Project Manager (temporary role (up to 18 months), flexible location and competitive salary) – closing date 27 May 2024 (2024)

Role title: Project Manager

Salary range: Competitive

Total cash: Competitive

Function: Strategy

Role level range: 6-7

Role type: Fixed term contract (up to 18 months)

Base location: Flexible – West Cumbria, Warrington,, London or Oxfordshire. Hybrid working is available with 40% of time in an NDA Office

Reports to: Head of Strategy Portfolio

Closing date: 27 May 2024

The role:

The Group Leadership Team (GLT) has initiated a Beacon Project that commenced in April 2024, tasked with designing and implementing a new Group Planning capability that will enable the future modelling of different strategic interventions to inform strategic decisions at Group level. The project is the subject of a Group Key Target for year 2024/25 and to achieve its objectives, the project is expected to extend across two financial years as a minimum. In its first year the ambition includes creating the first iteration of a Mission Plan (aggregating major activities from each Operating Company) and establishing an initial group-level capability. The project challenge involves shifting the culture and behaviours of the various parts of the Group to act in the interests of the group, over time.

To achieve its aims, this project will be driven by a Working Group comprising representatives from each Operating Company and is being sponsored by Operating Company senior executives.

This Project Manager role is required to support the Beacon Project Lead manage and deliver the Project, define project scope, plan project delivery, manage, organise and engage with stakeholders, ensure the project meets its governance and reporting obligations.

With the ongoing support of the Beacon Project Lead, the role will help plan, manage and co-ordinate all the necessary project activities and project workstream interfaces/dependencies, to ensure the project remains on schedule to successfully deliver. Beacon project scoping and planning have already commenced.

This is an exciting opportunity - the project will be high profile and will offer engagement with senior managers and directors, presenting a significant opportunity for the right person. The project will provide a unique opportunity to design and embed a new enduring Group-level capability with lasting impacts and to gain knowledge of the NDA Group mission, group strategies and operating company delivery plans and to build wider relationships.

Accountabilities:

• · Support the Beacon Project lead by providing project management to ensure delivery of the Group Key Target (GKT), including maintaining the evidence trail for GKT achievement.
• · Oversee the delivery of key workstreams and the work done by the NDA and operating companies, providing management oversight across all Beacon project workstreams and ensuring interfaces and dependencies across project workstreams are established and maintained for maximum benefit.
• · Liaise with and be a point of contact for the Beacon Working Group members (Opco personnel), including support to Working Group meeting preparations (and facilitating meetings as the Beacon Lead deputy when required).
• · Manage delivery of contracted scope by external contractors to cost, schedule and deliverable quality, in pursuit of GKT achievement.
• · Implement project communications across the Group, as appropriate.
• · Report on project delivery to interested parties, including the NDA Portfolio Integration Management Office (PIMO).
• · Engage with the Beacon project sponsors and senior stakeholders as and when required.

This opportunity is well suited to a professional who is looking to play a central role in the creation of a new capability within the NDA group, working directly for (and being coached by) an experienced senior PPM practitioner with extensive experience in major projects and programmes. The opportunity is well suited to a candidate looking for ownership of meaningful, interesting and challenging work; who is curious about what’s going on across the group and the future opportunities that might create for their own career. A candidate who is a self-starter and comfortable with managing ambiguity will excel in this role.

Knowledge, skills and experience required:

• Shares and demonstrates the NDA values of, respect, openness, collaboration, performance and creativity.
• Experience and knowledge of project management fundamentals and industry good practice. Related formal portfolio/programme/project management qualifications offer credibility, however, demonstrable project management experience in stakeholder rich environments is of significant value. Alongside PM skills and experience, this this role will require a range of soft skills including the leadership and tenacity to maintain group-wide support and deliver on project commitments.
• Experience of project scope definition and delivery management including management of project workstream interfaces.
• Effective stakeholder management skills.
• Experience of project communications delivery to ensure awareness where required.
• Experience of reporting of project progress to senior stakeholders.
• Experience of subcontractor management preferred.

Other knowledge and qualifications include:

• Experience of managing change that includes capability design and implementation (e.g.; experience of operating models, blueprint development etc).
• Experience of managing teams - comprising multi-organisation individuals.
• Experience of stakeholder management across multiple organisations.

To apply: Please complete and send the Equal Opportunity Form accompanied by your CV and covering letter to resourcing@nda.gov.uk