Corporate Delivery Project Manager

South Oxfordshire District Council; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 51,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading local council is seeking an experienced Project Manager to oversee and deliver key projects, ensuring compliance and meeting business objectives. The role offers a competitive salary, flexible and hybrid working arrangements, and a range of benefits including annual leave increasing with service and various health schemes.

Benefits

25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after five years

Flexible working and annualised hours

Career average pension scheme with life insurance

Cyclescheme for bike purchase

Health schemes (reduced gym membership, free eye tests)

Two volunteer days per year

Monthly wellbeing hour

Qualifications

• Proven experience in securing external funding and writing engaging bids.
• Evidenced strong communication skills and political awareness.
• Relevant professional qualification or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of projects and ensure effective handover to business-as-usual operations.
• Manage experts and resources to support project delivery.
• Advise managers on implementation and facilitate change processes.

Skills

Written communication skills

Oral communication skills

IT skills

Political awareness

Securing external funding

Education

Relevant professional qualification

Tools

Excel

Word

Project

Job description

Salary and grade: Grade 7 - 51,005 up to £56,821 per yearDuration of role: PermanentHours per week: 37Location: The designated office base is Abbey House, Abingdon. The councils operate in a truly flexible, and hybrid way where the focus is on outcomes not where you workClosing Date: 21 July 2025 (midnight)Interviews: 30-31 July and 1 August 2025About the role and what we're looking forManages the delivery of projects from inception through early-life support to handover into business-as-usual operation; utilising a variety of approaches to deliver both simple projects and large, complex and high value projects. To set principles, policies and standards for the governance of projects, assuring the agreed timescales, budgets and outcomes leading to business value are achieved.Main duties and responsibilitiesStrategy and Project prioritisation

• Lead key projects and reviews in areas of development and drive implementation of new policy, procedures, and standards to ensure effective improvement and compliance within services undergoing transformation.
• Manage experts in relevant fields to support the delivery of business projects; using appropriate channels to second temporary resources, recruit fixed term or permanent staff, hire agency contractors, and secure resources from third parties.
• Ensure the full and effective handover of projects so that service areas understand their ongoing 'business-as-usual' obligations and sign-off on all work
• Advise and direct managers and staff on the implementation of new systems and ways of working, facilitating management and staff through the change process.
• Assist business units with achieving transformation and efficiencies within services to optimise service delivery.
• Facilitate and negotiate business case buy-in from Heads of Service, change managers and other key stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation and change.
• Support and encourage the team to be creative, flexible and committed to providing solutions to the needs of the business and to relate to their customers in a clear, friendly and prompt manner
• Responsible for maintaining a range of internal and external contacts and relationships and providing support to internal and external stakeholders.
• Negotiate appropriate performance standards for monitoring the progress of projects and reporting these to relevant programme forums.
• Ensure teams meet agreed delivery timescales, implementing effective monitoring processes and taking corrective action, and maintaining communication with all relevant stakeholders
• Ensure effective communications and knowledge-sharing with colleagues and users to improve satisfaction and reduce avoidable contactGeneral
• Promoting a positive image of both councils
• Leading by example in modelling the conduct, behaviour and values expected of the councils' employees
• Taking initiative for solving issues and problems
• To cover the duties of the service manager, if required i.e. when the service manager is unavailable through sickness, annual leave or has conflicting appointments
• Representing either council equally and without bias to all outside bodiesAbout youYour essential skills, knowledge and experience
• proven successful experience securing external funding and writing successful, engaging bids, preferably in the public sector.
• Evidenced written and oral communication skills, ensuring clarity of messages, ideas and facts
• excellent IT skills, proficient in Excel, Word and Project
• political awareness and experience of communicating complex information in a concise and engaging wayYour essential qualifications
• a relevant professional qualification or equivalent demonstrable vocational experienceThe benefits we offer
• A basic 25 days annual leave per annum, rising to 30 days after five years. You also have all the bank holidays to look forward to and time off between Christmas and New Year.
• Flexible working and annualised hours -- a flexible approach to work that our employees love!
• Salary pay awards -- most jobs give scope for a pay increase after six months or the following April (depending on your start date) and we also review salaries each April.
• A generous career average pension scheme which includes life insurance of three times your salary
• The opportunity to purchase a bike through Cyclescheme (cheaper than directly through a store) so that you can cycle to work!
• Various schemes to keep you healthy (reduced gym membership, free swims, free eye tests for DSE users and more)
• We give you two days per year to volunteer within the local community.
• A range of resources, support, and activities to help you maintain your wellbeing including a monthly wellbeing hour in addition to annualised hours (the ability to work flexibly as long as, over the course of the year, you complete your contracted hours) and annual leave.You may have experience in the following: Programme Manager, Senior Project Manager, Delivery Manager, Business Transformation Manager, Change Manager, Strategic Project Manager, Portfolio Manager, Operations Manager, Business Development Manager, etc.REF-222 354