About us

We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future. 

As strategies, technologies, and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity.

Our diverse teams of experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results.

We are over 4,000 strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers, and technologists. And we have deep expertise in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport. 

Our teams operate globally from offices across the UK, Ireland, US, Nordics, and Netherlands.

PA. Bringing Ingenuity to Life.

Duration

Initial 12-month fixed-term contract. Potential for a further extension.

Overview of UK Freeports

Freeports are new hubs for global trade, investment, and innovation within the UK that create a favourable environment and exciting opportunities for businesses to grow. They bring together industry, government and educational institutions to attract investment into communities across the UK and create a supportive environment for developing and trialling new ideas and technologies and supporting a net zero transition.

PA, alongside our partners, are the UK Government’s strategic delivery partner for the UK Freeports programme. Since 2021, we have been working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and wider Government Departments to design and accelerate the delivery of the programme. Working as the Freeports Hub, we offer technical advisory support to the public-private entities operating UK Freeports to develop their strategies and plans for their Freeports, transition successful into operational delivery, and to design and implement critical interventions to realise the policy goals of the programme.

Deputy Programme Manager:

The Freeports Hub is a central technical advisory facility for the UK Freeports programme. Through the Hub, teams within MHCLG, Other Government Departments, and UK Freeport operating entities can access technical advisory support to help enable and accelerate programme delivery. We provide a range of demand-driven support across thematic areas, including:

• Freeport operationalisation – Enabling Freeport operational delivery, including financial viability and Freeport collaboration
• Site delivery – Accelerating site delivery, including tax site development, innovative finance and conditionality
• Landing investment – Promoting, attracting and retaining value-adding investment aligned with policy objectives
• Cluster development – Harnessing Freeport assets and capabilities, developing industrial clusters and supply chains

Core responsibilities:

• Relationship management – Engage, develop and manage relationships with UK Freeports and MHCLG Freeport Delivery team colleagues to understand their priorities and needs and determine how the Hub may be able to provide technical advisory support
• Technical advisory scoping and commissioning – Work across the Hub team to identify, scope, triage, and respond to support requirements from Freeport and MHCLG teams. Work at pace to develop work specifications and identify relevant delivery resources and technical experts to respond to these requirements
• Technical advisory delivery – Leading or contributing to technical advisory support interventions and projects as part of a wider Hub team in response to a requirement
• Demand and resource management – Support the Hub Team Leader to map, monitor and manage ongoing/future support requests and resource
• Contract management – Support the Hub Team Leader to manage the PA’s delivery under the contract, including ensure delivery against its KPIs, managing any potential conflicts that arise, mitigating any risks, and providing appropriate contract reporting
• Financial management – Support the Hub Team Leader to manage, monitor and report expenditure and forecasts against budget to MHCLG

Flexible working - We are guided by our client work and needs; however, you have autonomy to manage your time and diary to suit your work/life balance.

• Experience developing business cases/strategies, managing programmes/projects, and/or delivering interventions designed to deliver socioeconomic growth
• Experience delivering and managing major programmes/projects with UK Government
• Experience providing technical advisory/consulting support to Freeports and/or international special economic zones/freezones
• Experience providing technical advisory support relating to trade, place, net zero, and/or innovation policy environment with UK and/or international clients
• Understanding of the UK Freeport, industrial, place-based, trade, net zero, and/or innovation policy environment
• Understanding of engineering, site delivery, and infrastructure delivery

We know the skill-gap and ‘somewhat need to tick every box’ can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates, so please don’t hesitate to apply – we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today by completing our online application

Application close date: 11th March 2025

Life At PA encompasses our peoples' experience at PA. It's about how we enrich peoples’ working lives by giving them access to unique people and growth opportunities and purpose led meaningful work.

We believe diversity fuels ingenuity. Diversity of thought brings exciting perspectives; diversity of experience brings a wealth of knowledge, and diversity of skills brings the tools we need. When we bring people together with diverse backgrounds, identities, and minds, embracing that difference through an inclusive culture where our people thrive; we unleash the power of diversity – bringing ingenuity to life.

Find out more about Life at PA here.

We are dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional, social and financial well-being of our people. Check out some of our extensive benefits:

• 25 days annual leave (plus a bonus half day on Christmas Eve) 
• Generous company pension scheme
• Opportunity to get involved with community and charity-based initiatives
• Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)

We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief veteran status, or other by any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We are on a journey towards ensuring our workforce is diverse at all levels and that our firm is representative of the world around us. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

Adjustments or accommodations - Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us on [email protected]

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