Team Leader

Team Leader

Location: Defence Academy of the UK, Swindon, SN6 8LA

Salary: £33,175.41 plus excellent benefits

Schedule: 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday

Ready to impact a better future?

As a Team Leader, you’ll lead a team delivering critical personnel administration and workforce operations services at the Defence Academy. You'll help ensure essential support activities are delivered accurately, consistently and on time, while creating an environment where people can thrive and grow.

This is a role with real purpose. By supporting recruitment, onboarding, employee wellbeing, performance and compliance activities, you’ll help create impactful solutions that enable the smooth delivery of services that support the UK Defence community. Our work touches lives every day, and your leadership will have a positive impact on colleagues, customers and the future success of the operation.

What you’ll do as Team Leader

• Lead the recruitment, onboarding and probation management of colleagues, ensuring security clearance, information technology access and induction requirements are completed.


• Provide day-to-day leadership for Joint Service Administration Unit (JSAU) and Workforce Operations Team colleagues, promoting wellbeing, engagement and excellent customer service.


• Drive individual and team performance through regular one-to-one meetings, feedback, coaching and annual performance reviews.


• Manage employee relations and workforce administration activities, including absence management, flexible working requests, family leave and capability matters.


• Build strong relationships with Ministry of Defence (MOD) stakeholders, providing assurance on team performance and service delivery.


• Support audits, inspections, continuous improvement initiatives and compliance with policies, procedures and data protection requirements.

Does this sound like you?

• Proven experience leading and developing teams in a people-focused environment.


• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage confidently with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.


• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.


• Experience handling sensitive employee matters and conducting difficult conversations with professionalism and fairness.


• Competent using Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Teams.


• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Level 3 or Level 5 qualification, or equivalent relevant experience. Desirable.

What we offer

The Defence Academy sits within a beautiful and secure site which hosts 2 lakes and is surrounded by acres of scenic woodland. The Academy trains the future commanders and staff officers of all three UK Armed Services and those from many countries around the world. Other benefits of working on this site include:

• Free, secure onsite parking.


• Opportunity to join many sports and activity clubs (heavily subsidised subscription costs).


• Gym membership, the site boasting 2 fully equipped gymnasiums.18-hole golf course (annual membership £36.50).


• Fully equipped riding stables, with the opportunity for lessons.


• Other sporting facilities include tennis courts, Astro-turf football pitches and much more.

Serco offers:

• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays


• Up to 6% contributory pension scheme


• Over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships (we currently offer over 60 different apprenticeships), mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression.


• Employee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, 30% off at Serco-managed leisure centres, and 24/7 access to a virtual GP service


• Discounts across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel


• Paid volunteering day, tax-free charitable giving through Payroll Giving Scheme, donate your pennies from your monthly pay to the Serco People Fund Charity


• Our employee networks support connection by providing spaces for collaboration, learning, and belonging. They represent and empower all our colleagues including veterans, LGBTQIA+ employees, women, parents and carers, people with disabilities, and people from all cultural backgrounds.

Vetting and checks:

This role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance, which involves verifying your identity, employment history, nationality, and criminal record to meet government security standards. In addition, depending on the nature of the role, you may need to obtain formal Security Clearance (such as CTC or SC), which includes more detailed background checks on employment, criminal record, and financial history to ensure suitability for working in secure environments. Please note that UK residency requirements may apply for certain levels of clearance. You will also complete an Occupational Health Questionnaire so we can identify and provide any support you may need to undertake the role effectively.

Let’s impact a better future, together. Apply today.

A little bit about us:
At Serco, everyone plays a vital part in delivering essential public services that make a real difference. As a global team of 50,000 people across Defence, Transport, Justice, Immigration, Healthcare, Leisure and Citizen Services, we’re united by a shared purpose: to improve the services that communities rely on. Guided by our values of Trust, Care, Innovation and Pride, our people make meaningful impact, every single day.

Our inclusive recruitment commitment:
We prioritise your skills and potential. As a Disability Confident Leader, the Top Great British Employer of Veterans 2026, and a Gold Inclusive Employer Standard holder, we champion equal opportunities for all. We offer flexible and hybrid working where possible and make reasonable adjustments throughout recruitment and employment.

• Guaranteed Interview Scheme: Applicants with disabilities, veterans and people with convictions, who meet the minimum job criteria, are guaranteed an interview. Simply opt into the relevant scheme on the application form.


• Ban The Box: We also support fair access for those with unspent criminal convictions through our ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some roles may have security exemptions).

For support with your application, please contact [email protected].

Let’s impact a better future, together. Apply today.

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