Capability and Project Manager

Ukri - Uk Research And Innovation; Swindon; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Defined benefit pension

30 days annual leave + public holidays

Employee discounts and offers

Employee assistance programme

Flexible working

Wellbeing initiatives

Job summary

UKRI - UK Research and Innovation seeks a capability management lead to drive delivery of project capability, change and continuous improvement across the Project Deliver and Improvements directorate. You will lead talent development programmes and implement career pathways to attract, develop, and retain a skilled workforce.

You will also manage priority projects, ensure governance, engage stakeholders, and apply professional project management standards while embedding capability initiatives

Qualifications

• Experience leading and developing others in professional development or capability programmes.
• Experience engaging with internal and external stakeholders at senior levels.
• Experience delivering medium-scale projects or major workstreams in public sector or research environments and applying standard delivery methods.

Responsibilities

• Lead the PD&I capability and talent development programme, including apprenticeships.
• Develop professional pathways and succession planning activities to grow capability maturity.
• Build strategic relationships with stakeholders, HR and external partners to enable delivery.
• Deliver projects to time, cost, quality and benefits objectives with governance and risk management.
• Promote a culture of professional excellence and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Project management

Capability development

Change management

Governance

People management

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline

Tools

PRINCE2

APM PMQ

AgilePM Foundation

Job description

This role is primarily focused on Capability Management, leading the development and embedding of project delivery, change and continuous improvement capability across the Project Deliver and Improvements directorate. You will play a key role in delivering capability and career development initiatives that support the attraction, development and retention of a skilled and diverse workforce, ensuring PD&I continues to provide a high-quality service to UKRI. This is a fantastic opportunity for a project professional to move into a capability space and broaden their horizons with a new challenge.

Working closely with the Head of Change Capability, Project Profession Centre Lead, HR colleagues and senior stakeholders, you will lead talent development programmes, apprenticeships, career pathways and professional development activities, helping to grow capability maturity and professional excellence across the function. You will also line manage colleagues within talent development programmes, supporting their learning, performance and career progression.

Alongside capability responsibilities, the role will undertake project management activities, leading the delivery of priority projects and improvement initiatives. This will involve providing effective project leadership, stakeholder engagement, governance and delivery management to ensure agreed outcomes and benefits are achieved. This project delivery element provides an opportunity to apply professional project management expertise while maintaining a primary focus on capability development and organisational improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead the PD&I capability and talent development programme. Including managing apprenticeships (10%).
• Develop professional pathways, learning interventions and succession planning activities (20%).
• Build strategic relationships with stakeholders, HR and external partners (15%).
• Deliver projects to agreed time, cost, quality and benefit objectives (30%).
• Manage project governance, risks, resources and change (10%).
• Promote a culture of professional excellence, continuous improvement and high performance (15%).

Personal Specification

• Experience of leading and managing others, motivating coaching and developing skills and capability. Demonstrates ability to act as role model (S&I).
• Experience of successfully engaging with and influencing a range of internal and external stakeholders (S).
• Experience delivering medium scale projects or major workstreams in research or public-sector environments and in line with recognised project delivery standards such as the PDCF of the Civil Service (S&I).
• Project Management Qualification such as Agile PM Foundation, PRINCE2 Foundation, APM PMQ, or equivalent and demonstratable experience of embedding these methods within projects and or programmes (S&I).
• Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline, or equivalent experience in a professional projects' environment (S).
• Ability to build productive relationships and influence decisions (S&I).
• Ability to create and present a compelling vision, set direction and adapt to ambiguity and change (I).
• Ability to recognise, anticipate and effectively deal with conflict (I).

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

As part of the pre-employment checks there is a requirement to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Screening. BPSS is a pre-condition of employment and failure to achieve it may mean that the employment offer is rescinded. UKRI reserves the right to run, or re-run, security clearance as required during the course of employment.

Benefits

• An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme.
• 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent).
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities.
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice.
• Flexible working options.
• Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme.

About UKRI

UKRI - UK Research and Innovation. UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world's most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.