Project Management Officer

Project Management Officer (PMO)
Home-based with UK Travel   
Full Time, 12-month Fixed Term Contract (with strong potential for extension)
Band 4 / Competitive Salary (dependent on experience)

Serco is establishing a pioneering Autonomy Task Force (ATF) to lead the integration and operation of autonomous maritime systems for Defence and government clients.

This is a critical step in delivering Serco’s Defence strategy - moving up the value chain, leading innovation, and positioning ourselves at the forefront of a rapidly growing global autonomy market.

We are now looking for a Project Management Officer (PMO) to support the transition into service and ongoing delivery of this high-profile programme. This is a rare opportunity to help build a capability from the ground up while working at the cutting edge of Defence innovation.

About the Role

The PMO plays a pivotal role in ensuring the successful mobilisation and delivery of the Autonomy Task Force and its associated programmes. You will provide governance, oversight, and coordination, ensuring all activities align with best practice, are effectively tracked, and deliver against ambitious strategic objectives.

Working closely with the Transformation & Programmes Director and embedded within the ATF, you will collaborate with senior stakeholders, including the ATF SRO, technical SMEs, and Project Managers, to drive performance, consistency, and continuous improvement across all workstreams.

As part of this you’ll:

• Support Project Managers in developing and maintaining project plans and integrated schedules
• Track milestones, deliverables, and dependencies across multiple workstreams, ensuring alignment with the overall programme plan
• Maintain core PMO artefacts including RAID logs, action logs, and status reports
• Ensure accurate, timely reporting for Programme Boards and Steering Committees
• Manage documentation and ensure compliance with governance standards
• Identify, track, and manage risks and issues, supporting mitigation planning and escalation where required
• Coordinate communication between the PMO, project teams, and stakeholders
• Organise and support meetings, workshops, and governance forums, capturing and tracking actions, decisions, and outcomes
• Ensure adherence to PMO standards and best practices, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement
• Support the development of a consistent, high-performing PMO function
• Provide administrative and coordination support across the programme
• Support knowledge sharing and capability development within the team

What you’ll need to do the role:

You are highly organised, detail-oriented, and thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment where structure and clarity are critical to success.

Essential:

• Experience in a PMO or project support role, ideally within a complex programme
• Strong understanding of project governance, reporting, and controls
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)
• Strong organisational and time management skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder coordination skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain high-quality outputs

Desirable:

• Experience with Microsoft Project or similar planning tools
• Knowledge of RAID logs and risk management practices
• Experience in Defence, maritime, or government environments
• Exposure to complex, multi-stakeholder programmes

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:

• Flexible working considered
• Pension – 6%
• Chance to contribute to innovation in the public services
• A company passionate about diversity and inclusion
• 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.

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.