Senior Project Manager

As a Senior Project Manager at MI5, youll deliver some of the organisations highest strategic priorities, supporting our mission to keep the country safe. Playing a critical role in protecting against serious threats, the work sits at the forefront of technology and national security, offering a varied and impactful environment where no two days are the same. As part of a collaborative and dynamic team, there is the opportunity to work with other intelligence agencies and contribute to a mission that makes a real difference. Youll also be part of a community that is passionate about delivering meaningful outcomes and making a positive impact.

Working in a mission-driven environment, youll take the lead on projects from initiation through to implementation, guiding multidisciplinary teams and collaborating closely with engineers, specialists and senior stakeholders. This includes shaping delivery plans, setting clear objectives and managing dependencies, while ensuring work is delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard.

Underpinning this is a robust focus on governance and controls. This role involves selecting appropriate delivery methodologies, ensuring progress through each phase, and confirming the right skills, resources and budgets are in place from the outset. Alongside this, project plans are developed and maintained, performance is monitored, and clear reporting supports effective decision-making at every level. Risks and interdependencies are identified early, with mitigations put in place and escalated where necessary to protect delivery across connected programmes.

Stakeholder engagement is central to how this role operates. Building trusted relationships across technical and non-technical communities sits at its core, alongside supporting assurance activity and leading through collaboration and coaching as much as through formal authority. This also includes helping teams navigate change, supporting projects through reviews and governance, and ensuring alignment with the broader strategic picture.

There is also a focus on tracking outcomes against original business cases, overseeing longer-term value delivery, and ensuring benefits are clearly defined, activity is measured, and value is sustained beyond implementation through an effective benefits realisation strategy.

Please note that occasional national travel may be required in this role; however, this will depend on the project.

With demonstrable experience managing large, complex, high-responsibility projects, youre comfortable navigating competing priorities and multiple workstreams to deliver successful outcomes. A project management certification such as PRINCE2, Agile Project Management Practitioner, APM Project Management Qualification, or PMI Project Management Professional is required. While a technical background isnt necessary, confidence working in technology-driven environments and engaging with engineers and technical specialists is important.

Youre at your best when taking ownership of end-to-end delivery, keeping progress on track even as plans shift or the path forward isnt fully clear. Comfortable working in uncertainty, you apply sound judgement to create the right level of structure for teams to move ahead with confidence. Priorities are managed effectively, delegation is thoughtful, and focus remains firmly on what matters most.

You lead through influence rather than hierarchy, building trusted relationships across a wide range of stakeholders. This helps you bring people together, manage expectations, surface concerns early, and navigate competing interests with confidence. Your communication is clear and trusted, cutting through complexity without oversimplifying it, and youre just as comfortable having difficult conversations and resolving conflict as you are building consensus.

This is supported by the emotional intelligence you bring to your work, reading situations well, staying composed under pressure, and showing genuine empathy to those around you. You also take pride in supporting others, using coaching and mentoring to help less experienced colleagues to grow their skills and confidence and strengthening capability across delivery teams.

On the practical side, you'll have experience managing multiple workstreams, shaping delivery plans, and ensuring work is properly structured, resourced and progressing in a controlled way. You're comfortable managing substantial budgets, understanding the financial implications of decisions, and identifying and managing risks before they become blockers. Above all, you're focused on outcomes not just activity and motivated by seeing work translate into real impact.