Project Manager Associate Apprenticeship (Level 4) Ref. 3866

Job description

Flexible working:

We recognise the importance of balancing work, study and personal commitments throughout your apprenticeship. Although your academic studies will follow a structured timetable with designated leave periods, we offer flexible start and finish times where business needs allow. Due to the secure nature of our work, this will be predominantly office-based, with most learning and work undertaken in person. Home working is unlikely and would only be considered in exceptional circumstances, subject to business and team requirements.

About us

We're MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service. Our mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, we help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence. A role in MI6 will see you providing vital support to this work within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

The role

As a Project Manager Associate Apprentice, you'll work on projects that offer a unique insight into the work of MI6 and help keep the UK safe. This is a unique opportunity to earn while you learn, combining practical workplace experience with academic study to build the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for a successful career in project delivery.

Over 18 months, you'll split your time between practical workplace experience and structured learning. Four days a week, you'll work directly with project teams supporting the delivery of mission-focused projects and helping to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget. One day a week will be dedicated to your apprenticeship studies, allowing you to apply your learning in an operational environment while working towards a nationally recognised qualification.

Day to day, you'll experience the full mix of what project delivery involves, from building project plans and budgets to allocating resources and learning how to manage risk effectively. Monitoring progress and identifying potential issues early will help you develop the judgement to elevate concerns before they grow into bigger problems. You'll produce a range of project documentation, including status reports, meeting minutes and agendas, while working closely with stakeholders, team members and colleagues to keep communication clear and collaboration effective. Working directly with project data will teach you to interpret information, make informed decisions and develop the judgement to select the right Project Portfolio Management (PPM) tools and techniques.

At the heart of the role is helping people manage complex work and communicate clearly, skills that are highly valued in a national security context. Working across different business areas, teams and delivery streams will give you exposure to a wide range of projects and provide genuine insight into the many ways project delivery supports our mission.

Every Friday is dedicated to learning, giving you the opportunity to attend online sessions, build your portfolio, complete coursework and prepare for your end-point assessment. Throughout your apprenticeship, you'll be supported by placement managers, colleagues and a mentoring and coaching network. You'll also become part of an established community of apprentices and professionals, offering opportunities to learn from others, share experiences and build lasting connections.

About you

You don't need any previous project management experience to apply. This apprenticeship is designed for people who are keen to learn and develop new skills, whether you're leaving school or college, entering the workplace for the first time, or bringing experience from another area. We'll provide the training, support and practical experience you need to build your confidence and grow as a project professional.

To apply, you'll need to have, or be expected to achieve by August 2027, a GCSE Grade 4/C or above in English Language and Mathematics, or an equivalent Functional Skills Level 2 qualification. Beyond this, there are no specific academic requirements. What matters most is that you're organised, can manage your time effectively, communicate clearly with others, and are enthusiastic about learning and developing your skills within a project management environment.

You must not have completed, or be due to complete before starting the apprenticeship, a Level 4 qualification (or higher) in a project management-related subject. If you already hold this qualification, we would still love to welcome you to the team, so we encourage you to explore other opportunities on our website. We also offer alternative apprenticeships in Software Engineering and Data Science at MI5 and MI6 starting in autumn 2027.

Training and development

Throughout your journey, we'll invest in broadening and deepening both your technical and non-technical skills, providing the guidance, tools and support you need to develop areas such as time management and presentation delivery.

We're committed to helping you fulfil your potential, so this apprenticeship brings together online and tutor-led learning with mentoring, job shadowing and work-based projects.

You'll take on real project-related business tasks while receiving the training and guidance needed to succeed. You'll also have regular reviews with your skills coach to discuss your progress, identify areas for development and set goals as you work towards achieving the Level 4 Project Manager Apprenticeship standard and demonstrating your competence in project management.

The apprenticeship is 36 hours a week and combines university-accredited study with practical workplace experience. You'll also have opportunities to travel to our training sites in London, including attending in-person training sessions, workshops and networking events.

Academic modules are delivered through a mix of in-person and virtual lectures, following a structured timetable with designated leave periods throughout the year. This allows you to plan ahead and maintain a healthy balance between your studies and work.

Rewards and benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £26,043, plus a range of other benefits, including:

• 25 days of annual leave, automatically increasing to 30 days after five years' service, plus an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
• London pay allowance
• Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• Interest-free season ticket loan
• Excellent pension scheme
• Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
• Paid parental and adoption leave

Equal opportunities

At MI6, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: people from different backgrounds, age groups, ethnicities, gender identities and sexual orientations, as well as those with different ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including people from groups that are under-represented in our workforce, such as women, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Find out more about our culture, working environment and commitment to diversity and inclusion on our website.

Offer of Interview

We are committed to providing equitable opportunities throughout the recruitment process to support candidates with disabilities. As part of this, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this position, will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. This is known as the Offer of an Interview.

Before you apply

To work at MI6, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read oureligibility criteria here.

This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It's something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Find out more about the vetting process here.

Please note we have a strict drugs policy. Once you start your application, you must not take any recreational drugs, and you'll need to declare your previous drug use at the relevant stage of the process.

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