National Projects Manager

Venesky-Brown’s client, a public sector organisation in England, is currently looking to recruit a National Projects Manager for an initial 3-month contract, with potential to extend, on a fixed rate of £20.33/hour PAYE. This is a national role that can be worked from Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, York, Swindon, or remote working can also be considered.

Responsibilities:

The National Projects Manager will work within Business Improvement, giving expert advice and supporting projects and initiatives from across the Organisation. They will be responsible for ensuring effective coordination, management and delivery of a range of projects, including high-profile externally facing projects, working with colleagues from a wide range of departments across the Organisation, from architects and surveyors to marketing specialists and digital analysts.
The post-holder will be passionate about the value that project management principles can bring to a project and act as an ambassador for the promotion of an innovative and corporate principles-led approach to project management.

To manage the planning, delivery and close of projects being led by various Groups and project teams across the Organisation, including, but not exclusive to, high-profile, eternally facing projects, continuous and business improvement, organisation development 2 and capacity building projects.

Work with the Head of Major Projects to develop and implement other projects and programmes within the team’s remit.

To develop effective working relationships with colleagues across the Organisation to ensure the effective coordination of projects;

To use appropriate project and programme documents, tools and controls to successfully plan, and deliver a range of projects (including but not exclusive to business case development, project initiation and design, progress monitoring and reporting, risk and issue management, stakeholder management and communication plans, change controls and assurance plans, budget and resource management);

To work collaboratively across relevant internal departments and regional teams to ensure projects are communicated effectively both internally and externally

To take an active role in Project Boards and Working Groups, suggesting innovative approaches and solutions and supporting the SRO by taking delegated responsibility for the delivery and reporting of project progress, targets, milestones and actions;

To undertake ongoing evaluation of projects, including post-project analysis and identification of lessons learned, making recommendations to the Head of Major Projects, Head of Programmes and Planning, relevant Senior responsible Owners and Director of Business Improvement where appropriate.

To provide colleagues across the Organisation with support in managing their projects, acting as a mentor to other project managers and helping to provide inventive solutions to problems that arise and acting as an ambassador to the corporate, principle-led approach to project management.

Be an advocate for the Organisation and work collaboratively across the organisation to maximise our effectiveness.

Undertake any other reasonable duties commensurate with the grade and competencies required of the post requested by line management.

Essential Skills:

Demonstrable experience of planning, managing, monitoring and evaluating multiple high-level, complex projects and/or programmes

Experience in managing budgets and general financial management and monitoring, including risk management.

Ability to switch between multiple projects and work to challenging deadlines

Ability to work without regular supervision and as part of a dispersed team

Strategic thinking, including an ability to foresee risks and opportunities

Sound judgement and acute political acumen

Constructive and creative problem-solving skills

Ability to deal diplomatically with pressure and challenge

Proven ability to coordinate diverse teams, creating a culture of mutual respect, with the ability to work together to achieve a common vision

A proven track record in developing positive and effective working relationships with a wide range of others

Commitment to continuous business improvement

Strong negotiation, influencing and communication skills, with the ability to work across functional and stakeholder groups

Experience of working with high-level stakeholders, both internally and externally

The organisation is committed to providing equality of opportunity. If you have a disability, we would be happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the job with you.