People Liaison Operations Manager - Armed Forces Recruitment

Location –Bristol (MOD Abbey Wood), with ability to travel across the AFR estate
Full Time, Permanent   
Up to £50,000 per annum

At Serco, we are proud to partner with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) in providing critical recruitment services for the UK’s Armed Forces. This new approach will, for the first time, see the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force have a joint Armed Forces Recruitment Service (AFRS).

Delivered through a partnership of the MOD, Serco, and our consortium of partners, this service will provide end-to-end support from candidate attraction to assessment, onboarding, and Phase 1 training. Our team brings together best-in-class integrated technology and specialist partners to offer a holistic recruitment and skills solution for the UK Armed Forces, designed to modernise and improve the overall candidate experience. We are driven by the values of doing the right thing for our people, the MOD, His Majesty’s Government (HMG), broader society, and the candidates we source.

We are seeking an experienced People Liaison Operations Manager to act as the key connection between the MOD’s Embedded Service Personnel (ESP) and the civilian management teams across AFRS. This is a unique opportunity for a skilled HR professional with a background in the Armed Forces environment to make a real difference in how we support and engage military personnel working within our service lines.

As part of this

You will play a critical role in managing the interface between Serco, our consortium partners, and the MOD, ensuring that our Embedded Service Personnel are supported, engaged, and effectively deployed. You will:

• Serve as the central liaison between Serco, the MOD Command Support Unit, and civilian managers for all matters relating to Embedded Service Personnel (ESP).
• Coordinate the allocation and deployment of ESP and civilian staff across Contact, Outreach, and Assessment areas, in collaboration with the Head of Contact Strategy and National Career Advisory Leads.
• Lead on monthly people reporting and contribute to the annual service personnel review process.
• Monitor and manage performance, welfare, and health & safety issues for ESP, ensuring compliance with MOD policies and procedures.
• Act as the HR lead for all ESP matters, providing expert advice, guidance, and support to civilian and military managers.
• Drive people engagement, performance management, and cultural alignment through effective HR strategy implementation.
• Use data, metrics, and insights to improve people processes and support strategic workforce decisions.
• Partner with Serco’s People Centres of Expertise, and across our consortium partners, to align MOD and AFRS people strategies, ensuring a consistent and compliant approach.
  
  

What you’ll need to do the role:

We’re looking for a HR professional with first-hand experience working with or within the Armed Forces — someone who understands both the operational context and the people complexities of a military-civilian partnership. You will have:

• Proven HR experience at a senior or operational leadership level, ideally CIPD Level 7 qualified (or equivalent).
• Demonstrable experience working with the Armed Forces or the MOD, with a strong understanding of military structures, culture, and personnel management.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior MOD and Serco leaders alike.
• A strong grasp of people metrics, reporting, and data-driven decision-making.
• The confidence to manage complex employee relations issues, ensuring fairness, compliance, and positive engagement.
• A collaborative, adaptable, and proactive approach - able to build trust across both military and civilian teams.
• Flexibility to travel as required across UK sites.
• Able to obtain SC clearance
  
  

Why Serco:

Meaningful and vital work: In this position, your work is vital to the business, in terms of decisions and growth. You will gain a world of opportunity working for a globally operating business delivering essential services across 5 vital sectors, personal growth, achievement and development won’t be hard to find. You'll also work with great people. You’ll find yourself working in a highly motivated, supportive environment where no two days are the same, with experienced colleagues who strive for excellence.

What we offer:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Annual leave purchase scheme.
• Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
• Flexible working options.
• Serco discounts which include cinema, merlin entertainment and online shopping discounts, and discounts on mobile phone plans and leisure centre memberships.
• A range of benefits to support the health and wellbeing of you and your family such as Employee Assistance Programme, Simply Health Cash Plans, and more.
• A wealth of career development training to suit your future aspirations. These range from role specific training, leadership coaching, formal study and much more to support you to build your career with Serco.
• A safe and supportive culture.
• A company passionate about diversity and inclusion.
  
  
  

About Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services.  We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. 

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such 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. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.  For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.
 

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.