Senior Project Manager Jobs

Location

Bristol, Leeds, London, Manchester

About The Job

Job summary

About The Government Legal Department

From energy to security, health to human rights, we help the Government deliver life changing law for citizens.

The Government Legal Department is the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters that are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. Our work includes:

• Securing our economic and trade relationships
• Providing legal advice on policies
• Developing and drafting legislation
• Providing the Civil Service’s employment law advice
• Ensuring value from commercial contracts worth billions of pounds

We are at the heart of delivering the Government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department, sponsored by the Attorney General. We are headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary and employ nearly 3000 people, including over 2000 legal professionals. Our offices include London, Leeds, Bristol, Croydon and Manchester as well as overseas. We provide specialist legal services including Litigation, Employment and Commercial Law as well as advising most Government Departments on the policies and services they deliver.

GLD also depends on a range of vital corporate services. These are essential to the smooth and efficient running of the Department and provide the foundation to enable GLD to deliver outstanding legal services. Our corporate functions include Strategy, HR, Finance, Digital, Data and Technology, Communications, Security, Commercial and Project delivery.

Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

To find out more about what we do visit the Government Legal Department’s webpage or have a look at this short film which showcases the breadth of work government lawyers and legal trainees are involved in.

About The Project Delivery Group

This is an exciting time for the Project Delivery Profession within GLD.

Big changes are happening under the newly appointed Deputy Director Head of Profession (Project Delivery). GLD is seeking to transform the way it coordinates investment in programmes and projects, along with making a step change in capability, to ensure successful delivery, and most significantly, benefits realisation.

The newly created Project Delivery team will ensure that GLD continues to innovate, build and professionalise legal services in order to achieve the GLD Vision.

This is a rare chance to join a new team, shape the future frameworks and make a true difference to a department that is keen to learn and develop its project delivery capabilities to build something great.

If you believe in the benefits of a diverse team with flexible working and developing yourself and others, then is the role for you!

Anne-Marie Blackburn -Head of Project Delivery and Assurance / Head of Project Delivery Profession

Anne-Marie says “Thanks for your interest in joining the Project Delivery team here at GLD. We are a centralised team of Project Delivery professionals, established to support the delivery of GLDs strategic change projects.

Primarily a legal department, we are looking for someone who can build relationships across multidisciplinary teams who have different levels of project delivery capability. Key to this role is the ability to coordinate, communicate and collaborate – leading projects in a controlled environment – enabling GLD to meet its strategic objectives.

I’m passionate about diversity and fully recognise having a range of experiences, ways of working and thinking makes us a stronger organisation, therefore I’m keen to build a diverse and inclusive work environment that brings a range of different viewpoints. Whatever stage you are at in your career, people from all backgrounds and circumstances regardless of disability, gender, age, ethnicity, LGBT+ identity and socio-economic status – if you fit the profile and this role springs an interest, then please get in touch.

The role of the Project Manager is to lead / manage GLD projects and the associated project teams on a day-to-day basis. The Project Manager is responsible for driving and overseeing the delivery of the projects to ensure that the objectives are clearly defined and achieved within the agreed time, cost and quality constraints. They will have a key role in project governance and working with senior lawyers as key stakeholders, to ensure the agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefits to be realised.

Project management responsibilities include:

• Assurance – Engage with assurance reviews and support action on recommendations. Organise processes such as gateway reviews, as required.
• Project management – Day-to-day management and leadership of the project and the project team, designing the project structure and organisation appropriate to stage. Set appropriate delivery methodologies. Manage effective transition between project phases.
• Resources – Identify skill requirements; and deploy and develop resources. Manage medium sized team.
• Guidance and support – Provide support, guidance and coaching for the project team. Show commitment to personal development. Promote effective individual and team performance.
• Budget – Develop the budget and track delivery within budget.
• Risks and 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, to account for delivery.
• Change management – Ensure effective Change Management processes are in place to agree and document changes to deliverables as agreed with stakeholders.
• Business case – Develop and draft the project business case or justification, with input from specialists as necessary.
• Project performance and 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 SRO’s.
• Stakeholder management – Identify and manage stakeholder relationships both and need for senior level support.
• Delivery – Create and lead the project to deliver the agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints.
• 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.

Person specification

Behaviours

Below are details of the Success Profile that make up this role. You will be expected to provide evidence to show how you meet the criteria at interview stage.

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing & Improving (lead behaviour)

Experience

You will need to demonstrate the following essential experience during the selection process on your CV as evidence of your suitability for the role:

• Experience of successfully managing several medium complexity projects.

Technical

You will need to demonstrate the following essential technical skills during the selection process on your personal statement as evidence of your suitability for the role:

• Planning & Scheduling with associated resource management.
• Risk & Issue Management
• Use of Governance, Frameworks & Methodologies
• Stakeholder Management
• Business Case development.
• Benefits Management

The following technical qualifications are desirable:

• Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner
• PRINCE2 Practitioner
• Agile Project Management Practitioner

Civil Service Code

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of you and other civil servants. These are based on the core values which are set out in legislation. As a civil servant, you are expected to carry out your role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values of:

• ‘honesty’ is being truthful and open
• Objectivity’ is basing your advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of the evidence
• ‘integrity’ is putting the obligations of public service above your own personal interests
• ‘impartiality’ is acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving equally well governments of different political persuasions.
• These core values support good government and ensures the achievement of the highest possible standards in all that the Civil Service does.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £50,455, Government Legal Department contributes £13,622 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• An environment with flexible working options
• Learning and development tailored to your role

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. The CV will be assessed and scored assessing experience.

• Experience of successfully managing several medium complexity projects.

A Personal Statement maximum 750 words explaining how you consider your technical skills provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

• Benefits Management
• Planning & Scheduling with associated resource management.
• Use of Governance, Frameworks & Methodologies
• Risk & Issue Management
• Stakeholder Management

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the experience and technical skills outlined in the person specification.

Interview

Should you be successful in being invited to interview on the day of your interview, you will be asked to give a short verbal presentation on a topic relevant to the role. The presentation will assess:

• Changing & Improving (lead behaviour)
• One or more of the technical skills (told in advance)

You will also be assessed on your performance in all essential criteria via scenario-based exercises and strength-based questions on the technical skills and the behaviours listed in the Personal Specification:

Essential Technical Skills

• Benefits Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Risk & Issue Management
• Use of Governance, Frameworks & Methodologies
• Planning & Scheduling with associated resource management.

Essential Behaviours

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing & Improving (lead behaviour)
• Making Effective Decisions

Candidates invited to interview will be given further information on the day and time to prepare. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Interviews will take place remotely via video conference, full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview. The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

Offer

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible after the final interview. We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list for up to 6 months. We then may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality Requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
• UK nationals
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window) .

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.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

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 :

• Email : [email protected]
• Name : Trevor Desouza

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]