Head of Outreach-Armed Forces Recruitment Service

Location: Home based (UK‑wide travel required)

Salary: Competitive plus excellent benefits of car or car allowance, company bonus, and private medical cover

Schedule: 37.5 hours per week, Monday-Friday

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, up to 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.

As Head of Outreach within our UK & Europe Defence business, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping how the Armed Forces Recruitment Service (AFRS) engages with candidates across the UK. You’ll lead the strategic design, social sourcing, governance and delivery of the Outreach model, acting as an insight‑driven entry point into the end‑to‑end recruitment system. This is a senior leadership role where strategy meets delivery. You’ll use data, insight, and partnership intelligence to ensure outreach activity drives sufficient volume, quality and diversity of candidates into the recruitment pipeline, while protecting and enhancing Serco and MOD reputation through robust governance and assured delivery.

What You’ll Do As Head Of Outreach

• Lead the delivery of the AFRS Outreach Strategy and associated national and regional plans.
• Set the strategic direction for outreach, social sourcing, and partnership‑led attraction across the UK.
• Lead and motivate Regional Heads of Outreach and the Referrals team to deliver regional plans supported by local insight and data.
• Ensure outreach activity drives volume, quality and diversity of candidates through the recruitment pipeline.
• Use insight from outreach events, social sourcing and digital engagement to inform targeting, prioritisation and planning decisions.
• Lead regular reviews of outreach performance and take action to ensure contractual targets are achieved.
• Work closely with the Authority’s Engagement team to ensure outreach and engagement strategies are aligned and avoid duplication.
• Support Command Recruiting Support Plan reviews and contribute as required.
• Provide accurate and timely reporting in line with contractual deliverables.
• Represent Serco in contractual meetings with customers, partners and stakeholders, building trusted relationships and enhancing reputation.
• Ensure all outreach and social sourcing activity operates within a robust governance, assurance and compliance framework.
• Support continuous improvement, risk management and stakeholder engagement across the contract.
• Leverage services across Defence to drive best practice and innovation.
• Support the Senior Leadership Team in ensuring strategy and plans are understood, embedded and delivered by all teams and embedded personnel.

Does this sound like you?

• Hold a full UK driving licence
• Able to achieve BPSS clearance and flexible to travel to sites when required
• Proven experience leading multi‑channel outreach, attraction or sourcing models, including partnerships and digital engagement.
• Experience operating within Defence or similarly complex, highly regulated environments (desirable).
• A strong track record of shaping and delivering strategy using insight and evidence in complex stakeholder landscapes.
• Proven experience leading and developing managers and geographically dispersed teams.
• Excellent influencing and communication skills with the ability to build trusted senior relationships.
• Strong commercial awareness and experience operating within governance and assurance frameworks.
• Degree‑level education or equivalent professional experience.
• A passion for equality, diversity and social value, with experience embedding these principles into outreach delivery.
• A drive for operational excellence, customer service and high‑performance culture.

Vetting And Checks

This role requires BPSS clearance, which involves identity verification, employment history, and criminal record checks to meet government security standards. An Occupational Health Questionnaire will also be required to ensure we can offer appropriate support for your wellbeing and performance.

What We Offer

• Holidays: 25 days plus bank holidays
• Pension: Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
• Private medical cover
• Company Bonus
• Company Car or cash allowance
• Training and development: Executive development, leadership programmes and continuous professional learning
• Health and wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme and wellbeing support
• Discounts: Discounts across a wide range of retailers and services
• Employee networks: Inclusive networks that support collaboration, belonging and professional growth

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. As a proud Disability Confident Leader 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.