Senior Project Manager (Ref: 22878)

Job summary

Job description

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.

The Project Delivery Function aim is to have capable and empowered teams, delivering Project Delivery excellence. We will maintain and enhance our reputation as leaders in project delivery, recognised for highly skilled and professional practice that evolves beyond our current achievements to consistently deliver outstanding results. ​We will excel at initiating projects with strong foundations and then deliver on our commitments by improving and sustaining delivery confidence to successfully realise outcomes and benefits. ​Our people will be empowered to develop the skills they need to succeed, and our line managers will be accountable for upholding functional standards and demonstrating excellence in project delivery.

The MoJ’s Functional Operating Model is unique across government. All project delivery professionals are line managed through the Function and then assigned to projects and programmes across the MoJ and its Agencies. The MoJ Project Delivery Function sees the centralisation and coordination of all project delivery within the Ministry. These opportunities provide a unique chance to be at the forefront of implementing significant projects across the MoJ.

Successful candidates will be part of a flexible resource pool and may be placed in roles based on business needs. If we’re not able to offer a post in the specific role applied for, we will match you to a suitable position at the same grade that aligns with your skills and experience. 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

The Senior Project Manager leads and manages the project and project team. They are responsible for driving and overseeing the delivery of the project to ensure objectives are clearly defined and achieved within agreed time, cost, and quality constraints. The Senior Project Manager plays a key role in project governance and works with stakeholders to ensure agreed project outputs are delivered, enabling benefits to be realised.

These may be further shaped and adjusted dependent on business needs and team resources / skills.

• Delivery – Creates and leads the project to achieve agreed outcomes within time, cost, and quality constraints.
• Project Management – Provides daily management and leadership of the project and team. Providing effective leadership and management controls. Designs the project structure and organisation suitable for each stage, establishes project controls, selecting appropriate delivery methodologies, and managing transitions between project phases.
• Business Case – Develops and drafts the business case, incorporating input from specialists as needed.
• Budget – Develops the budget and monitors delivery within it.
• Resources – Identifies skill requirements, deploys and develops resources, and manages a medium-sized team.
• Benefits Realisation – Delivers the benefits and outcomes stated in the business case. Ensures a suitable benefits realisation strategy is in place and monitors long-term benefit delivery against the business case.
• Stakeholder Management – Identifies and manages stakeholder relationships, ensuring necessary senior-level support. Manages internal and external relationships appropriately.
• Risks and Issues – Identifies and monitors project risks and issues, develops mitigating actions and escalates when necessary. Collaborates with related projects to manage interdependencies.
• Governance – Supports effective governance and decision-making. Provides reporting and engages with mechanisms that hold the project manager accountable for delivery.
• Assurance – Participates in assurance reviews and supports implementation of recommendations. Organises assurance processes, such as gateway reviews, when required.
• Change Management – Ensures change management processes are in place to agree on and document changes to deliverables with stakeholders.
• Guidance and Support – Offers support, guidance, and coaching to the project team, shows commitment to personal development, and promotes effective team performance.
• Project Performance and Controls – Communicates the vision and translates it into delivery objectives for the team. Develops and maintains the Project Plan, sets project controls, manages performance, and reports progress to sponsors.
• Digital and Data - Uses digital tools to analyse data to understand progress against the plan and takes mitigation actions and exploits opportunities. Uses data to forecast future outcomes and address issues before they escalate. Provides actionable data driven insights to ensure stakeholders are kept informed and engaged throughout the project lifecycle.
• Sustainability - Ensures that environmental and social considerations are embedded in programme design, procurement and monitoring processes.
• 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.

Person specification

Required Experience:

Leadership, Project Delivery experience against appropriate framework.

Desirable Qualifications or willing to work towards (within 12 months)

Government Project Delivery Accreditation – Practitioner Level

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.

Travel and Office Attendance

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.

MoJ employees 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 trave