Senior Project Manager

united kingdom

Be part of something great.

Maximus is a global organisation that specialises in providing health and employment services to millions of people every year. Here in the UK we employ around 5,000 people across the country to deliver services that have a profound impact on people’s lives. From assessments and health services to employability programmes and specialist support, we do work that matters with people who care.

Job Summary

Senior Project Manager roles (Level 2) are responsible for establishing and leading delivery of organisation-wide and cross-functional projects, business change and transformation, of varying size, scale and complexity. Demonstrating a combination of technical, leadership and commercial expertise that contributes to the delivery of commercial value and benefits, and the longer-term strategic objectives of stakeholder teams and MAXIMUS UK.

Role holders will coordinate and manage assigned projects, support UK and divisional change and transformation. This will include leading a variety of different types of projects and providing project assurance and governance on the delivery portfolio.

Home based

FTC Until September 24

£45,000 - £55,000

The Senior Project Manager (Level 2) role will be assigned projects of a greater complexity and importance, defined by their risk rating, strategic importance, investment cost, impact of change, etc. Working on typically larger projects, this role will require greater experience of end-to-end project delivery and skills acquired through working in an established PMO structure

1. Project Management

* Manages projects of varying size, ranging from large-scale, complex projects often involving multiple internal and external components and matrix partners, to smaller tactical deliveries

* Ensures all projects are clearly defined with an appropriate level of governance in order that end results meet business requirements that can be measured against a clearly articulated scope, agreed deliverables, project budgets and quantifiable business benefit

* Supports the definition, planning, orchestrating, and delivery of approved strategic initiatives

* Responsible for one or more initiatives including business, operational, and IT deliverables

* Directly manages all aspects of the project lifecycle and works with matrix partners to oversee all phases of a project

* Manages scope to ensure commitments are achieved within agreed time, cost and quality parameters

* Validates financial forecasts/ estimates and provides on-going reconciliation of project budgets (including resources and other related project costs)

* Ensures stakeholder engagement and collaboration to develop communication plans, identify training requirements and support teams with operational readiness to deliver the plan

2. Project Assurance & Governance

* Serves as a subject matter expert for project management and project delivery in routinely briefing key stakeholders on different aspects of assigned initiatives

* Develops the project brief/ mandate, project plan, resource/ stakeholder plan, project controls and related project management products for the purpose of project approval and subsequent delivery

* Defines and tracks project milestones while managing the project team and reporting on overall delivery against plan

* Publishes regular project status reports for stakeholder review

* Schedules and facilities project meetings (project team, steering group/ project board, workshops, escalations) as required to support clear communication on project status

* Provides assurance and governance support for other projects on the leadership team’s portfolio and other projects on the UK PMO Portfolio

* Represents assigned projects in various project governance, leadership team, management and UK PMO forums

3. Leadership Team & Portfolio Management Support

* Works with senior members of the UK PMO to support improved collaboration and working practices, engaging leadership teams and business leads across MAXIMUS UK to provide support and governance for project planning and delivery

4. Coaching & Personal Development

* Actively engaged in training, using skills to build project management capability in self and others

* Identify and support learning opportunities for colleagues to practice acquired skills and techniques

* To keep up to date with methodologies, standards and tools required to contribute to own managerial, technical and professional growth

Experience Required

* Knowledge and expertise in the use of technical project management tools and methodologies, a minimum 3-4 years of project management experience

* Knowledge of Traditional and Agile project delivery methodologies, with hands-on experience of project management and delivery using both Traditional and Agile (and related) methodologies

* Understanding of how different delivery methods are integrated into the project lifecycle. Planning projects and selecting the appropriate delivery method

* Able to apply recognised project processes, tools and techniques to manage operational and business readiness in support of required business outcomes. Planning, coordinating and supporting operational/ business readiness and deployment activities

* PRINCE2 accredited, or equivalent experience. Experience of working to PRINCE2 framework and possesses (or working towards) Foundation accreditation

* Working within a PMO and leading delivery of a diverse range of projects in terms of size, scale and complexity. Experience of working in a PMO with demonstrable experience of recognised working practices

* Excellent IT/PC skills

Individual Competencies

* Stakeholder engagement and management skills at all levels and able to quickly establish working relationships with project sponsors and project team resources

* Ability to communicate (written and verbal) at all levels with clarity and precision

* Ability to mobilise and motivate teams, setting the direction and approach, resolving conflict, delivering difficult messages with grace and providing clarity where there is ambiguity and limited information available

* Focused and versatile team player that is comfortable under pressure

* Ability to navigate, and operate effectively across, different organisation structures

* Excellent problem-solving and critical-thinking skills

* Facilitation, negotiation and influencing skills

* Sound business and technical acumen

* Ability to evaluate and nurture project management talent in others

Key Business Priorities

Internal

* Leadership Teams - Key stakeholders that will perform project sponsor, business lead and solution lead roles

* Central Services - In particular, teams/ stakeholders as required to support project delivery

* UK PMO - Team meetings, support, resources, knowledge sharing, training, reporting

* All UK Colleagues - As required in the context of project delivery

External

* Strategic Partners and 3rd Party Suppliers - As required for operational and project delivery

Maximus is committed to developing, maintaining and supporting a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the recruitment process. We know that feeling included has a dramatic impact on personal wellbeing and are working to ensure that no job applicant receives less favourable treatment due to any personal characteristic. Advertisements for posts will include sufficiently clear and accurate information to enable potential applicants to assess their own suitability for the post.

We are a Disability Confident Leader, thanks to our commitment to the recruitment, retention and career development of people with disabilities and long term conditions. The Disability Confident scheme includes a guaranteed interview for any applicant with a disability who meets the minimum requirements for a job. When you complete your job application you will find a question asking you if you would like to apply under the Disability Confident Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you feel that you have a disability and apply under this scheme, providing that you meet the essential criteria for the job, you will then be invited for interview. Your Guaranteed Interview application will only be shared with the hiring manager and the local resourcing team. Where reasonable, Maximus will review and consider adjustments for those applicants who express a requirement for them during the recruitment process.