Interim HR Project Manager (Higher Education)

Cedar; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading London-based higher education institution is seeking an experienced Interim HR Project Manager. This role offers a hybrid working model, requiring on-site presence two days a week in London. You will oversee a portfolio of HR projects and support transformation initiatives, leveraging your consulting-level delivery and agile project management skills. The ideal candidate will possess strong stakeholder engagement abilities and experience in HR-focused projects.

Qualifications

• Experienced Project or Programme Manager with a track record in HR projects.
• Ability to lead and influence multi-disciplinary project teams.
• Proficiency in measuring project risks and dependencies.

Responsibilities

• Lead HR projects with structured agile delivery.
• Support termly planning cycles and define clear deliverables.
• Coach HR teams in agile practice.

Skills

Consulting-level delivery experience

Agile project management methods

Facilitation and communication skills

Stakeholder engagement

Financial management of project budgets

Education

Degree-level education or equivalent experience

Recognised project management qualification (PMP, APM, Prince2)

Tools

Jira

Job description

Interim HR Project Manager (Higher Education)

Location: London / Hybrid (Hybrid minimum two days per week on site in London)
Rate: £40-£45 per hour (Inside IR35)
Start date: Immediate Start

A leading London-based higher education institution is seeking an experienced Interim HR Project Manager to support the delivery of a wide portfolio of HR transformation initiatives. This is an excellent opportunity for a seasoned project professional with consultancy-level standards to join a complex, high-profile environment and make an immediate impact.

This role requires more than project coordination or IT-only project experience. You will need a comprehensive project delivery tool kit, advanced stakeholder skills, and the ability to drive cultural and behavioural change across a large organisation.

The Opportunity

Working closely with senior HR leaders, you will coordinate and oversee a programme of HR projects, using a structured, agile approach to planning, prioritisation and delivery. You will play a key role in shaping how HR manages its roadmap, facilitates termly planning cycles, and embeds new ways of working.

You will bring people together across multi-disciplinary teams, using your influence and decisiveness to maintain momentum, remove blockers and ensure timely delivery of outcomes. This is a delivery-focused role that requires someone who can hit the ground running.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee a portfolio of HR projects, providing structured agile delivery and regular reporting
• Support termly planning cycles, helping prioritise initiatives and define clear deliverables
• Coach and guide HR teams in agile practice and project delivery disciplines
• Translate complex requirements into user stories and delivery plans
• Facilitate collaboration across product, service and operational teams
• Monitor progress, risks, dependencies, resource gaps and financials
• Ensure readiness for go-live of HR initiatives including testing, training and change support
• Support the development and continuous improvement of HR delivery frameworks and processes

Essential Experience

You will be an experienced Project or Programme Manager with a proven track record of delivering HR or people-focused projects in a complex organisation. You will also bring:

• Consulting-level delivery experience
• Strong background in agile project management methods
• Ability to lead and influence multi-disciplinary project teams
• Excellent facilitation, communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Strong financial management of project budgets and reporting
• Proficiency with project management tools such as Jira
• Degree-level education (or equivalent experience) with a recognised project management qualification (PMP, APM, Prince2 etc.)