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 teams of interdisciplinary 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. 

• Hybrid working - our approach is to be in the office or on client site a minimum of 2 days per week. However, the actual time you spend and where you spend it will vary by role or assignment, including up to 5 days per week when required.
• This is a part time role - 3 days per week
• this is an associate role and is not permanent member of staff

Women in Defence UK are looking for an organised, capable and adaptable Business Manager to lead the day-to-day running of the business. The role will involve overall responsibility for the whole of the annual programme of activity of Women in Defence UK. 

About Women in Defence UK.  Guided by Emmeline Pankhurst's principle of 'Deeds not Words', our purpose is to accelerate gender equity in the defence sector. Working as one of the three legs of the Women in Defence Charter, we strive to support the Charter ambition of 30% of all roles to be filled by women by 2030. By achieving this Critical Mass, we will speed-up the transition towards a more balanced, inclusive and equitable defence enterprise. Our influential network enables the sharing of best practices and the sparking of innovative thinking. We Inspire through our annual Awards, recognising and celebrating exceptional people in defence and through our renowned cross sector Mentoring programme. We Challenge the norms and prompt progressive thinking through in-depth discussions with Senior Officers and Officials and offer insight via our Whiskey Victor podcasts of inspirational women.

Our unwavering commitment to betterment of the defence enterprise has sparked considerable progress; from influencing policy changes to fostering inclusivity in defence organisations. The scale of the change we effect, however, is linked to the active participation of our partners and wider community.

Join us in our work. Together, we can put words into actions and transform the defence sector into a representative and equitable space, where all genders can work and thrive.

The key accountabilities of the role are:

• Oversight of all financial aspects of the business including developing the annual budget; forecasting; ensuring proper financial controls, checks and validations are in place; identifying any financial risks 
• Ensuring a coherent and fully costed and resourced programme of events that meets our strategic direction of travel
• Overseeing the different strands of work within Women in Defence UK
• Overseeing the annual Awards programme, working with relevant team members to manage and co-ordinate the category review; nominations approach; accurate processing of nominations; fair and equitable judging; timely announcements and engagement with nominees and nominators; a well-planned, produced and cost-effective Shortlisting event and Awards Dinner; ensuring all collateral is designed, shared and used in line with brand guidelines; liaison with suppliers and Partners
• Working with the Account Manager, oversee reviews of Partnership benefits and offers, ensuring they are in line with our strategy; consider recommendations seeking agreement to any changes as required.
• Seeking opportunities at Conferences such as DSEI to further business development opportunities, improve the reach and enhance the reputation of Women in Defence UK, 
• Line-managing staff and contractors
• Identifying risks and issues, assessing their potential impact and making recommendations to the Founder on appropriate management and mitigation.
• Overseeing all proposals, invoices, contracts, ensuring that legal advice is sought where required
• Ensuring that annual reports are drafted, reviewed, approved, printed and uploaded onto the website in a timely and accurate fashion.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience of managing a small but busy business with multiple strands of work
• Is numerically literate, being very comfortable with financial and other data
• Is highly organised and can juggle multiple issues simultaneously, prioritising effectively and ensuring deadlines are met
• Has excellent planning ability, with a real eye for detail
• Has line management experience
• Has experience of business development, both from the perspective of how to develop new business and any subsequent proposal writing
• Is able to identify clear, practical solutions by drawing on multiple sources of information
• Must be highly motivated, reliable and conscientious
• Has well-developed written and verbal communication skills and is confident using MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Is collaborative and able to work effectively with staff, contractors, secondees, partners and stakeholders
• Is adaptable and able to flex their approach to suit the situation

This is a rare chance to help steer a purpose-driven organisation, where your leadership, oversight and ability to work collaboratively, will directly help to shape impactful programmes, influence our strategic direction and growth, and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable defence sector.

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

Please be aware that some of our UK roles at PA Consulting require a UK security clearance.

All PA people are required to undergo background checks and to achieve the Baseline Personnel Security Standard however, some UK roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting, where applicants must have at least 5 years of continuous residency in the UK.

We therefore ask that you only apply if you meet the residency requirements (i.e. you are a British citizen or have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years), as this is the prerequisite for a security clearance. If you're unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to review the UK Government’s guidance on security vetting before applying.

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Life at PA 

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 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 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 at: [email protected]