Project Controls – Risk - Defence in Whitehall

At Turner & Townsend, we are committed to helping you thrive — both professionally and personally. Our culture is founded on trust, flexibility and the belief that people perform at their best when they feel supported and empowered. We are united by a core principle: making the difference matters.

Joining us means becoming part of a purpose‑driven organisation where diverse expertise comes together to serve, support and protect those who serve and protect us. From your first day, you will be exposed to unique and complex environments. You will contribute to programmes across air, land, sea, cyber and space, gaining experience that strengthens your capability and advances your career. You will work alongside leading professionals in the defence, aerospace and security sectors, all aligned to a shared vision of being the premier international partner in our field.

As part of our growing team, you will play a vital role in supporting clients to deliver major programmes that enhance national capability and transform the defence landscape. You will be based from your local office, working in a hybrid model and collaborating with colleagues and client teams across the UK. This is an opportunity to contribute to work of national importance — and to grow within a business that values expertise, collaboration and long‑term relationships.

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.

Qualifications:

• 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.
• 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 license or the ability to travel to client sites across the region as required is essential.

Additional Information:

Due to the sensitive nature of the work involved in our specialist defence projects, candidates will be required to hold, or be eligible to obtain, Security Clearance (SC). To meet the criteria for this level of clearance, applicants must:

• Be a British National
• Hold a valid UK passport
• Hold 5–10 years of continuous UK residency, depending on the level.

SOX control responsibilities may apply to this role and must be adhered to where relevant.

We embrace a hybrid approach to work. This means you may collaborate with colleagues from:

• Home
• A Turner & Townsend office
• Client sites across the region (on a weekly basis)

We use technology to stay connected, collaborate effectively, and deliver excellence — wherever we are. Our hybrid working approach gives you the flexibility to balance your professional and personal life, supporting wellbeing and long‑term sustainability. At the same time, there will be moments when in‑person collaboration is essential, and you will need you to travel when required typically 2-3 days per week.

At Turner & Townsend, you’ll build a career with purpose and possibility where you can expect the following:

• Competitive packages with a range of benefits that are reviewed every year
• Meaningful, high impact work
• Lifelong learning and development
• A supportive, people focused culture
• Recognition for your contribution

Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our success. We’re proud of a culture where people with different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds come together to achieve excellence. We believe that when everyone feels they belong, everyone thrives.