The Post
The Programme Management Office (PMO) is central to the management and coordination of programmes of work across Information Services and the University. The PMO is governed by a Programme Board and encompasses all programmes and projects underway or being planned. It provides a standardised methodology, templates and approach to managing projects, and enables transparent reporting against progress and objectives, and early intervention where corrective action is required.

The Project Manager role provides project management and leadership to projects of strategic importance, managing multiple projects at any given time. Projects are typically system implementations or enhancements but can cover the full range of IT services and will include non-IT projects such as refurbishments or other improvement/change projects. The Project Manager will lead the development, rollout and ongoing maintenance of project management template documentation and tools, the wider methodology, and other resources including the PMO SharePoint Hub. They will build project management skills and capacity across the Information Services team, in order to ensure that all projects, no matter how small, are managed and governed effectively and consistently by others .

The postholder will be required to be digitally adept and able to lead on the implementation of new technologies in support of the PMO, evaluating solutions and making recommendations for emerging tools in support of project or programme management and governance.

The postholder will be a highly skilled and experienced Project Manager with finely tuned communication skills, able to influence stakeholders at all levels and provide confident and credible project leadership, being clear about progress and accountability.

The team provides a second-line support service in their field of specialism within Information Services, underpinned by ITIL and Customer Service Excellence standards.

Description of Duties

• Effectively lead and project manage assigned projects, through the full project management lifecycle, including project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, closure and evaluation:
  - Ensure the completion and ongoing maintenance of detailed project documentation for each lifecycle stage including for example, the PID, project plan (including critical path analysis), project reports, closure and evaluation documentation
  - Ensure that project issues and risks are captured with appropriate evaluation of those identified, and risk mitigation measures or controls documented
  - Manage project budgets closely to ensure all aspects of actual or planned expenditure are tracked and reported on, providing phased projections
  - Manage the procurement process for specific projects, working in liason with Procurement, suppliers, consultants adn other stakeholders

• Lead the establishment of business requirements through business analysis and acting as a facilitator with the relevant business area using a range of engagement activities or techniques:
  - Engage the business area in requirements gathering using a range of techniques, including for example, requirements workshops, document analysis, interviews, use cases, task/workflow analysis, process mapping, etc
  - Critically evaluate information gathered from multiple sources, reconciling any conflicts encountered. Challenge stakeholders on their assumptions on what may be required and distinguish between perceived/requested and actual user needs

• Engage with and lead the project team and any staffing resource attached to project work packages or other activities, ensuring that progress is made to meet milestones and the successful delivery of project objectives:
  - Manage the various work package activities and associated working groups to ensure they produce the required outputs to the required quality and within defined timescales, to meet project deliverables
  - Manage the activities and outputs of third-party contractors or suppliers to the project

For a full list of description of duties please see the job description attached.