About the job

Job summary

We recognise the challenges that people with protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Would you relish the opportunity to work on high-profile, politically sensitive infrastructure projects which sit at the heart of the Government’s levelling up agenda?

Could you collaborate with a range of partners to shape and define the direction of rail travel?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for a Project Delivery Professional to join our team, and we would love to hear from you.

Job description

As Northwest Programme Manager, you will help manage a programme of highly complex rail infrastructure projects, supporting the sponsorship and delivery across Greater Manchester and the wider North West.

In this role you will lead a new project management office function within the team, integrate with wider PMO teams, and shape and define this area of work.

You will join our friendly and committed team, focused on improving the experience for rail passengers in the North of England and ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. This role provides exposure to collaborate and build relationships with statutory bodies, local authorities, and delivery partners such as Network Rail, as well as colleagues across the Department’s Rail Groups.

If you would like to find out more about what it's like to work at DfT Rail, please click here.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Developing and establishing the PMO, its reporting requirements and activities to ensure robust oversight and challenge of the £1bn Manchester Programme and other programmes in the region.
• Identifying and managing dependencies and interfaces between the Manchester programme and other major schemes across the North West.
• Collating, analysing and challenging financial and performance data on projects and programmes and reporting to colleagues and senior leaders to ensure effective management of the programmes.
• Leading the analysis of project data to track and report the programme against its milestones.
• Leading on capturing lesson learnt from projects across the North West and ensuring these are presented to the team and implemented.
• Assisting with the day-to-day clienting of rail schemes, and driving successful delivery of outcomes to time, cost, and quality.
• Collaborating with colleagues across DfT Rail, analysis, and delivery partners on developing business cases for your projects, obtaining investment decisions from boards, and ensuring benefit realisation for projects once closeout is achieved.
• Line management responsibilities of one HEO colleague.

Person specification

About you

You will be a Project Delivery professional with experience of leading, managing or sponsoring large scale projects, and working within a PMO environment understanding the various roles and disciplinaries.

You will demonstrate excellent analytical skills and a deep understanding of project/programme data and will have the ability to effectively interpret trends and provide reports and recommendations.

You will display excellent interpersonal skills, with the credibility to challenge effectively to gain consensus to support decision making. You will confidently engage at all levels to build trusted relationships with a range of diverse partners, be comfortable using a range of communication channels and display quality drafting skills.

You will apply a flexible working approach to adapt to changing priorities and to deliver within timeframes. You will have a willingness to further develop your skillset to suit the needs of the role and the Department.

Additional information 

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. 

Occasional travel to visit key partners and sites in the North of England may be required. 

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement, for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 28 hours per week.

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

How to apply

When considering your experience, please tailor your CV and personal statement (maximum word count 750) to provide evidence of the following:

• Experience of leading, managing, or sponsoring delivery of large-scale, high value and complex projects.
• Experience of operating in a PMO environment, capturing and interpreting project/programme data and providing recommendations to senior leaders.
• Experience of challenging the assumptions and or direction of a project and taking hard decisions.

The sift is due to take place from 22/01/2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held week commencing 19/02/2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:

• an interview

This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face at one of our offices. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

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

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

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

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

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.

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:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

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.