Project Management Office Manager

Location: Mundells, Welwyn Garden City

Salary Range: £53,000 - £57,000 per Annum (DOE)

Salary Grade: M4

Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Reports to: Senior Leadership Team

HCL are leading contract caterers with a focus on school feeding. We have a commitment to deliver high-quality, nutritious, and engaging food experiences for children and staff across our primary schools, secondary schools, and commercial sites. As the Project Management Office Manager at HCL, you will oversee the delivery of our key projects including mass mobilisation projects and other strategic projects as we delight our customers in Hertfordshire and expand our portfolio across London and the South of England.

The Project Management Office (PMO) Manager will ensure that all HCL's projects are delivered consistently, efficiently, profitably, and to a high standard, using best-practice methodologies and strong governance to deliver. The role focuses on driving delivery excellence, managing risk and dependencies, and ensuring that projects are delivered in line with agreed standards, timelines, and commercial objectives. You will act as a critical bridge between project delivery teams and senior stakeholders, providing visibility, challenge, and assurance across the delivery portfolio.

You will have a robust knowledge of change management, project management and implementation, effective use of technology and excellent communication skills. You will embrace new approaches to operating with a focus on ensuring timely completion of change projects which create a positive and inclusive working environment which drives high performance and delights our people and customers.

MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Delivery Oversight & Assurance

• Provide day-to-day oversight of a portfolio of projects to ensure delivery against scope, schedule, budget, and quality targets.

• Proactively identify delivery risks, issues, and dependencies, driving timely mitigation and escalation where required.

• Support delivery leads with planning, forecasting, financial control, and delivery best practice.

• Perform delivery health checks and assurance reviews, ensuring adherence to PMO standards and methodologies.

Financial & Resource Management

• Manage resources and dependencies across multiple, parallel projects.

• Complete consultant contractual paperwork, including NDAs, Supplier Agency Agreements & Schedules.

• Track and manage project financials, including budgets, forecasts, and cost control (in collaboration with finance).

• Monitor resource usage, capacity, and utilisation across the delivery portfolio.

• Support demand planning and prioritisation activities to ensure resources are aligned to business needs.

PMO Governance & Reporting

• Ensure consistent application of PMO governance processes, tools, templates, and reporting standards.

• Produce accurate and insightful reporting for senior stakeholders, highlighting delivery status, risks, and trends.

• Facilitate project, programme, and portfolio governance forums, including reviews and checkpoint meetings.

• Ensure change control processes are effectively applied and documented.

• Support compliance with internal and external standards (ISO, audit requirements, etc.).

Stakeholder Management & Communication

• Act as a trusted point of contact for delivery-related matters with internal and external stakeholders.

• Provide constructive challenge to delivery teams and senior stakeholders to support successful outcomes and to escalate where necessary.

• Support resolution of delivery issues through collaboration, analysis, and clear communication.

• Contribute to stakeholder and client communications on delivery status, risks, and progress.

Continuous Improvement & Change

• Identify operational inefficiencies and drive continuous improvement initiatives.

• Support scaling of services as the organisation grows.

• Automate or streamline delivery workflows where possible.

• Support the implementation of new delivery frameworks, systems, or ways of working.

• Run project reviews and lessons-learned sessions to improve future delivery performance.

• Promote a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement across delivery teams.

• Be the Change Advocate within HCL, promoting the benefits of change and a continual evolution of our services and practices.

• Identify and onboard digital tools for the management and review of project performance.

This list should not be regarded as exhaustive, and the post holder will be expected to deliver other duties relevant and appropriate to this role and department.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience:

• Strong experience of progressive project management

• Proven leadership in mobilisation of new business and driving organisation transformation initiatives

• Demonstrated experience managing complex projects from initiation to completion

• Experience of large scale transformation delivery

• Proven track record of delivering projects in a range of disciplines including people, processes and technology.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, or related field is highly preferred

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent

• Recognised Project Management, PRINCE2, Agile, MSP or Scrum certification beneficial

Skills and Abilities:

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills

• Effective communicator at all levels and active listening

• Excellent people skillsStrong analytical and problem-solving abilities

• Detail-oriented with excellent organisational skills

• Adaptable and resilient when facing changing priorities

• Proactive approach to risk identification and management

• Ability to influence without direct authority

• Skilled negotiator and mediator, caring passionately about senior customer engagement

• Effective at building consensus among diverse stakeholders

• Ability to develop and produce project progress reporting ensuring that it is timely, informative and effective

• Exceptional time management skills with proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously

• Adaptable and resilient when facing changing priorities

• Proactive approach to risk identification and management

• Proficient in MS Office Suite and other project management relevant software tools

Apply Now

If you are intrested in this positon, we'd love to hear from you. Please apply today.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

HCL is committed to openness and equality of opportunity in every activity, from the way we employ staff to the way we deliver services. It is a central responsibility of managers and employees of the company to ensure that every individual that we encounter is treated with dignity and respect.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

It will be the duty of every employee while at work to take reasonable care for the Health and Safety of themselves and of other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.