Principal Project Manager - RAF Alconbury

VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

We put our Customers and Families First. They are the driving force behind everything we do. We drive forward improvements for them to ensure the service they receive, whether reactive repairs or a major project, is completed safely and on time. In order to achieve this, we have 4 core values: open, caring, agile and collaborative. These are at the heart of everything we do.

Location: RAF Alconbury, to cover RAF Lakenheath

Hours: 8am-4.30pm Monday-Friday

Salary: Competitive + Company car/Car allowance

Principal Project Manager – Project Leadership Across Defence Infrastructure

VIVO Defence Services is seeking an experienced and strategic Principal Project Manager to lead the delivery of all projects within the annual Billable Works programme. This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for overseeing a diverse portfolio of infrastructure projects across the Ministry of Defence estate, ensuring safety, compliance, budget control, and exceptional service delivery.

The Role

• Establish and lead a dedicated team to deliver projects aligned with VIVO’s financial objectives and strategic goals.
• Accountable for meeting the agreed annual financial budget, while maintaining full profit and loss responsibility for the programme.
• Work closely with stakeholders such as the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and Top Level Budgets (TLBs).
• Utilise asset condition data to plan and shape future project pipelines.
• Create and embed a culture that prioritises safety across all areas of project delivery.
• Develop and implement governance frameworks that promote both safe and commercially successful project execution.
• Ensure legal compliance in all project activity, including alignment with CDM regulations and JSP standards.
• Manage main contractors in accordance with VIVO’s supply chain strategies.
• Focus on continuous improvement across commercial and operational processes.
• Minimise carbon emissions throughout the build phase and asset lifecycle in line with JSP 450.
• Manage high-profile or complex projects directly, ensuring they are underpinned by robust specifications, procurement strategies, and tender documentation.
• Maintain stakeholder engagement throughout, offering regular updates and reports to ensure alignment and transparency.
• Foster a high-performing, customer-focused team.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of team members by creating learning opportunities, offering coaching support, and developing succession plans for key roles.
• Work flexibly and collaboratively, applying strategic planning skills to prioritise tasks, assess options, and manage contingency.
• Use communication and influencing abilities to build strong working relationships across all stakeholder groups.
• Help others adapt in changing circumstances and work constructively with other departments to achieve shared goals.
• Bring a detail-oriented and analytical mindset, with the ability to write clear reports and present data-driven insights to senior stakeholders.

What You’ll Bring

• A strong understanding of the construction industry and experience delivering complex projects or term contracts, ideally within a defence or regulated environment.
• A background in managing teams, leading stakeholder engagement, and ensuring compliance with health and safety and legal standards.
• A working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications and CAFM systems such as Maximo.
• A focus on delivering excellent customer service.
• Competence in project management, supported by a strong general education and a commitment to professional development.
• A formal qualification in a construction, contract, or property-related subject would be advantageous.

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of defence infrastructure, combining leadership, strategy, and delivery in a role that makes a real difference.

What We Offer:

• 25 days annual leave
• 6% employee matched pension contribution
• Single private medical cover
• Company car or car allowance
• Life assurance 2 x annual salary

At VIVO, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. Therefore, 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 and operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.