JOB SUMMARY

Are you ready to lead a high-impact Programme Management Office (PMO), shaping the success of portfolios, programmes and projects while championing best practices and driving meaningful transformation?
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) is an Agency of the Scottish Government. Our principal role is to administer the pensions for employees in the National Health Service, Teachers’, Police and Fire-fighters’ pension schemes in Scotland. The Agency administers these public service pension schemes on behalf of Scottish Ministers to over 640,000 members with annual payments of over £3.7 billion.
You will work as part of our Operational Transformation Team; a passionate and highly motivated group of individuals supporting the successful development and implementation of new SPPA products and processes. You will play a pivotal role in ensuring that the change activity we undertake is planned, managed, co-ordinated and communicated to meet the needs of our clients and staff. In doing so, you will manage one member of staff, ensuring all project requirements and governance activities are successfully delivered.

QUALIFICATIONS

PMO Managers should have or be closely working towards a professional level qualification, such as APM’s PMQ or Axelos’ P3O qualifications. We will support the successful candidate on their development journey.

TECHNICAL / PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:

• Lead Criterion: Benefits Management - Benefits management is the ability to identify, quantify, map and track project benefits to justify investment in the project, and to provide assurance that the benefits identified can be realised - Practitioner.
• Governance - Governance is the ability to clearly define roles, responsibilities and accountabilities and establish controls and approval routes appropriate to each stage of the project to monitor project progress and compliance - Expert.
• Risk & Issue Management - Risk and issue management is the ability to systematically identify and monitor risks and issues, planning how to mitigate / respond to those risks and issues and implementing the responses - Practitioner.
  Practitioner - The position holder knows what needs to be done to deliver programmes/projects and has experience of doing it successfully. They can be expected to work with experts in the field and policy teams to implement and maintain PPM processes, artefacts and able to report and present on the programme/project delivery.
  Expert - The position holder requires to have extensive knowledge and experience of performing in a Project Delivery capacity. By their expertise, they can improve processes and structures to reduce risk or support greater delivery, and could be expected to train and supervise the work of others, building their capability in the process.

EXPERIENCE:

Proven experience of managing and supporting complex projects, defining and maintaining delivery standards, engaging stakeholders at all levels, and leveraging digital tools such as MS Project, JIRA, and ClickUp to support project delivery.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure appropriate governance arrangements are in place and are operating smoothly, with SROs and relevant Groups receiving meaningful and timely reports which support effective decision making and delivery of measurable benefits and improvements.
• Act as a role model for portfolio, programme and project hygiene, providing support to project teams on planning, resource forecasting, change control, milestone management and risk, and issue and dependency identification and management. Ensure standardised documentation is accurate, high quality, relevant and timely.
• Develop a suitable library of tools and processes in areas such as RAID, quality and benefits management and work closely with project teams to embed high standards of portfolio, programme and project management across the SPPA. Provide constructive challenge to ensure delivery of milestones and achievement of outcomes.
• Lead and coordinate portfolio, programme and project assurance activities (e.g. Gateway and audit) and contribute to the management of related frameworks and standards.
• Support the Head of Operational Transformation (jobshare) in preparing timely and meaningful advice to the Chief Transformation Officer and Chief Operating Officer, ensuring emerging issues and risks are escalated as required.
• Build cohesion and resilience within the PMO, supporting the personal development of one team member and ensuring they contribute fully. This role also has line management responsibility attached.