SEO Project Manager

Job summary

The Catterick Integrated Care Centre (CICC) programme is a flagship initiative within Defence Medical Services (DMS) Transformation, delivering a state-of-the-art healthcare facility to serve both the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the local NHS population. This pioneering programme is setting a national precedent for collaboration between military and civilian healthcare services, with innovative operating models and integrated service delivery at its core. As Project Manager, you will play a pivotal role in driving the successful delivery of this high-profile programme, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives, governance frameworks, and stakeholder expectations. Reporting to the Programme Manager, you will lead on the planning, coordination, and execution of key workstreams, managing risks, dependencies, and resources to ensure the programme remains on track to achieve its ambitious goals. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a transformative healthcare initiative of national significance, shaping the future of integrated healthcare delivery for MOD and NHS communities.

This role is offered on a fixed-term (FTA) basis due to its alignment with the CICC Programme, which is time limited and will conclude upon the successful delivery of its objectives.

Cyber & Specialist Operations Command

Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) generates and operates specialist capabilities, ready to fight across all domains to make the UK secure at home and strong abroad.

Always on, we are across every UK operation, delivering the capabilities you don’t usually see - or those you can’t.

From cyber warriors and medics to intelligence analysts, special forces, educators, and Defence attachés, our collective expertise delivers the warfighting edge Defence needs to deter threats and secure the nation today, and prepare for tomorrow.

CSOC unites Defence’s cyber and specialist capabilities under a single, military command alongside the Royal Navy, British Army, and the Royal Air Force - acting as the UK’s fourth Military Command. For more information, please see here.

Job description

This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a transformative healthcare initiative of national significance. The CICC programme is at the forefront of integrated healthcare delivery, combining military and civilian expertise to deliver world-class care. As Project Manager, you will play a key role in shaping the future of healthcare delivery for MOD and NHS communities, ensuring the successful realisation of this ambitious vision.

You will have significant autonomy to lead your assigned workstreams, while being supported by and accountable to the Programme Manager. This role requires a proactive, collaborative, and results-driven individual with a strong track record in project management and stakeholder engagement.

You will also provide guidance, mentorship, and support to junior team members, fostering their professional development and ensuring effective team performance.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience in leading or playing a critical role in delivering complex projects, with strong knowledge of project management tools and methodologies.
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement, with the ability to build relationships, communicate effectively, and influence both internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience in managing project plans, risks, issues, and governance structures to ensure successful delivery.
• Familiarity with the project lifecycle, including key stages, expected outcomes, and assurance processes.
• A track record of working in fast-paced, complex project or programme environments.
• Experience engaging with senior stakeholders to identify needs, solve problems, and propose viable solutions.
• Ability to define and articulate clear project scopes amidst competing priorities.
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills, with the ability to motivate and empower multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated success in delivering tangible business outcomes and benefits, with experience in benefits identification, monitoring, and realisation.
• Professional accreditation in project management (e.g., PRINCE2, APM PMQ, MSP) or equivalent.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in healthcare settings, particularly with the NHS, MOD, or public health organisations, and an understanding of service integration challenges.
• Familiarity with MOD or government governance frameworks, policies, and P3M methodologies.
• Knowledge or experience in Research, Innovation, Public Health, and Education (RIPE) capabilities.
• Expertise in change management, procurement, and data-driven decision-making to support project delivery.
• Awareness of digital transformation and technology-enabled service delivery in healthcare.
• Strong collaboration skills, with experience working across organisational boundaries and fostering partnerships.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and embedding lessons learned into future projects.

Please refer to the attached Terms of Reference for a full list of duties.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Working Together
• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Project Delivery Capability Framework - Planning Competency

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,040, Ministry of Defence contributes £13,337 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Free parking
• Gym Access

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours:

• Working Together
• Changing and Improving

CV:

Please ensure you demonstrate that you have the required skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications and memberships in the CV section of the application form.

Please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the Job Description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert.

Technical skills:

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

Project Delivery Capability Framework - Planning Competency

Experience:

Candidates will be required to provide a Personal Statement (word count: 500)

In the event of a high volume of applications, an initial sift will be held on your CV.

At interview stage you will be assessed on your experience, using the following:

Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace

Please see the link to our YouTube channel for advice preparing your best responses with some hints and tips on answering behaviour-based questions. Hints and tips such as: Your behaviours can be based on situations from work, volunteering or home; match your situation to the behaviour requested and how to use your 250-word limit.

Are you applying for a job in Civil Service? - YouTube

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.

There will be no reimbursement for any travel expenses for the interview.

Requests to work flexibly and/or part time will be considered, taking into account business needs. Please note the salary will be pro-rata where part time hours are undertaken.

All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Making the Civil Service a Great Place to Work for Veterans - GOV.UK

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact dbscivperssgdmsresourcing@mod.gov.uk.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

This is a Fixed-term Appointment as a SEO Project Manager in the Regional HQ Catterick, DL9 3JS and occasional travel to Lichfield, WS14 9PY. Your responsibilities will be as described in this job advert and attached ToR. The reason why you are appointed for a fixed period is due to its alignment with the CICC Programme, which is time limited and will conclude upon the successful delivery of its objectives.

This post will therefore begin on your appointment and will end on 31/03/2028. You should be aware that when your Fixed-term Appointment at MOD comes to an end, arrangements will be made in line with the FTA policy.

If you are a permanent MoD civil servant and are found successful for an advertised Fixed-term Appointment (FTA) you should move into the post under a Temporary Transfer (for up to a maximum of 3 years). At the end of the posting, you will return to your previous MoD Business area. If this posting is at a higher grade, your promotion will be temporary, and you will return to your substantive grade at the end of the Temporary Transfer. If a Temporary Transfer cannot be agreed between all parties then a transfer on an FTA contract is possible, read the FTA and Change of Work Location in the UK policy for further information.

If you are transferring to MoD from another government department (OGD) you should join the MoD on an inward loan. At the end of the loan, you will return to your home (OGD) department. If a loan cannot be agreed between all parties then a transfer on an FTA contract is possible, read the FTA policy for further information.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Sarah Richardson
• Email : sarah.richardson146@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-SGDMSResourcing@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please see further information document for more details.

Attachments

Fixed_Term_Appointments Opens in new window (docx, 36kB)FAQs updated 07.01.2025 (1) Opens in new window (docx, 50kB)DMS Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 696kB)Terms of Reference Opens in new window (pdf, 470kB)