Bid & Project Management Office Graduate

Location: Belfast, United Kingdom

Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.

2027 Bid & Project Management Office Graduate

Start Date: 6 September 2027

Salary: £32,000 per annum

Employee type: Permanent

Location: Rotational programme across our main sites: Crawley, Glasgow, Bristol, Belfast, Reading, Cheadle and Templecombe

Working Schedule: 37 hours per week (8 hours Monday - Thursday, 5 hours on a Friday)

Make an impact from the start. If you're a driven graduate who enjoys tackling challenges, managing priorities and delivering results, our Bid and Project Management Office Graduate Programme could be the perfect next step.

What the role has to offer:

• The opportunity to study for the APM Projects Fundamentals Qualification which provides a platform into the Bid and Project Management profession
• A 2-year rotational scheme working across different sites and locations (based in approximately 2 locations over the 2 years)
• Dedicated learning paths and on the job training
• Flexible working – 3 days a week on site working in bid and project teams
• Opportunity to work on some exciting and critical bids and projects that have an impact globally

What is the BPMO Graduate Development Programme?

The Bid and Project Management Office (BPMO) Stream within the Thales UK Graduate Development Programme (GDP) offers a comprehensive two-year development journey designed to build future project and bid management professionals.

During the programme, you will:

• Complete a two-year rotational development programme
• Undertake three placements across:
  • Project Planning & Controls
  • Bid Management
  • Project Management
• Participate in BPMO skills and essential skills training
• Deliver a dedicated graduate project
• Gain experience across different Thales businesses, teams, and sites
• Develop key bid and project management skills, knowledge, and competencies
• Build a professional network across the organisation

Location requirements

To maximise your development opportunities, you will complete placements across a number of Thales UK sites and business areas. As such, flexibility and the ability to relocate are essential for this role.

Key UK locations include:

• Crawley
• Glasgow
• Bristol
• Belfast
• Reading
• Cheadle
• Templecombe

Requirements:

This is an entry-level graduate opportunity designed for individuals at the start of their professional career. We welcome applications from candidates who have completed a degree and have limited relevant professional experience.  You will be on track to, or have achieved, a bachelor’s degree in any subject.

Benefits

·       Competitive salary of £32,000 per annum

·       Performance-related pay uplifts

·       Holiday entitlement of 201 hours a year (plus a company day and bank holidays)

·       Contributory Company Pension

·       Health Care Cash Plan

·       Hybrid/flexible working options

·       Employee assistance programme

·       Learning and development support

·       Employee discounts and wellbeing initiatives

·       Life cover

·       80 Hours Volunteering per year (first two years)

Thales Graduate Recruitment Process

1.      Apply Online - submit your application online to register your interest.  You only need to register for one role as you will have the opportunity to apply for additional roles at the full application stage.

2.      Upload Your CV

3.      Check your emails for the invitation to apply – this will come from [email protected]

4.      Complete Your Application – follow the link provided in the email to complete your application.  You can apply for one primary role and up to 3 additional roles.

5.      Complete Online Tests - undertake the online assessments designed to evaluate your  suitability for the role.

6.      Video Interview - if successful in the online testing stage, you will be invited to complete a video interview.

7.      Virtual Assessment Centre - candidates who progress from the video interview stage will attend a virtual assessment centre, which may include presentations, group exercises, and competency-based interviews.

8.      Job Offer – successful candidates who perform well throughout the recruitment process will receive a job offer from Thales.

For further information about our Future Talent recruitment process, including hints and tips, or to connect with a member of the Future Talent Team, a Graduate, or an Apprentice, please visit Thales Future Talent - Connectr.

Please note, assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February - May 2027.  Induction week for all Graduate and Apprentices will take place from Monday 6 September - Friday 10 September 2027.

Closing date: Our applications will close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 6 January 2027, this is the only time we will be accepting applications this year. Please note, we will be in contact by the end of February 2027 with details of next steps.

Because of the work we do at Thales, all roles are subject to security requirements.

To be considered for this position, you must have the permanent right to work in the UK and be able to successfully complete and maintain UK Government security checks, including Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) screening and Security Clearance (SC), which is a government background check, before starting employment.

To be eligible for SC clearance, you will typically need to have lived in the UK continuously for the last five years. As part of the vetting process, you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity, right to work in the UK, any time spent overseas during the last five years, and your employment and/or education history. 

In addition, this role supports a UK Eyes Only programme and is therefore subject to government-mandated nationality restrictions. To satisfy the security clearance requirements for access to highly sensitive information, applicants must have been British citizens from birth and must not hold any other nationality. This requirement is determined by the UK Government and is a condition of programme access rather than an employment preference.

For further details of the evidence required to apply for security clearance please follow this link - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales.

At Thales, we ensure equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all. The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role. Read more about our benefits here.
 

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. Discover more about our programmes, employee networks, wellbeing policies, and inclusive features here.

If this role isn’t quite right for you, we encourage you to join our talent community where your details will be shared with our recruitment teams for other potential opportunities. Join the Talent Community here.

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