Head of Development Projects

Historic Royal Palaces; Greater London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading heritage conservation charity in Greater London seeks a Project Manager to oversee capital development projects at historic sites. The role requires extensive experience in managing multiple projects, financial oversight, and stakeholder engagement. You will enhance public understanding and facilitate the delivery of projects, ensuring they meet both conservation standards and budgetary requirements. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of iconic heritage sites and ensure their preservation for future generations.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience overseeing multiple capital projects in listed estates.
• Proven ability to manage substantial budgets and mitigate project risks.
• Exceptional skills in stakeholder engagement and communication.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of capital projects that enhance historic sites.
• Ensure projects adhere to budget and timeline constraints.
• Promote public understanding of our heritage through outreach.

Skills

Capital project leadership

Financial management

Stakeholder engagement

Team management

Heritage conservation expertise

Job description

We are an independent charity that loves and looks after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. The palaces are the setting for stories that shape us all, and we're bringing these stories to people in ways that mean more to them. We want everyone to find themselves in the spaces and stories we share.

This is an exciting new role in which you'll head up a client-side team with responsibility for overseeing the design, planning, management and execution of the major development projects at the palaces. Your leadership will ensure that all projects are delivered to the highest standards of creativity, agreed time and budget, adhere to relevant building and conservation standards, and comply with necessary H&S and procurement regulations. You will take projects and make them better, much better. Our new strategy to become a charity for everyone is now driving our plans and investment will ramp up considerably in the coming years, so visionary leadership, excellent programme and financial management skills will be key to success. We have exciting projects already underway and more in the pipeline. From turning the moat at the Tower of London over to nature, restoring the largest Rubens ceiling in the world, to the development of new retail, catering and exhibition spaces across our estates, there is a lot to get excited about in this role and it will be a fantastic opportunity to shape the way we plan and deliver appropriate solutions.

Your impact

• Take initial ideas and make them better, exploring the possibilities with colleagues and stakeholders to increase the ambition where appropriate and the charitable benefit from each project.
• Drive strategic heritage outcomes by working with the project sponsor and project teams design to lead the successful delivery of a portfolio of capital projects that protect and enhance our historic sites, on time and within budget.
• Ensure stakeholder confidence through effective engagement with project sponsor, project teams and third parties in terms of progress and risks.
• Ensure robust financial and risk management, forecasting effectively, keeping projects on time and within budget, and adhering to procurement procedures and legislation.
• Champion best practices, ensuring all work complies with heritage, building and H&S legislation and upholds the highest standards of preservation.
• Promote public understanding and appreciation of heritage through transparent communication, outreach, and community involvement.

What we're looking for

• Extensive capital project leadership with strong resource management and programming skills and demonstrable experience of overseeing the delivery of multiple projects at any one time within listed estates.
• Proven financial and risk management skills, with the ability to manage substantial budgets, forecast costs, and mitigate project risks effectively in response to evolving demands.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and communication abilities, adept at influencing, negotiating, and securing support.
• Strategic leadership and team management, capable of aligning project goals with organisational vision and motivating multi-disciplinary teams to deliver high performance.
• Demonstrable experience of procurement processes and compliance to secure contracts, services and materials worth over a million pounds in line with legislation.
• Strong heritage conservation expertise, including knowledge of legislation and managing risks specific to historic or listed buildings along with a genuine passion for heritage conservation.

Our Strategy

Today, relatively few people benefit from the wonderful palaces we look after and so we will make them a living resource for everyone, and we mean absolutely everyone. We want to be a source of joy, inspiration, surprise and debate, a space to stir and be stirred, onsite, offsite and online.

At HRP, we do more than protect the past - we bring history to life for millions of visitors. You will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of some of the world's most iconic heritage sites and preserve cultural landmarks for future generations.

To find out more, please click on Apply now.

If, after you have read the person specification, you would like a confidential discussion please contact our recruitment advisers at GatenbySanderson.

Oliver Startup

Rebekah Herz-Bauman, Partner

Closing date: Wednesday 3rd December