Principal Project Manager - RAF Alconbury

VIVO Defence; Huntingdon; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

VIVO Defence is seeking a Principal Project Manager to lead diverse infrastructure projects within the UK military. This high-impact role requires strong project management skills, stakeholder engagement, and a commitment to safety and compliance. The successful candidate will manage budgets, oversee project delivery, and develop a customer-focused team, playing a pivotal role in shaping defence infrastructure.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

6% employee matched pension contribution

Single private medical cover

Company car or car allowance

Life assurance 2 x annual salary

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of the construction industry.
• Experience delivering complex projects in a regulated environment.
• Competence in project management and team leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of infrastructure projects across the Ministry of Defence estate.
• Manage project budgets and ensure compliance with safety and legal standards.
• Foster a high-performing, customer-focused team.

Skills

Project Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Health and Safety Compliance

Customer Service

Education

Formal qualification in construction or property-related subject

Tools

Microsoft Office

CAFM systems (e.g., Maximo)

Job description

Who we are

VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

What we do

We put our Customers and Families First. They are the driving force behind everything we do. We drive forward improvements for them to ensure the service they receive, whether reactive repairs or a major project, is completed safely and on time. In order to achieve this, we have 4 core values: open, caring, agile and collaborative. These are at the heart of everything we do.

Location: RAF Alconbury, to cover RAF Lakenheath

Hours: 8am-4.30pm Monday-Friday

Salary: Competitive + Company car/Car allowance

Principal Project Manager - Project Leadership Across Defence Infrastructure

VIVO Defence Services is seeking an experienced and strategic Principal Project Manager to lead the delivery of all projects within the annual Billable Works programme. This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for overseeing a diverse portfolio of infrastructure projects across the Ministry of Defence estate, ensuring safety, compliance, budget control, and exceptional service delivery.

The Role

In this role, you will establish and lead a dedicated team to deliver projects aligned with VIVO's financial objectives and strategic goals. You will be accountable for meeting the agreed annual financial budget, while maintaining full profit and loss responsibility for the programme. Working closely with stakeholders such as the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and Top Level Budgets (TLBs), you will utilise asset condition data to plan and shape future project pipelines.

A central aspect of the role involves creating and embedding a culture that prioritises safety across all areas of project delivery. You will be responsible for developing and implementing governance frameworks that promote both safe and commercially successful project execution. Ensuring legal compliance in all project activity, including alignment with CDM regulations and JSP standards, will be a critical element of your duties.

You will manage main contractors in accordance with VIVO's supply chain strategies, while also working to broaden and improve the supply base to raise quality and consistency. A strong focus on continuous improvement across commercial and operational processes is expected, alongside a commitment to minimising carbon emissions throughout the build phase and asset lifecycle in line with JSP 450.

You will manage high-profile or complex projects directly, ensuring they are underpinned by robust specifications, procurement strategies, and tender documentation. Project briefs will be formally established and managed through consistent procedures to ensure timely and high-quality delivery. You will maintain stakeholder engagement throughout, offering regular updates and reports to ensure alignment and transparency.

The role also includes responsibility for fostering a high-performing, customer-focused team. You will contribute to the ongoing development of team members by creating learning opportunities, offering coaching support, and developing succession plans for key roles. You are expected to work flexibly and collaboratively, applying strategic planning skills to prioritise tasks, assess options, and manage contingency.

You will use your communication and influencing abilities to build strong working relationships across all stakeholder groups, ensuring key decisions are made with confidence and ownership. In changing circumstances, you'll help others adapt and work constructively with other departments to achieve shared goals. You'll bring a detail-oriented and analytical mindset, with the ability to write clear reports and present data-driven insights to senior stakeholders.

What You'll Bring

To be successful in this role, you will need a strong understanding of the construction industry and experience delivering complex projects or term contracts, ideally within a defence or regulated environment. You will have a background in managing teams, leading stakeholder engagement, and ensuring compliance with health and safety and legal standards. A working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications and CAFM systems such as Maximo is essential, along with a focus on delivering excellent customer service.

You should also be able to demonstrate competence in project management, supported by a strong general education and a commitment to professional development. A formal qualification in a construction, contract, or property-related subject would be advantageous.

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of defence infrastructure, combining leadership, strategy, and delivery in a role that makes a real difference.

What We Offer:

• 25 days annual leave
• 6% employee matched pension contribution
• Single private medical cover
• Company car or car allowance
• Life assurance 2 x annual salary

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 Leader. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.