Location

Birmingham, London, Manchester

About the job

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has a broad and exciting policy agenda that touches most parts of UK society and economy. Our mission is to lead Britain’s recovery through the following priorities: Leading the world in taking on climate change (achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 & driving green economic growth);Unleashing innovation through solving the Grand Challenges facing our society (growing productivity and investment in research and development);
Making the UK the best place in the world to grow a business and to work (forging an outward-looking economy, reforming corporate governance and building fairer and more inclusive workplaces).Fighting Coronavirus by accelerating the development, manufacture and deployment of a vaccine in the UK and overseas to protect life.

The successful candidate will join a cadre of experienced project delivery professionals that already support some of the largest projects and programmes across the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) as well as typical Portfolio Management Functions such as Performance Reporting, Risk Management and Assurance. BEIS has Project and Programme Delivery at the heart of its ambition to deliver as one team, work in a professional way and have strong leadership and management.

As a Level 3 Project Manager you can expect to be assigned to a project or range of projects of different scale, usually those of greater complexity and/or those which carry greater reputational risk. You could be leading a single standalone project or a project management office within a wider programme/portfolio. In all cases you should expect to work in an environment of considerable uncertainty and political sensitivity. You may also have to manage several high-profile stakeholders with conflicting priorities. Procedures and methodologies will often need to be tailored or adapted to suit unique situations.

Job description

You will be responsible for managing and leading the delivery of a medium to highly complex high priority project, including leading a project team or working as a the head of a PMO function in a large project or programme reporting into a senior project leader. You will play a key role in managing the project through it's various governance stages and working with stakeholders, to ensure the agreed project outputs/programme outcomes are delivered to enable benefits to be realised.

1. Project Delivery. Accountable for creating and leading a project to ensure it delivers agreed outcomes, benefits within time, cost and quality constraints.

2. Project Management. Day to day management and leadership of the project team. At this level this involves designing the project structure and organisation appropriate to stage, including the recruitment of resources within budget constraints and their effective deployment; setting appropriate delivery methodologies; providing effective management controls; and managing effective transition between project phases. At this level the Project Manager will be an advocate for the project, generating interest and buy in throughout the business. The Project Manager will also build a motivated and capable team and foster an inclusive culture of innovation.

3. Stakeholder Management. The Project Manager will identify and manage collaborative stakeholder relationships. At this level they will be required to build consensus across a large and often diverse range of internal and external stakeholders, successfully managing engagement and communications to ensure buy in, bringing in senior level support when required.

4. Risk Management. Identify, monitor and proactively manage project risks and issues. At this level the Project Manager will take tangible action to ensure strategic and operational risks and issues are identified, prioritised, assessed, and appropriate mitigating actions developed, implemented and monitored throughout the life of the project. They will also ensure senior stakeholders and specialists are engaged where appropriate.

5. Governance, Project Planning, Project Performance, Controls and Assurance. Develop and oversee plans and schedules, identifying and setting appropriate project controls, managing performance and reporting progress to sponsors. They will ensure the appropriate governance arrangements are in place to manage the project, with escalation routes and accountabilities made clear and corporate reporting requirements are met.

6. Business Transformation. The Project Manager will be responsible for ensuring the strategic fit of the project with the wider organisational strategy and actively engaging with stakeholders to ensure the project remains viable. This includes putting in place effective processes to document any changes to deliverables and ensuring they are communicated and agreed with relevant stakeholders.

7. Business Case development. The Project Manager will take responsibility for co-ordinating the production of high quality Business Cases (Strategic, outline and Full), ensuring the appropriate experts input in a timely manner, appropriate assurance reviews are held and recommendations followed up on and that the project is successfully approved at the Project investment Committee.
 

Responsibilities

We are seeking highly motivated and experienced Project Managers to lead some of the most interesting and complex projects in Government. Successful candidates will be practitioners in shaping project approaches, resources and relationships to achieve successful outcomes and benefits. You will:

• Have significant experience in delivering either complex or high-risk projects within agreed time, cost and quality constraints. You will be adaptable when applying your knowledge of project management tools and methodologies, capable of designing a project structure and organisation to meet the requirements of the project according to its point in the lifecycle.

• Be experienced and credible in dealing with a broad and complex range of stakeholders, with the confidence to engage with senior officials and ministers.

• You will have a proactive stakeholder engagement approach, seeking out opportunities to effectively communicate and influence, and be used to operating with a high degree of autonomy where there is ambiguity and change in a project.

• Have practical experience in actively managing project risks and issues, able to make decisions, engage in dialogue on risk management strategy, and demonstrate a level of skill beyond simply ‘managing a process’. You will be able to apply your skills to a range of risks, with a sound understanding of how they relate to wider strategy.

• Be an experienced people manager, able to build capability and develop a high performing and motivated project team. You will be tuned in to the needs of the business, ready to flex structures to ensure that your project team remains aligned with delivery goals and wider strategy.

• Have managed a project through the key stages in its lifecycle, from agreeing vision to project closure. Whilst not essential, experience of having engaged with assurance reviews, such as the Gateway Review process, would be desirable.

• Have successfully delivered transformation outcomes, able to understand project objectives, the wider strategic organisational context, and how to manage the relationship between the two. It is important therefore that you are comfortable networking throughout the business, challenging and influencing decision making when required.

Essential Criteria

You will have a recognised accreditation in professional project management such as;

• PRINCE2 Practitioner
• MSP Practitioner
• Agile Project Management Practitioner
• APM Practitioner Qualification
• APM Registered Project Professional
• Civil Service Project Leadership Programme

Technical Skills

Frameworks and Methodologies

Detailed knowledge and significant experience in project management frameworks and methodologies. Demonstrating competence when identifying and amending appropriate project management frameworks and methodologies to enable a consistent and efficient approach to delivery of medium and/or complex projects. Able to supervise others in the application of project management frameworks and methodologies and tailor the approach to meet requirements of the projects

Risk Management

Working knowledge and experience of managing complex risks and issues. Demonstrating the ability to identify and manage risks, including the development and implementation of appropriate risk mitigation strategies that take account of both internal and external dependencies, managing stakeholders to deal with any associated time, cost and quality constraints.

Qualifications

You will have a recognised accreditation in professional project management such as;

-PRINCE2 Practitioner
-MSP Practitioner
-Agile Project Management Practitioner
-APM Practitioner Qualification
-APM Registered Project Professional
-Civil Service Project Leadership Programme

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Frameworks and Methodologies
• Risk Management

Benefits

BEIS offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.

Things you need to know Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Your personal statement (maximum 750 words) should submit a response to each of the following questions (maximum of 250 words per question);

Your personal statement should address each of the following 3 questions (maximum of 250 words per question);

1. Please give an example of the most complex or important project that you have worked on, and explain how you delivered the outcome and benefits within time, cost and quality parameters.

2. Please give an example of a time when you managed a complex range of stakeholders, crossing team and organisational boundaries, and how you gained buy-in where views differed.

3. Please give an example of when you have actively managed project risks, including
how you considered the organisation’s wider strategic thinking.

NB: We will sift against the first if we receive a high number of applications for this role. In your responses you should briefly introduce the context but focus most of your word allocation to describe the actions you took, with a short conclusion describing the result.

Your CV should be anonymised, setting out your career history, and how your responsibilities and achievements meet the requirements of this role. We would expect this to be no more than two sides of A4.

Expected Timeline subject to change

Sift Dates: w/c 11th December 2020

Interview dates: w/c 21st December 2020

Interview location: Virtually Online

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Candidates will be expected to deliver a presentation at interview, details will be giving closer to the time if successful.

Reasonable adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Pay Allowance

The successful candidate may be eligible for a £3000 pay enhancement subject to having a valid qualification from the list of ‘typical qualifications’ as defined for the ‘Level Three Project Manager'’ role in the Project Delivery Capability Framework: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/project-delivery-capability-framework-for-civil-servants.

Further Information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Any move to Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

BEIS does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

Please note that BEIS does not hold a licence to sponsor visa applications.

We value our staff.

We will provide you with the opportunity to work at pace and stretch yourself. You'll have ample opportunity to grow your skills, and we strongly support our people’s career development. BEIS offers learning and development, mentoring and networking opportunities; as well as career progression in the Finance and Digital professions.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or tolerate any form of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.

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 equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name :   Central Campaigns Email :   [email protected]   Recruitment team : Email :   [email protected] Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints