About the job

Job summary

Ofgem stands as a vanguard in ensuring the security, affordability, and sustainability of energy provision for UK consumers. Committed to propelling the transition towards Net Zero, Ofgem fosters an inclusive culture that nurtures innovation and celebrates diverse perspectives, empowering employees to contribute authentically and collaboratively. 

We're seeking an exceptional Project Manager to spearhead and oversee project execution, ensuring the precise definition and attainment of objectives within agreed timeframes, costs, and quality parameters. In this role, you'll serve as a linchpin in project governance, collaborating closely with stakeholders to ensure the delivery of agreed project outputs and maximising benefits for all stakeholders involved. 

Your responsibilities will encompass the day-to-day management and leadership of project teams, establishing project controls, and crafting suitable project structures and methodologies. You'll orchestrate the development of business cases, monitor delivery within budgetary constraints, and proficiently manage resource allocation. 

Furthermore, you'll champion the identification, measurement, tracking, and ownership of project benefits, while crafting and implementing robust Benefits Realisation Strategies. Stakeholder management will be central, necessitating the identification of key stakeholders and the cultivation of effective relationships. 

Your role extends to identifying and monitoring project risks and issues and devising mitigation strategies to ensure successful project completion. You'll be instrumental in ensuring that all projects undergo meticulous planning, documentation, and monitoring, with a keen focus on risk and dependency identification. 

Moreover, you'll be a driving force in fostering a culture of efficiency, effectiveness, and ambition within the Directorate and beyond, challenging conventional thinking, and stimulating innovative solutions. You may also lead strategic projects or spearhead key workstreams as required, collaborating with colleagues across Ofgem to develop shared problem understanding and effective solutions. 

Your expertise will be pivotal in maintaining a unified approach to assurance across our directorate and Ofgem, working closely with senior leadership and specialists to manage the Annual Assurance Plan effectively. 

At Ofgem, we champion inclusivity, valuing the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of our team members and fostering a welcoming environment where everyone can thrive authentically. 

Join us and be part of a dynamic team shaping the future of energy regulation and sustainability. We invite you to apply and embark on a journey dedicated to driving meaningful change. 

Please outline in your supporting statement, how you meet each of the criteria in the accompanying attachment (not more than 1250 words). 

Job description

This role will lead the project and the project team on a day-to-day basis. The Project Manager is responsible for driving and overseeing the delivery of projects to ensure that the objectives are clearly defined and achieved within the agreed time, cost and quality constraints. The Project Manager has a key role in project governance and working with stakeholders, to ensure the agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefits to be realised. 

Key Responsibilities  

• Delivery – Create and lead the project to deliver the agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints. 
• Project management – Day-to-day management and leadership of the project and the project team. Set project controls. Design the project structure appropriate to stage. Select and apply appropriate delivery methodologies.  
• Business case – Co-ordinate development of the business case. 
• Budget – Track delivery within budget. 
• Resources – Schedule / manage resources to deliver the project. May work independently or with a small team.  
• Benefits realisation – Ensure benefits are identified, understood, measured, tracked and owned. Ensure appropriate Benefits Realisation Strategy is in place, and support monitoring of longer-term delivery of benefits against the business case where this is no alternative designated owner. 
• Stakeholder management – Identify key stakeholders and develop effective relationships. 
• Risks and issues – Identify and monitor project risks and issues. Develop mitigating actions and escalate as appropriate. 
• Governance – Provide key reports and support effective governance and decision making.  
• Assurance – Support or set appropriate project assurance. 
• Change management – Ensure effective change management processes are in place to agree and document changes to deliverables as agreed with stakeholders. 
• Guidance and support – Seek appropriate support, guidance and coaching from the project community. Show commitment to personal development. Promote effective individual and team performance.  
• Project performance and controls – Build Project Plan and apply appropriate project principles to deliver stated objectives. Identify and set appropriate Project Controls.  
• Track and report delivery against milestones. Actively engage with the wider Project Management and Delivery professional network to ensure sharing of best practice, building of capability, and promote continuous improvement. 

Additional Responsibilities 

• Actively engage with the wider profession to ensure sharing of best practice and promote continuous improvement. 
• Respond to ad-hoc requests as directed. 

Person specification

Key Outputs and Deliverables 

• Ensure all projects are appropriately planned, documented, and monitored with appropriate risk and dependencies identified. 
• Ensure all relevant Ofgem standards and associated processes and procedures are implemented and embedded. 
• Identify common capabilities and opportunities for linking up, reusing and sharing of methods and resources between projects and programmes. 
• Support in-year prioritisation and plan progress reviews. 
• Proactively challenge and evolve thinking within the Directorate and beyond, encouraging the organisation to be more efficient, more effective and more ambitious, supporting continuous improvement and ongoing business process change.  
• Deliver strategic projects or key workstreams as required. 
• Engage with colleagues across Ofgem to develop shared understanding of problems and collaborate on effective solutions. 

Essential Criteria

• Experience in a Project Management role of planning, delivering, controlling and completing a project from start to finish. (LEAD) 
•  A relevant qualification such as those listed below, or equivalent practical experience (LEAD): 

- PRINCE2 Practitioner 
- Agile Project Management Practitioner 
- APM Project Management Qualification 
- PMI Project Management Professional 
- Leading and Managing Project Workstreams 

• Ability to deliver and change direction in a fast-paced environment. 
• Ability to build effective relationships with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders. 
• Excellent organisational, written and verbal communication skills that effectively communicate complex issues to non-expert audiences with attention to detail. 

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of a range of project management techniques, including agile and waterfall. 
• Experience of Change Management tools and methods. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,498, OFGEM contributes £8,774 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel), your career history and qualifications.  

You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word ‘personal statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the essential and desirable skills and capabilities. 

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.