Project Managers
Cheltenham, London, Manchester, Samlesbury
Department
Project and Programme Office
Location(s)
Cheltenham, London, Manchester, Samlesbury
Salary
£41,386 to £49,741, plus a Concessionary Payment of £2,658. If you’re based in London, you’ll also receive an additional payment of £6,250.
Job description
Flexible working hours
We support a variety of flexible working arrangements, including part-time hours, compressed working patterns, and flexible start and finish times. All roles involve working on site. However, for some positions there may be opportunities to work from home for part of the time, subject to business needs.
About us
GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber, and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity, and partnerships to identify, analyse, and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks, and espionage. At GCHQ, you’ll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
The role
As a Project Manager, you’ll lead a diverse portfolio of impactful projects from inception to completion. Your responsibilities will include planning, monitoring, reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and ensuring benefits realisation — all while applying a range of methodologies to deliver innovative solutions. Working in a fast-paced environment, you’ll identify and manage risks to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.
We oversee a wide variety of projects, from business change initiatives to IT infrastructure delivery, software development, and capability enhancement. While you may lead technical projects, a technical background is not essential. Depending on your team’s focus, you could be:
Overseeing project planning and implementation
Supporting technical delivery
Driving organisational change
In all cases, you’ll work closely with stakeholders at all levels–including partner organisations, suppliers, and customers — acting as a trusted advisor throughout the project lifecycle.
In some roles, you may be directly responsible for IT infrastructure delivery, implementing project controls, tracking progress, and managing benefits realisation.
Some Project Managers operate independently, while others form part of multi-disciplinary or complex delivery teams. You’ll be joining a well-established community that values collaboration and shared learning. With the breadth of work we deliver, no two days are the same — and projects can have significant organisational impact. The role demands adaptability, effective leadership, and a commitment to your own continuous development.
About you
We’re increasingly asked to deliver dynamic and unpredictable projects, working in unique and unfamiliar environments. You’ll need to be someone comfortable with change, and able to adapt to different project demands.
You don’t need any formal project management qualifications. However, you will need a minimum of four GCSEs at Grade 4/C or above, including Mathematics and English Language – or equivalent Level 2 qualifications such as O-Level, BTEC, or similar. Alternatively, if you don’t hold these qualifications, relevant experience that demonstrates solid numeracy and communication skills may also be considered. In either case, you must have at least 12 months’ experience in a project-related role. A background in planning, risk, issue and financial management, as well as reporting and stakeholder management, is essential.
Importantly, you’ll be working closely with both specialist and generalist colleagues to deliver our services, so being collaborative, supportive, and able to inspire trust and confidence through negotiation is key. Creative and proactive, you’ll also identify and respond to opportunities to add value throughout the project lifecycle and across the wider business.
Training and development
We’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential. As a corporate member of the Association for Project Managers (APM), we’ll work with you to identify training and development opportunities that support your growth. You’ll be encouraged to become an APM member yourself and supported in learning a variety of project management techniques.
All new starters will attend a three-day induction, typically followed by a two-day business unit onboarding session, although the format and content may vary across teams.
A line manager and buddy are assigned to help you settle in, and mentoring from experienced project managers, coaching opportunities, and monthly networking forums are all part of the support available. Whether through formal courses, on-the-job learning, or building new professional connections, up to 20% of your time is encouraged to be dedicated to personal and professional development. The project management community fosters collaboration and peer support, helping you continuously build your skills and confidence throughout your career.
Rewards and benefits
We provide a base salary £41,386 to £49,741, which includes a Concessionary Payment of £2,658, and if you’re based in London, you’ll also receive a location allowance of £6,250
25 days of annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
interest-free season ticket loan
an excellent pension scheme
a cycle to work scheme
on-site facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (available at some locations)
paid parental and adoption leave.
Equal opportunities
At GCHQ, 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–individuals with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking, and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including from groups that are underrepresented in our workforce, such as women, individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.
We’re Disability Confident
GCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme. This initiative encourages employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain, and develop disabled people.
As a Disability Confident Leader, 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, where practical. (This is known as an “Offer of an interview”).
To secure an interview for this role, applicants must meet the following minimum criteria, which will be assessed at the application sift stage:
1. Meet the eligibility criteria by completing an initial application form, which includes pre-screening questions to ensure you meet our requirements.
2. A minimum of four GCSEs at Grade 4/C or above is required including Mathematics and English Language–or equivalent Level 2 qualifications or relevant experience that demonstrates numeracy and communication skills.
3. Demonstrable experience in end-to-end management of Project Delivery. You’ll be able to showcase previous involvement in creating, updating, and monitoring project plans; managing planning and implementation phases; handling risks, issues, and financial forecasting; delivering clear reporting and stakeholder engagement. We’re looking for creative and adaptable, and forward-thinking individuals from all backgrounds who thrive in a collaborative environment.
There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to help you perform at your best. See our website for information on the reasonable adjustments we can offer.
What to expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
1. Initial application
2. Full application
3. Application sift, which will assess your motivation for the role, your interest in the organisation, and your relevant experience
4. Interview, to assess your competency and suitability for the role.
5. If successful, you’ll receive the conditional offer of employment, subject to a drugs test and vetting
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.
Before you apply
To work at GCHQ, you must be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Read our full eligibility criteria on our website.
This role requires the highest level of security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV), which is undertaken by everyone in the UK Intelligence Community. Find out more about the vetting process on our website.
Please note we have a strict drugs policy. Once you begin your application, you must not take any recreational drugs, and you’ll be required to declare any previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
Before you apply, we recommend setting up a separate email address for your correspondence with us. This helps keep your personal and application-related communications separate. Avoid including identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or last name or date of birth. This is considered good practice and will help you manage your application more securely.
The role is based in London, Cheltenham, Manchester, or Samlesbury, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs.
Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will affect our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.
Right to withdraw statement:
Please be aware that we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
