Principal Project Manager

Job description

Flexible working:
We support a range of flexible working arrangements, including part time hours, compressed working patterns, and flexible start and finish times. All roles require on-site working. We are happy to discuss individual requirements.

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 places the emphasis on teamwork.

As a Principal Project Manager, you’ll be responsible for delivering a variety of complex, high‑impact projects, taking them from initiation through to completion. The portfolio you cover will be broad and varied, spanning business change to technical programmes. Across every project, you’ll be trusted to shape the delivery approach, set expectations, guide multi‑disciplinary teams and keep projects moving forward in environments where priorities shift and challenges evolve.

Alongside this day‑to‑day delivery leadership, you’ll also operate at a strategic level, leading whole projects or major elements of larger programmes, driving governance and assurance activity, and writing and managing business cases that support informed decision‑making.

The projects you lead will directly enable major organisational outcomes. Your leadership will span the full project lifecycle, planning, scheduling and coordinating; managing time, cost, quality and benefits; and proactively controlling risk, issues, dependencies and change. This involves bringing structure to uncertainty, creating momentum during periods of change, and offering clarity when key decisions are required.

You’ll engage and influence stakeholders at all levels, including senior leaders, partners, suppliers and customers, producing clear reports, briefings and recommendations that support confident decision‑making. Delivery methods will be tailored to each project to suit the context and unlock progress and value.

Some projects will be led independently; others will place you within larger, multi‑disciplinary delivery groups. In every case, you’ll be supported by a well‑established project management community, and the outcomes you deliver will have real‑world impact across the organisation. The role also includes line management responsibilities, with opportunities to take on mentoring as part of your continued development. Occasional UK travel may be required to meet teams and engage with stakeholders.

You have a recognised project management qualification, such as the Association for Project Management (APM) Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ), the APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ), or an equivalent certification. You’ll also have at least four GCSEs at Grade 4/C or above (including English and Mathematics), or equivalent Level 2 qualifications, or relevant experience demonstrating solid numeracy and communication.

You have experience delivering projects across varied environments and are ready to take on more complex, higher‑impact work. You’ve led significant work streams, engaged with senior stakeholders, and maintained progress when challenges arise. You understand the foundations of project management, planning, reporting, financial tracking, risks, issues and change, and can apply these with confidence in environments where detail, judgement and clear communication matter.

You know how to influence, negotiate and collaborate with a wide range of colleagues, from technical specialists to business generalists. You adapt your communication style to suit different audiences, presenting information clearly to support informed decision‑making. Your credibility, consistency and reliability help you build trust quickly across teams.

Experience delivering projects in environments such as agile delivery, digital or engineering settings, Government Digital Service (GDS) frameworks, cyber security, or emerging technologies…