Defence Sector Operations Manager

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The Defence Sector Operations Lead is responsible for ensuring operational excellence across Defence programmes, frameworks, and sector processes. This role requires a strong understanding of Defence frameworks and compliance requirements, enabling the individual to anticipate issues, resolve problems, and improve processes. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, the Operations Lead handles unplanned issues, makes informed judgement calls, and implements solutions. As a key point of contact across sectors, the Operations Lead influences process improvements and provides guidance to colleagues and new starters.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

If you're passionate about innovation and turning bold ideas into reality, AECOM welcomes you. Join our team, where we don't just construct infrastructure but also uplift communities and enhance lives.

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Enjoy the Perks.

At AECOM, you'll enjoy a range of core and personalised benefits designed to support your future and well-being, customised to fit your lifestyle. Take advantage of career development opportunities, our flexible hybrid working model to ensure a work-life balance that suits your lifestyle, technical practice networks, AECOM University, and volunteering days.

Here’s what we’re looking for

Important Information

- UK Security Clearance required or willingness to apply (company will support the process).
- Hybrid working with occasional travel for meetings and events.
- Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion; reasonable accommodations available.

If you meet some of the requirements above or have transferable skills you believe would benefit us, we would be delighted to hear from you!

Responsibilities

Manage the governance cadence end-to-end, including scheduling, agendas, papers, and outcomes.; Record and track actions to closure, ensuring progress and escalating delivery risks where necessary.; Diagnose inefficiencies in meeting structures and governance processes, design and implement improvements.; Maintain the accuracy and integrity of sector trackers and registers, detecting and resolving data issues at source.; Build and interpret reports and dashboards (Salesforce, Power BI, Excel), drawing out trends, risks, and insights to inform leadership decisions.; Standardise and evolve reporting methodologies and templates to improve consistency and decision quality.; Maintain the Defence SharePoint site as the authoritative knowledge base, setting standards, enforcing version control, and conducting quality audits.; Lead framework compliance processes by interpreting requirements, preparing evidence, and pre-empting gaps.; Exercise judgement in ambiguous compliance situations, escalating only novel or high-risk issues.; Support MARCOMS colleagues in planning and delivering Defence sector events and campaigns, assisting with timelines, budgets, and stakeholder inputs.; Support MARCOMS colleagues in the development of case studies and external collateral, working with delivery and bid teams to capture and shape content.; Represent Defence in cross-sector forums, advocating for process changes and enhancements that are supported by evidence and securing buy-in.; Handle sensitive commercial and compliance information with discretion, setting clear boundaries on what can be shared and with whom.; Track adoption of agreed process improvements and remove barriers to implementation.; Coach colleagues and new starters on systems, frameworks, and processes, provide on-the-job training and practical guidance as required to ensure consistency and compliance.; Act as a point of escalation and technical reference for coordinators/administrators in Defence and adjacent sectors.; Coordinate onboarding for new joiners to the Defence sector, including induction arrangements and system access requests.; Maintain the sector risk, issue, and opportunity log, driving mitigations and reporting trends to leadership.; Support internal and client audit readiness, including evidence collation, pre-audit checks, and response actions to findings.; Maintain and evolve the SharePoint architecture, curating lessons learned and building reusable templates/playbooks.

Requirements

Significant experience in operations or PMO roles within Defence, engineering, construction, or consulting, with clear ownership of outcomes.; Demonstrated ability to make judgement calls in ambiguous situations and to design and implement process improvements.; Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including persuading cross-sector colleagues to adopt improved processes.; Advanced proficiency with Excel, Power BI, and Salesforce (or equivalents), including building dashboards and deriving insights.; Experience coaching peers or new starters and creating practical guidance (e.g., playbooks, SOPs, training).

Nice to have

Relevant degree or professional qualification in operations, project management, or a related discipline.; Experience within Defence or defence-adjacent environments and familiarity with UK Government frameworks.; Strong working knowledge of SharePoint governance and information management.