Role Title Senior Project Manager
Job
Job family group Flexible Resource Pool
Insert text here
Grade G7
Status For internal use
family/ies
Role Purpose The role holder will lead a defined complex project(s), including the associated business change activities, on a day to day basis. The Project
Manager is responsible for driving and overseeing the delivery of the project to ensure that the objectives are clearly defined within the agreed
time, cost and quality constraints. The Project Manager has a key role in project governance, this includes establishing 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 project methodologies and techniques. The project could be a standalone project or form part of a
larger project or programme with multiple workstreams.
Key Accountabilities
• Initiate and lead the project to deliver the agreed outcomes within time, cost, and quality constraints.
• Provide day to day effective management and leadership of the project and the project team.
• Develop and agree project controls including governance, reporting, risk and issue management, finance and planning.
• Design the project structure and organisation which is appropriate to the stage of the project, setting appropriate delivery methodologies. Manage effective
transition between project phases.
• Develop and draft project initiation documents and Business Case, with input from specialists as necessary.
• Develop the budget and track delivery within budget including forecasting actual costs against them.
• Manage a medium sized team; identify skill requirements; and deploy and develop resources where necessary.
• 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.
• Identify and manage stakeholder relationships and need for senior level support. Manage internal and external relationships as appropriate.
• Identify and monitor project risks and issues. Develop mitigating actions and escalate as appropriate. Identify and work with related projects to manage
interdependencies.
• Support effective governance and decision making. Provide reporting and engage in mechanisms that hold you, as Senior Project Manager, to account for
delivery.
• Engage with assurance reviews and support action on recommendations. Organise assurance processes such as gateway reviews, as required.
• Ensure effective Change Management processes are in place to agree and document changes to deliverables as agreed with stakeholders.
• Provide support, guidance and coaching for the project team. Show commitment to personal development. Promote effective individual and team
performance.
• 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.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
• Experience of leading a multi-disciplinary project
• Experience of setting and managing project budgets and working with commercial and external suppliers
• Extensive knowledge of project delivery techniques and practices
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including the ability to work across boundaries to influence and gain confidence of senior project delivery leaders
and sponsors
• Experience of leading a small team.
• Experience of producing and writing business cases and of leading Government business case approvals processes and governance reviews.
Desirable Qualifications (or willingness to work towards)
• PRINCE2 Practitioner.
• APM Registered Project Professional.
• Project Leadership Programme.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Lead project workstreams in analysing and resolving competing and conflicting priorities making decisions on delivery and prioritisation as necessary.
• Provide expert guidance and insight whilst leading on developing and implementing a complex project in a fast paced and changing environment.
• Implement a reporting structure to provide a mechanism to support delivery, highlighting potential problems at an early stage to enable mitigation, providing
solutions and recommendations to appropriate governance board.
• Understanding and analysis of issues/problems and potential solutions which can drive or change to business strategy, taking into account views from a
wide range of parties; reconciling differences.
• The ability to influence both internal and external stakeholders and reconciling of differing priorities.
• The ability to resolve collaboratively strategic issues involving organisational interdependences.
• Set strategy and vision, translating into delivery objective for the team. Develop and maintain Project Plan. Identify and set appropriate Project Controls.
Manage performance and report progress to sponsors.
Management of Resources
• Identify skill requirements; and deploy and develop resources.
• Manage medium sized team.
• Create and lead the project to deliver the agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints.
• Lead on developing, securing, and agreeing budget forecasts for projects to enable delivery to be tracked against budget. Overall responsibility for delivery
of the projects including recommending options around under and overspends across project budgets.
• Oversight and delivery of commercial arrangements required for the delivery of the project through developing effective supplier relationships and robust
contract management.
• Responsible for setting and articulating the project strategy and vision ensuring alignment with corporate objectives.
• Develop and share clear narratives, for a wider range of users, explaining the vision and how their contributions can help successful delivery of the
organisation’s objectives.
Autonomy
• Responsible for providing definitive advice and will need to act independently on day-to-day issues and take a strategic view on projects. You will only refer
to more senior grades on issues which have serious policy or resource implications.
• The role holder will often have to deal with difficult and complex situations and use creative thought to develop possible courses of action, to evaluate risks
and to make judgements on the most appropriate solution taking into account internal and external requirements.
Key Relationships and Contacts
• Delivery of results through others and effective negotiation at senior levels, within the organisation and with external stakeholders.
• Demonstrating significant leadership, management and influencing skills including leading on procurement activity and ensuring Statements of Work
accurately reflect delivery.
• Provide support and advice to the project team(s) on appropriate tools and techniques for managing stakeholder relationships, taking ownership when
required to ensure relevant results are achieved.
• Provide assurance to Senior Leaders on the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement arrangements.
• In this role the role holder will communicate with a wide range of people, including senior grades within the Department and externally to ensure agree
project outputs are delivered to enable benefits to be realised.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships and relationships and influence others where there may be divergent and conflicting views.
• This role requires leadership, management, representational and influencing skills both within the organisation and with external stakeholders, including
other government departments.