Project Management Lead - IT Services - 104596 - Grade 9

at  University of Birmingham

POSITION DETAILS

IT Services
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £56,021 to £64,914 with potential progression once in post to £84,644
Grade: 9
Full Time, Permanent
Closing date: 24th October 2024

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE

• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent level qualifications), or extensive experience of working in a complex organisation plus substantial relevant managerial experience.
• Professional project management qualification.
• Ability to exercise a substantial degree of independent professional responsibility and discretion.
• Substantial experience of leading and managing project staff, possibly through intermediate managers, and acting as the expert authority in the area.
• Excellent literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write for different audiences and for different purposes, and to produce and analyse complex source material, information and data.
• Substantial experience of managing multiple large projects preferably within a Higher Education environment.
• In-depth knowledge of a wide range of project management tools including PRINCE2, APM, MSP.
• Excellent knowledge of ITIL
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills.
• Proven experience of solving complex problems.
• Operational planning, management and business process skills.
• Experience of using substantial expertise to influence a range of stakeholders and senior management.
• Ability to develop and implement an organisational strategy.
• Proven record of developing innovative and practical solutions to deliver a strategy.
• Experience of resource and financial management.
• Excellent general IT skills, with a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Actively promotes equality and diversity to internal and external stakeholders.
• Able to use data to identify equality and diversity issues.
• Experience of developing interventions to address equality and diversity issues.
• Substantial organisational and multi-tasking skills with a methodical approach to work and the ability to prioritise workloads in order to meet deadlines.
• Substantial experience of Service Delivery and transitioning systems into production ready state.

CORE COMPETENCIES/TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

Working at this level you will be able to develop and successfully demonstrate the core competencies/transferable skills outlined in each of the areas shown below. You will be expected to take ownership for getting things done, including calling on others to join you in collaborative working groups as necessary. You will need to be flexible in supporting your department and wider University.
Informal enquiries to Dominyk Maggs, email: d.maggs@bham.ac.uk
View our staff values and behaviours here
We believe there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy . You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website

ROLE SUMMARY

Providing comprehensive professional advice and cascading expertise on the management of projects and programmes to senior managers and colleagues across IT Services, Professional Services and Colleges within our University, to enable the successful delivery of activity aligned to our strategic objectives. Take a leading and strategic role in the ongoing development, continuous improvement and delivery of project management lifecycles and delivery success.
You will lead large/complex/multiple University-wide projects, which are of strategic importance, leading the resource/team required to deliver the projects, and being accountable for delivery and for the success of the projects. You will be expected to exercise a substantial degree of independent professional responsibility and discretion, requiring innovation and creativity to succeed.
Coordinating and managing project initiatives and resources across IT Services, developing a high level view across all current and up-coming work, dependencies, resourcing requirements and impacts.
Ensuring the Project Management team adhere to project policies and procedures, production of reports for senior management and governance committees. Assist Demand managers with suitable resource allocation knowledge and information and engage in recruitment when appropriate.
You will be able to work without direct supervision and exercise a high level of discretion and self-motivation, working simultaneously on multiple tasks whilst maintaining a clear focus on the key issues that need to be addressed. You will act as a conduit between the Portfolio & Project Delivery Assurance and stakeholders within IT Services and the wider University, your approach will be collaborative and founded on real enthusiasm with the innovative endeavours of IT Services and the wider University.
Line management including providing guidance, advice, coordination and prioritisation of the teams day-to-day activities.

MAIN DUTIES

• Working with senior members of the ITLT/College/Professional Service to identify and shape the strategic direction, operational plans, and key deliverables for a portfolio of major/complex strategic projects each of which is likely to be medium to long term. This will require you to use your expert judgement to make key decisions or to predict future impact of projects and influence future projects.
• Leading the development and delivery of projects and programmes, management methods and lifecycles for IT Services working in collaboration with Head of Portfolio Delivery Assurance to continuously develop strategies, documentation and frameworks.
• Maintain PMO documentation repository, ensuring all deliverables are auditable.
• Research external sources to inform the project choices, resources, funding sources and best practice, using your substantial expertise to influence the direction of the project(s).
• Develop internal and external networks with key and senior stakeholders, partners and the wider community.
• Horizon-scan to identify, propose and develop projects that will influence and contribute to the University’s strategic direction.
• Working with colleagues across the University to identify requirements, scope projects, interpret needs to understand objectives and deliverables of projects and programmes.
• Working with Portfolio and Demand Manager to ensure timely and accurate forecasting and allocation of resources for current and upcoming projects.
• Provide guidance and continual improvement on project management policies and processes, best practices and ways of working.
• Actively manage the day-to-day operational and tactical aspects of multiple large-scale projects to mitigate and minimise risk.
• Produce and ensure production of high quality written reports and analysis and present to a range of audiences including the University senior governance groups, when required.
• Ensuring the delivery of projects are completed on time, to budget and to the standard scoped out and agreed.
• Ensure priorities are determined, agreed and communicated.
• Ensure projects align with business goals, strategies and roadmaps.
• Engage with key stakeholders during the project (which could include University Executive Board members, project boards, College Boards, senior professional services leaders, colleagues across the University and external organisations.
• Promote and communicate the project(s) and their importance to appropriate audiences.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, codes of practice and University policies and procedures.
• Responsible for the development evaluation methodology to gauge the success of projects, using your expertise to influence future actions/projects.
• Motivate and manage large and diverse project teams, acting as the expert authority for the team to refer to.
• Chair project board meetings, providing project expertise, influencing and facilitating different opinions to reach consensus.
• Accountable for managing resources and budget(s) allocated to the projects; responsible for ensuring project delivery on budget, and for identifying any issues/trends and taking independent action to implement appropriate solutions.
• Facilitate the definition of project objectives, terms of reference and deliverables.
• Quality assurance to ensure consistent level of project management techniques, methods and outcomes.
• Input into strategic vision and direction for Project Management functions.
• Manage diverse groups of staff ensuring relevant targets and goals are achieved within resource constraints.
• Create a motivating environment where staff are challenged, developed, encouraged and supported to achieve outstanding results.
• Responsible for ensuring all annual review processes, including Performance and Development Reviews are conducted in the service area.
• Identify appropriate opportunities for development and change and encourage other team members to do the same.
• Guide staff through periods of change, communicating a clear and positive vision.
• Line Management responsibility providing guidance, advice, coordination, prioritisation of their day-to-day activities and performance management.
• Working closely with Project delivery to ensure successful delivery of projects in accordance with scope, budget, timescales, resourcing and goals.
• Assist Head of Portfolio Delivery Assurance to create and lead ITS project management and delivery to become a Centre of Excellence in UoB.
• Develops and implements a culture (including policies and procedures) that promotes Equality and values diversity and inclusion.
• Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

ROLE CONTEXT

Roles at this level will be senior professionals with high-level expertise, exercising within their particular functional area/section a substantial degree of independent professional responsibility and discretion, including the development and implementation of policies and processes. You will either lead a functional area or be a senior individual expert professional. You may have a deputising role for the most senior manager of the area. You are expected to resolve problems where there is a lack of precedent, requiring innovation and creativity to develop appropriate options. You will be responsible for setting quality and professional standards and managing service delivery against this or for providing professional expertise. Your work is likely to have a medium to long term horizon and you will typically work with a variety of people from several teams. You will also be able to make a major contribution to the longer-term strategic planning for your area, in line with the wider University strategy.