Lead Project Manager

UK Health Security Agency; London; Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading organization is seeking a Lead Project Manager to oversee complex projects within the Science Hub Programme. The role involves managing project delivery, stakeholder engagement, and ensuring adherence to quality and budget constraints. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills and experience in project management within specialized facilities.

Benefits

Civil Service Pension

Learning and Development

Flexible Working Options

Inclusive Culture

Qualifications

• Experience developing requirements for new facilities.
• Significant experience managing medium or high complexity projects.
• Expert knowledge in planning and resource management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day running of the project within time, cost, and quality constraints.
• Develop and maintain project plans and set project controls.
• Identify and monitor project risks and issues.

Skills

Leadership

Interpersonal Skills

Communication

Stakeholder Engagement

Risk Management

Education

APM Project Management Qualification

APM Registered Project Professional

Managing Successful Programmes

Job description

Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London–Canary Wharf

Job Summary

As Lead Project Manager you will lead on the day to day running of a project(s) that are typically moderate to high in complexity. These will be UKHSA’s most strategically, impactful and novel undertakings. You will be responsible for overseeing the delivery, ensuring that the objectives are clearly defined and achieved within the agreed time, cost and quality constraints. You will have effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills and will play a key role in project governance, working with stakeholders to ensure the agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefit realisation.

This role will lead the team that will primarily focus on:

• The writing and agreement of Requirements for the Science Hub Campus
• The Science and Laboratory Estate strategy for the Science Hub Campus
• The Target Operating Model for the Science Hub Campus
• Ensuring the programmes supply chain deliver their individual packages of work in accordance with their contracts, adhering to the scope, cost, time and quality.
• Achieving the delivery and close out on each of the RIBA stages.
• Stakeholder engagement with the business
  
  

This role is aligned to the Project Delivery Capability Framework (PDCF) career pathway Project Manager 4.

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Job Description

• Lead the day to day running of the project, taking ownership and accountability for delivering agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints.
• Lead the development and maintenance of project plans and determine appropriate delivery methodology. Setting project controls, managing performance and report progress to sponsors.
• Design the project structureand organisation appropriate to the stage, effectively managing the transition between phases.
• Lead development of the budget and track project spend.
• Identify skills requirements and deploy suitable resources.
• Identify key stakeholders, internal and external, and effectively manage these relationships.
• Identify and monitor project risks and issues, developing mitigating actions and escalating as appropriate.identify and work with related projects to manage interdependencies.
• Support effective governance and decision making.provide project reports, engaging in processes that hold you accountable for delivery.
• Engage with assurance reviews and support recommended action. Co-ordinate project assurance processes and gateway review
  
  

The role sits within the Science Hub Programme. The overall aim of the programme is to deliver new modern Science facilities, creating a hub for the critical scientific capabilities the UK needs to deliver on key health security objectives. The Science Hub programme aims to enhance and replace existing UKHSA infrastructure - most importantly its high-containment laboratories - which are essential for protecting the nation against potentially highly infectious diseases.

• Lead the day to day running of the project, taking ownership and accountability for delivering agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints.
• Lead the development and maintenance of project plans and determine appropriate delivery methodology. Setting project controls, managing performance and report progress to sponsors.
• Design the project structureand organisation appropriate to the stage, effectively managing the transition between phases.
• Lead development of the budget and track project spend.
• Identify skills requirements and deploy suitable resources.
• Identify key stakeholders, internal and external, and effectively manage these relationships.
• Identify and monitor project risks and issues, developing mitigating actions and escalating as appropriate.identify and work with related projects to manage interdependencies.
• Support effective governance and decision making.provide project reports, engaging in processes that hold you accountable for delivery.
• Engage with assurance reviews and support recommended action. Co-ordinate project assurance processes and gateway review
  
  

The role sits within the Science Hub Programme. The overall aim of the programme is to deliver new modern Science facilities, creating a hub for the critical scientific capabilities the UK needs to deliver on key health security objectives. The Science Hub programme aims to enhance and replace existing UKHSA infrastructure - most importantly its high-containment laboratories - which are essential for protecting the nation against potentially highly infectious diseases.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

You will be assessed on the below 8 essential criteria, which have been selected from the Job Description Document.

• Experience of developing requirements, strategies or target operating models for new facilities or ways of working with colleagues in a specialised microbiology labs or other types of medical facilities.
• Experience working with mdcs (multi-disciplinary design consultants) and/or other contractors to develop designs for specialised microbiology labs or other types of medical facilities.
• Significant experience of successfully managing medium or high complexity projects covering scheduling, budgeting and cost management, risk and issue management, governance, assurance and change control.
• Expert knowledge of planning and resource management in a project delivery environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, collaborating across boundaries with the ability to influence and challenge effectively at a senior level.
• Ability to work well under pressure, with multiple tasks, in a fast-changing and ambiguous environment, effecting positive culture change.
• To be an accredited Contract Manager at Contract Management Foundation (Government Commercial Function) or equivalent.
• Has knowledge and experience of Project Management Methodology supported by professional qualifications or equivalent to the below (4) Or equivalent experience in Infrastructure, Construction or Capital delivery: -
• APM Project Management Qualification,
• APM Registered Project Professional.
• Managing Successful Programmes, Desirable Practitioner level
• Project Leadership Programme
  
  

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Alongside your salary of £68,568, UK Health Security Agency contributes £19,864 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
  
  

Selection process details

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Success Profiles

Required

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 8 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1200-word Statement of Suitability.
  
  

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

The Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria
  
  

Please not only Pile 1 will be carried though to shortlist

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on :-

• Experience of developing requirements, strategies or target operating models for new facilities or ways of working with colleagues in a specialised microbiology labs or other types of medical facilities.
• Experience working with mdcs (multi-disciplinary design consultants) and/or other contractors to develop designs for specialised microbiology labs or other types of medical facilities.
  
  

The following Desirable criteria, may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates

Member of any of these organisations :-

• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
• Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
• The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
  
  

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment

Please do not exceed 1200-words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

Stage 2: Interview

Success Profiles

You will be invited to a single remote interview.

Behaviours, experience and ability will be tested at interview.

If invited to interview you may be asked to prepare and present a 5–10-minute presentation. The subject of this will be sent to you prior to interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be: -

• Making Effective Decisions (Lead Behaviour)
• Leadership
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating & Influencing
  
  

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Eligibility Criteria

External

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Location

Any Core HQ

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQ’s. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's core HQ’s (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

International Police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Your application may be rejected and/or you may be subject to disciplinary action if evidence of plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own.

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
  
  

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact

• Name : Chris Williams
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: [e-mail] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk