Senior Project Manager (Ref: 75673)
Ministry of Justice
About the job
Job summary
These positions are based nationally.Job description
We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) priorities include improving public safety and reducing reoffending by reforming prisons, probation and youth justice, and building a justice system which makes access to justice swifter and more certain for all citizens whatever their background. Project professionals in the MoJ help to improve the government’s ability to protect the public and reduce reoffending, and to provide a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public.
This role provides you with the unique opportunity to being central to the delivery of the Secretary of State’s priorities by being a member of the MoJ Project Delivery Function. The MoJ Project Delivery Function sees the centralisation and coordination of all project delivery within the Ministry and by joining the MoJ Project Delivery Function, you will be able to access professional development opportunities including an enhanced and tailored development plan, access world leading guidance, tools and support across and access to the unique Government Project Delivery Professional Network, not to mention your participation in some of the Countries most ambitious projects and programmes.
As a Grade 7 Senior Project Manager, you will lead a defined set of interdependent projects, including the associated business change activities and establish appropriate governance and assurance processes monitoring progress, monitoring risks and issues and ensuring the business readiness for change. The role requires professional expertise in the effective use of programme/project methodologies and techniques. You will be responsible for the overall integrity and coherence of the programme. You will develop and maintain the programme environment to support each individual project within it to achieve their best. You will need to have effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills to provide effect day to day management of the project or programme. Successful candidates are expected to commit to the role for a minimum of 18 months.
MoJ expects its leaders to show openness, honesty and commitment, and, of course, to deliver results.
Key responsibilities of the role
These may be further shaped and adjusted dependent on business needs and team resources / skills.
- 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/programme and the project team. Provide effective leadership and management controls. Set project controls. Design the project structure and organisation appropriate to stage. Set appropriate delivery methodologies. Manage effective transition between project phases.
- Business Case – Develop and draft the Business Cases, with input from specialists as necessary.
- Budget – Develop the budget and track delivery within budget.
- Resources – Identify skill requirements; and deploy and develop resources. Manage medium sized team.
- 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 against the Business Case.
- Stakeholder Management – Identify and manage stakeholder relationships and need for senior level support. Manage internal and external relationships as appropriate.
- Risks & 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, as Project Manager, to account for delivery.
- Assurance – Engage with assurance reviews and support action on recommendations. Organise assurance processes such as gateway reviews, as required.
- Change Management – Ensure effective Change Management processes are in place to agree and document changes to deliverables as agreed with stakeholders.
- Guidance & Support – Provide support, guidance and coaching for the project team. Show commitment to personal development. Promote effective individual and team performance.
- Project Performance & 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 sponsors.
- Line Management – There will be line management of Project Delivery Professional(s) within the Professional Delivery Group as part of this role, including the management of direct report’s HR and well-being, development with a focus on coaching and mentoring, ensuring quality and standards of PPM are upheld.
This is a permanent position with frequent weekly travel to other sites.
Location & Terms of appointment
This post is advertised nationally but frequent travel will be required to locations where our Major Projects are based.
Your base office location at an MoJ HQ site, Justice Collaboration Centre, or Justice Satellite Office will be discussed if successful, as we do not offer home working contracts. All available sites can be found on this link.
Following the return to offices initiative any MoJ employee based in a MoJ building should be attending the office a minimum of two days a week. Typically, this will be at your base office location at an MoJ HQ site, Justice Collaboration Centre, or Justice Satellite Office. If you are required to travel to another office or site with your project/programme, this will be classed as a day’s office attendance.
Find Out More - Webinar
We will be holding a find out more webinar sessions for all potential candidates to come and ask questions regarding the role. This will be held on
- Tuesday 19th December – 12:00 – Register Here
- Tuesday 30th January– 12:00 – Register Here
- Wednesday 6th March – 12:30 – Register Here
Salary & Grade
Grade 7
New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range and this is non-negotiable.
Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.
Selection and Recruitment Process
As this is a 4-month rolling recruitment campaign, various sift/interview dates will be scheduled across the 4 months.
Where high volumes of applications are received the initial sift will be completed against the lead competency. If your application progresses to a full sift, all competencies will then be considered. Feedback is not available for those not invited to interview.
Merit List of successful candidates based on location will be retained after this campaign for 12 months.
Application Process
You will be required to complete an application form providing evidence of how you meet the Project Delivery Competencies as per the Project Delivery Capability Framework (PDCF) and provide a current CV.
Details on the PDCF can be found on the Infrastructure and Projects Authority pages
Successful candidates will then be invited for interview and the interviews will take place in person at an MoJ HQ site, Justice Collaboration Centre, or Justice Satellite Office as stated in the invitation to interview.
The interview will consist of a variety Project Delivery technical and strength-based questions.
Project Delivery Competencies
You will be required to provide evidence of the following key competencies at the indicated level:
Competencies Description Level required
Project Delivery Profession – Technical Competencies
Commercial and procurement skills
Commercial and procurement skills is the ability to gain financial approval for project costs and work with commercial colleagues to monitor spend against contract. It is also the ability to ensure the process by which the goods and services are procured by a project in line with the relevant regulatory framework.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Requirements Management
Requirements Management is the process of capturing stakeholder needs, assessing, defining and justifying those needs to arrive at an agreed schedule of requirements.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Solutions Development
Solutions Development is the ability to identify, document and analyse the various delivery options and select the optimal solution.
(A) Basic knowledge and limited or no experience
• You understand how it can be applied
• You can describe the benefits and importance
• You may have applied it in a low complexity project under supervision or assisted others in delivering it
Planning
Planning is the ability to define the fundamental components of a project in terms of its scope, deliverables, time scales, resource requirements and budget. It also includes the production of broader plans incorporating risk and quality to provide a consolidated overview of a project.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Scheduling
Scheduling is the ability to develop, produce and maintain schedules for activities that take account of dependencies, resource requirements and constraints in order to enable the efficient realisation of benefits.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Resource management
Resource Management is the ability to identify, profile and secure the resources required to deliver a project.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Budgeting and cost management
Budgeting and Cost Management is the ability to estimate costs, produce a budget and control forecasts and actual spend against budget.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Risk & issue management
Risk & Issue Management is the ability to systematically identify and monitor risks & issues, planning how to mitigate / respond to those risks and issues and implementing the responses.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Quality Management
Quality management is the ability to plan, develop, maintain and apply quality management processes to ensure the adherence to those standards throughout the project delivery lifecycle.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Business change and implementation
Business Change & Implementation is the ability to integrate the project outputs into ‘business as usual’ (BAU) ensuring that activities are planned and completed to enable the business to implement the change and realise the benefits.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Governance
Governance is the ability to clearly define roles, responsibilities and accountabilities and establish controls and approval routes appropriate to each stage of the project to monitor project progress and compliance.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Frameworks & methodologies
Frameworks & methodologies is the ability to identify and amend appropriate project frameworks and methodologies to enable a consistent and efficient approach to delivery at all stages of the project lifecycle.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Stakeholder engagement
Stakeholder Engagement is the ability to systematically identify, analyse and communicate with stakeholders, using appropriate channels, to ensure all those impacted by the change are engaged, taking account of their levels of influence and particular interests.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Assurance
Assurance is the ability to establish, plan and manage reviews at appropriate points during all stages of the project life cycle to provide evaluations of progress against time, cost, quality, compliance and ongoing viability.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Change control
Change Control is the ability to establish protocols to manage and document all requests that alter the scope of a project. This includes the capture, evaluation and approval or rejection of any requests.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Business case development
Business Case Development is the ability to prepare, develop, commission and update business cases to justify the initiation and continuation of projects in terms of benefits, value for money and risk.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Asset allocation
Asset allocation is the ability to recommend how financial and other resources should be allocated between projects in order to optimise the organisations return on investment (ROI). This includes the determination of which projects should be initiated continued or closed to best support the organisations strategic objectives.
(A) Basic knowledge and limited or no experience
• You understand how it can be applied
• You can describe the benefits and importance
• You may have applied it in a low complexity project under supervision or assisted others in delivering it.
Benefits management
Benefits Management is the ability to identify, quantify, map and track project benefits to justify investment in the project, and to provide assurance that the benefits identified can be realised.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Knowledge management
Knowledge Management is the ability identify, share and promote best practices and lessons learned to create a culture of learning and good practice that supports continuous improvement to optimise project delivery.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Project Delivery Profession – Behavioural/Leadership Competencies
Visible leadership
The ability to engage, motivate and coach others. To act as a role model and inspire and empower others.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Credible action
The ability to promote the wider public good in all actions and to act in a morally, legally and socially appropriate manner at all times. Challenges unacceptable behaviour.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Working with ambiguity
The ability to work in an environment of uncertainty and continual change. Able to feel comfortable making decisions and setting direction without having the full picture and re-focus as details emerge. Can apply knowledge and techniques to reduce ambiguity.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Collaboration
The ability to establish and develop productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, bringing people together to benefit the project.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Influencing
The ability to influence, change and impact decisions with both internal and external stakeholders.
(P) Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence.
• You have applied this independently in medium and/ or highly complex projects
• You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence
• You can adapt/tailor your approach to meet the requirements of the project.
Conflict resolution
The ability to recognize, anticipate and effectively deal with existing or potential conflicts at an individual, team or strategic level.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Inspiring others
The ability to create and present a compelling vision and set clear direction, that motivates others to work towards a common goal.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Resilience
The ability to adapt to changing circumstances and adverse situations whilst remaining calm, reassuring others and maintaining performance.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Innovation
The ability to think of, research and apply new ideas and ways of doing things. Encourages and supports innovations from others, is willing to experiment and follow ideas through to implementation.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Culture change
The ability to plan, lead and effect positive cultural change, securing commitment and buy-in and promoting a positive long term vision. Recognizes when broader culture change is necessary to deliver a project.
(W) Working knowledge and practical experience
• You have a good understanding of this competence
• You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.
Person specification
Please refer to job description.Benefits
Alongside your salary of £54,358, Ministry of Justice contributes £15,165 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 Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJFeedback 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
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.