Directorate: MoJ Project Delivery Function
Job Title: Senior Project Manager
Pay Span or equivalent: Grade 7
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) priorities include improving public safety and reducing reoffending by reforming prisons, probation and youth justice, and building a justice system which makes access to justice swifter and more certain for all citizens whatever their background. Project professionals in the MoJ help to improve the government’s ability to protect the public and reduce reoffending, and to provide a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public.
The Project Delivery Function aim is to have capable and empowered teams, delivering Project Delivery excellence. As we mature as a function we want to maintain and enhance our reputation as leaders in project delivery, recognised for highly skilled and professional practice that evolves beyond our current achievements to consistently deliver outstanding results. We will excel at initiating projects with strong foundations and then deliver on our commitments by improving and sustaining delivery confidence to successfully realise outcomes and benefits. Our people will be empowered to develop the skills they need to succeed, and our line managers will be accountable for upholding functional standards and demonstrating excellence in project delivery.
The MoJ’s Functional Operating Model is unique across government. All project delivery professionals are line managed through the Function and then assigned to projects and programmes across the MoJ and its Agencies. As a Grade 7 Senior Project Manager, you will lead a defined set of interdependent projects, including the associated business change activities and establish appropriate governance and assurance processes monitoring progress, monitoring risks and issues and ensuring the business readiness for change. The role requires professional expertise in the effective use of programme/project methodologies and techniques. You will be responsible for the overall integrity and coherence of the programme. You will develop and maintain the programme environment to support each individual project within it to achieve their best. You will need to have effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills to provide effect day to day management of the project or programme. Successful candidates are expected to commit to the role for a minimum of 18 months.
MoJ expects its leaders to show openness, honesty and commitment, and, of course, to deliver results.
Key responsibilities of the role
These may be further shaped and adjusted dependent on business needs and team resources / skills.
Delivery - Create and lead the project to deliver the agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints.
Project Management - Day to day management and leadership of the project/programme and the project team. Provide effective leadership and management controls. Set project controls. Design the project structure and organisation appropriate to stage. Set appropriate delivery methodologies. Manage effective transition between project phases.
Business Case - Develop and draft the Business Cases, with input from specialists as necessary.
Budget - Develop the budget and track delivery within budget.
Resources - Identify skill requirements; and deploy and develop resources. Manage medium sized team.
Benefits Realisation - Deliver the agreed Business Case benefits and outcomes. Ensure appropriate Benefits Realisation Strategy is in place, and monitor longer term delivery of benefits against the Business Case.
Stakeholder Management - Identify and manage stakeholder relationships and need for senior level support. Manage internal and external relationships as appropriate.
Risks & Issues - Identify and monitor project risks and issues. Develop mitigating actions and escalate as appropriate. Identify and work with related projects to manage interdependencies.
Governance - Support effective governance and decision making. Provide reporting and engage in mechanisms that hold you, as Project Manager, to account for delivery.
Assurance - Engage with assurance reviews and support action on recommendations. Organise assurance processes such as gateway reviews, as required.
Change Management - Ensure effective Change Management processes are in place to agree and document changes to deliverables as agreed with stakeholders.
Guidance & Support - Provide support, guidance and coaching for the project team. Show commitment to personal development. Promote effective individual and team performance.
Project Performance & Controls - Cascade vision and translate into delivery objectives for the team. Develop and maintain Project Plan. Identify and set appropriate Project Controls. Manage performance and report progress to sponsors.
Line Management - There will be line management of Project Delivery Professional(s) within the Professional Delivery Group as part of this role, including the management of direct report’s HR and well-being, development with a focus on coaching and mentoring, ensuring quality and standards of PPM are upheld.
Location & Terms of appointment
This post is advertised nationally but frequent travel will be required to locations where our Major Projects are based.
Your base office location at an MoJ HQ site, Justice Collaboration Centre, or Justice Satellite Office will be discussed if successful, as we do not offer home working contracts. All available sites can be found on this link.
Following the return to offices initiative any MoJ employee based in a MoJ building should be attending the office a minimum of two days a week. Typically, this will be at your base office location at an MoJ HQ site, Justice Collaboration Centre, or Justice Satellite Office. If you are required to travel to another office or site with your project/programme, this will be classed as a day’s office attendance.
Salary & Grade
Grade 7
New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range and this is non-negotiable.
Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.
Selection and Recruitment Process
As this is a 3-month rolling recruitment campaign, various sift/interview dates will be scheduled across the 3 months.
Where high volumes of applications are received the initial sift will be completed against the lead competency. If your application progresses to a full sift, all competencies will then be considered. Feedback is not available for those not invited to interview.
Merit List of successful candidates based on location will be retained after this campaign for 12 months.
Application Process
You will be required to complete an application form providing evidence of how you meet the Project Delivery Competencies as per the Project Delivery Capability Framework.
Details on the PDCF can be found on the Infrastructure and Projects Authority pages
Successful candidates will then be invited for interview and the interviews will take place in person at an MoJ HQ site, Justice Collaboration Centre, or Justice Satellite Office as stated in the invitation to interview.
The interview will consist of Project Delivery competency and strength-based questions in line with success profiles.
Project Delivery Competencies
You will be required to provide evidence of the following key competencies at the indicated level:
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Competencies |
Description |
Level required |
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Project Delivery Profession - Technical Competencies |
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Commercial and Procurement Skills |
The ability to gain financial approval for project costs and work with commercial colleagues to monitor spend against contract. It is also the ability to ensure the process by which the goods and services are procured by a project in line with the relevant regulatory framework. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
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Requirements Management |
The ability to process of capturing stakeholder needs, assessing, defining and justifying those needs to arrive at an agreed schedule of requirements. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Solutions Development |
The ability to identify, document and analyse the various delivery options and select the optimal solution. |
(A) Basic knowledge and limited or no experience
|
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Planning |
The ability to define the fundamental components of a project in terms of its scope, deliverables, time scales, resource requirements and budget. It also includes the production of broader plans incorporating risk and quality to provide a consolidated overview of a project. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Scheduling |
The ability to develop, produce and maintain schedules for activities that take account of dependencies, resource requirements and constraints in order to enable the efficient realisation of benefits. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Resource Management |
The ability to identify, profile and secure the resources required to deliver a project. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Budgeting & Cost Management |
The ability to estimate costs, produce a budget and control forecasts and actual spend against budget. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Risk & Issue Management |
The ability to systematically identify and monitor risks & issues, planning how to mitigate / respond to those risks and issues and implementing the responses. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Quality Management |
The ability to plan, develop, maintain and apply quality management processes to ensure the adherence to those standards throughout the project delivery lifecycle. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
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Business Change & Implementation |
The ability to integrate the project outputs into ‘business as usual’ (BAU) ensuring that activities are planned and completed to enable the business to implement the change and realise the benefits. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
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Governance |
The ability to clearly define roles, responsibilities and accountabilities and establish controls and approval routes appropriate to each stage of the project to monitor project progress and compliance. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Frameworks & Methodologies |
The ability to identify and amend appropriate project frameworks and methodologies to enable a consistent and efficient approach to delivery at all stages of the project lifecycle. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Stakeholder Engagement |
The ability to systematically identify, analyse and communicate with stakeholders, using appropriate channels, to ensure all those impacted by the change are engaged, taking account of their levels of influence and particular interests. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Assurance |
The ability to establish, plan and manage reviews at appropriate points during all stages of the project life cycle to provide evaluations of progress against time, cost, quality, compliance and ongoing viability. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Change Control |
The ability to establish protocols to manage and document all requests that alter the scope of a project. This includes the capture, evaluation and approval or rejection of any requests. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Business Case Development |
The ability to prepare, develop, commission and update business cases to justify the initiation and continuation of projects in terms of benefits, value for money and risk. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
|
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Asset Allocation |
The ability to recommend how financial and other resources should be allocated between projects in order to optimise the organisations return on investment (ROI). This includes the determination of which projects should be initiated continued or closed to best support the organisations strategic objectives. |
(A) Basic knowledge and limited or no experience
|
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Benefits Management |
The ability to identify, quantify, map and track project benefits to justify investment in the project, and to provide assurance that the benefits identified can be realised. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
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Knowledge Management |
The ability to identify, share and promote best practices and lessons learned to create a culture of learning and good practice that supports continuous improvement to optimise project delivery. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
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Project Delivery Profession - Behavioural/Leadership Competencies |
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Visible Leadership |
The ability to engage, motivate and coach others. To act as a role model and inspire and empower others. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
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Credible Action |
The ability to promote the wider public good in all actions and to act in a morally, legally and socially appropriate manner at all times. Challenges unacceptable behaviour. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Working with Ambiguity |
The ability to work in an environment of uncertainty and continual change. Able to feel comfortable making decisions and setting direction without having the full picture and re-focus as details emerge. Can apply knowledge and techniques to reduce ambiguity. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
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Collaboration |
The ability to establish and develop productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, bringing people together to benefit the project. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
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Influencing |
The ability to influence, change and impact decisions with both internal and external stakeholders. |
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience.
|
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Conflict Resolution |
The ability to recognize, anticipate and effectively deal with existing or potential conflicts at an individual, team or strategic level. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
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Inspiring Others |
The ability to create and present a compelling vision and set clear direction, that motivates others to work towards a common goal. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
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Resilience |
The ability to adapt to changing circumstances and adverse situations whilst remaining calm, reassuring others and maintaining performance. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
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Innovation |
The ability to think of, research and apply new ideas and ways of doing things. Encourages and supports innovations from others, is willing to experiment and follow ideas through to implementation. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
|
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Culture Change |
The ability to plan, lead and effect positive cultural change, securing commitment and buy-in and promoting a positive long term vision. Recognizes when broader culture change is necessary to deliver a project. |
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
|
Travel
Frequent travel to other sites is required for this post.
Flexible working options
MoJ offers a flexible working system in many of its offices.
Job Sharing and Reduced Hours
All applications for job sharing or reduced hours will be treated fairly and on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the MoJ’s flexible working policy and equality policy.
Excess Fares and Relocation Allowances
This job is not eligible for relocation allowances but excess fares may be considered in accordance with MoJ’s excess fares allowance policy.
MoJ offers a range of benefits
Annual Leave
Generous allowances for paid holiday starting at 25 days per year and rising as your service increases. There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege days. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
Pension
The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.
Training
MoJ is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities. As a member of the MoJ Project Delivery Function you will also have unique access to the Government Project Delivery Online Skills Tool which will support the development of your skills and assist with your career progression aspirations.
Support
A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
Access to flexible benefits such as salary sacrifice arrangements for childcare vouchers, and voluntary benefits such as retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
Networks
The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.
There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.