER OF APPLICATIONS. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID MISSING OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY.

Because of the work we do at Thales, all roles are subject to security requirements.

To be considered for this position, you must have the permanent right to work in the UK and be able to successfully complete and maintain UK Government security checks, including Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) screening and Security Clearance (SC), which is a government background check, before starting employment.

To be eligible for SC clearance, you will typically need to have lived in the UK continuously for the last five years. As part of the vetting process, you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity, right to work in the UK, any time spent overseas during the last five years, and your employment and/or education history.

In addition, this role supports a UK Eyes Only programme and is therefore subject to government‑mandated nationality restrictions. To satisfy the security clearance requirements for access to highly sensitive information, applicants must have been British citizens from birth and must not hold any other nationality. This requirement is determined by the UK Government and is a condition of programme access rather than an employment preference.

About the Company

Thales Cyber Security Products, Digital Banking offers financial institutions and their customers secure access to banking & payment services.

Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity, and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales.