Project Controls – Risk - Defence

Company Description

At Turner & Townsend, we are passionate about making the difference. That means delivering better outcomes for our clients, helping our people to realize their potential, and doing our part to create a prosperous society. Every day we help our major global clients deliver ambitious and highly technical projects, in over 245 offices worldwide.

The Defence Infrastructure Cost Centre provides support to projects that range in complexity and size with our service offerings spanning across Programme and Project Management, Project Planning, Cost Engineering, Risk Management, and Commercial Disciplines.

We provide support to the full project lifecycle both pre-contract and post contract, delivering infrastructure projects on behalf of our clients, that range from several hundred thousand pounds in value to major projects and programmes worth over £200M.

Due to growing client requirements, we are actively looking to expand the team and have talented individuals join us who will support our Defence client portfolio, whilst further developing their career, working on a range of complex and challenging commissions.

Job Description

About Us

In the UK, Turner & Townsend partners with a diverse portfolio of clients across sectors including Health, Local Government, Higher Education, Highways, Utilities, Rail, and Defence. This breadth of experience offers our people the opportunity to work on some of the most exciting and high-impact programmes in the country.

We are a Tier 1 supplier of Project and Programme Management Services to the UK Ministry of Defence and key strategic Defence suppliers. Our work plays a vital role in supporting national security while helping our clients achieve better, more resilient outcomes.

Role Overview and Purpose

We are looking for individuals with a strong foundation in risk management who are eager to grow, contribute, and be part of a high-performing team. You’ll bring a positive outlook, a collaborative mindset, and a desire to make a difference.

Based in our Defence South East team, you’ll have the opportunity to work across multiple sectors, including Defence, gaining exposure to a wide range of major projects and programmes. We’re particularly interested in candidates with experience implementing and delivering integrated risk management processes in complex project or programme environments. Prior experience in the Defence sector is highly desirable.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate risk identification, assessment, and prioritisation activities through structured workshops and direct engagement with project teams.
• Maintain visibility of key threat and opportunity trigger points to support effective risk cost profiling and timely retirement of risks and opportunities.
• Integrate risk insights into project planning and decision‑making processes to enhance delivery confidence.
• Monitor overall risk exposure and evaluate it against allocated contingency budgets, providing early warnings where necessary.
• Produce clear, insightful risk reports to communicate the status of threats and opportunities to stakeholders at all levels.
• Support the delivery of quantitative risk assessments (QRA) for both cost and schedule, informing appropriate levels of project contingency.
• Demonstrate proficiency with risk management tools such as Primavera Risk Analysis (PRA), @RISK, Safran Risk, and familiarity with platforms like Active Risk Manager (ARM), Predict!, or Power BI for data visualisation and reporting.

Working Location

Turner & Townsend recognises the importance of helping its employees harmonise their work and home life by offering hybrid working, that enable them to balance their working life with other priorities. At the same time T&T recognises that employee office and site attendance must at all times remain in line with the demands of the business and clients. Currently, we anticipate you being on client sites or Turner & Townsend offices 60% of your time, but this may flex depending on client and business requirements. The office is not the only place work gets done, but it is increasingly important for teams to be stronger together by learning, collaborating, and creating amazing work together.

About you

We’re seeking candidates with a strong foundation in risk management, ideally developed within the Defence sector or a similarly complex and regulated environment. Just as important as your technical expertise is your desire to be part of a high‑performing, collaborative team that’s committed to delivering exceptional outcomes for our growing network of Defence clients.

Turner & Townsend is looking for the right people to join our team – if you do not fulfil 100% of the advert but think you can add value to our teams and clients please apply or reach out to the recruiter for a discussion.

Experience and Skills

• Proven experience delivering risk management across complex projects and programmes, ideally within high-security or regulated environments.
• Strong working knowledge of integrated risk management processes, encompassing risk, cost, and schedule integration on large‑scale programmes.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, assess, and manage threats while proactively exploiting opportunities to enhance project outcomes.
• Proficient in both qualitative and quantitative risk assessment techniques, including Monte Carlo simulations and sensitivity analysis.
• Sector‑specific experience within Defence or Nuclear industries, with a clear understanding of associated governance, compliance, and security requirements.
• Skilled in stakeholder coordination, effectively managing relationships with contractors, consultants, and advisors across multiple concurrent projects.
• Adept at building and sustaining trusted advisor relationships with clients, contributing to long‑term strategic partnerships and repeat business.
• Comprehensive understanding of the full project lifecycle, from concept and feasibility through to delivery and close‑out.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, capable of conveying complex risk concepts to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Proficiency in risk management tools and software, such as ARM, Primavera Risk Analysis, @RISK, or similar platforms.

Desirable Experience

• Experience working with UK Government departments and agencies, particularly on complex infrastructure or capital investment programmes.
• Proven ability to lead and manage multidisciplinary project teams, fostering collaboration and delivering successful outcomes through strategic direction and influence.
• Strong financial acumen, with experience overseeing project budgets, conducting accurate forecasting, and ensuring delivery within financial constraints.
• Broader project management expertise, including change management, stakeholder engagement, and governance across the project lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Must hold, or be eligible to obtain, UK Ministry of Defence Security Clearance (SC or higher); UK passport required.
• Degree qualified in a relevant technical, engineering, or management discipline, or possess equivalent professional qualifications and demonstrable experience in a risk management role.
• Membership of a recognised professional body such as the Association for Project Management (APM), Institute of Risk Management (IRM), or Project Management Institute (PMI).
• A UK driving licence or the ability to travel to client sites across the region as required is essential.

Additional Information

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.

We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work‑life balance.

Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.