PO & Project Co-Ordinator - 12 month FTC

Project People; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

MBNL is seeking a proactive PO & Project Coordinator to support programme teams across the project lifecycle. You will manage purchase orders, financial tracking, governance and project administration, delivering timely information and accurate reporting to help decisions.

This hybrid role requires strong organisational skills, attention to detail and the ability to build relationships with suppliers and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Excellent customer service and helping others
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy
• Strong analytical capability with large data volumes
• Intermediate Excel skills including Pivot and VLOOKUP
• Experience using ERP/financial management systems such as IFS, SAP or Oracle
• Proactive with the confidence to take ownership and resolve issues
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• Ability to work effectively in a matrix environment with stakeholders
• Resilience and professionalism when facing challenges or escalations
• Continuous improvement mindset and looking for smarter ways of working

Responsibilities

• Provide responsive, professional support to Programme and Project Managers across the project lifecycle
• Handle and raise high volumes of PO requests on a day-to-day basis
• Coordinate and administer the purchase order process, ensuring accuracy and timely processing
• Build strong relationships with project teams, finance colleagues and suppliers
• Monitor, track and report on purchase orders, commitments and project financial information
• Ensure goods receipting activities are completed accurately and on time
• Support invoice queries and payment activities and maintain supplier relationships
• Proactively track forecasts, expenditure and financial performance, highlighting risks and trends
• Help minimise aged GRNI balances through effective monitoring
• Support project governance activities with accurate records and minutes
• Organise steering groups, project meetings and governance forums
• Maintain project trackers, reports and delivery artefacts for decision-making
• Support financial close activities and asset handovers
• Work with teams to enhance reporting and simplify processes
• Maintain and update PMO tools and systems for continuous improvement
• Promote best practice and governance compliance across projects
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort
• Become the PO SME within the assigned Project Group

Skills

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Analytical

Communication

Relationship-building

Matrix working

Continuous improvement

Tools

Excel (Pivot, VLOOKUP)

ERP systems (IFS, SAP, Oracle)

Job description

Keep projects moving. Deliver great service. Make a difference every day.

At MBNL, successful projects rely on great coordination, accurate financial management and responsive support. As a PO & Project Coordinator within the Portfolio Management Group, you'll play a vital role in helping project and programme teams stay organised, informed and focused on delivery.

You'll become a trusted partner to project teams, providing proactive support across purchase orders, financial tracking, governance, reporting and project administration. With a strong customer-focused mindset, you'll take ownership, solve problems and work collaboratively with colleagues, suppliers and stakeholders to ensure things run smoothly.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working with people and data, takes pride in delivering a high-quality service, and is always looking for opportunities to improve processes and ways of working.

Why this role matters;

Great project support is about more than administration. It's about making life easier for project teams, ensuring accurate financial management, and providing timely information that helps people make informed decisions.

This role helps projects stay on track by delivering reliable support, maintaining robust controls, resolving issues quickly and ensuring key processes are completed efficiently. Through strong relationships, attention to detail and a proactive approach, you'll help improve the experience of project teams while contributing to successful project delivery across MBNL.

This is a hybrid role with a minimum of 2 days per week in our Central Reading office.

What you'll be here to do;

• Provide responsive, professional support to Programme and Project Managers across the project lifecycle.
• Handle & raise high volumes of PO requests on a day-to-day basis.
• Coordinate and administer the purchase order process, ensuring accuracy, compliance and timely processing.
• Build strong relationships with project teams, finance colleagues and suppliers to deliver an excellent support service.
• Monitor, track and report on purchase orders, commitments and project financial information.
• Ensure goods receipting activities are completed accurately and on time, resolving issues before they impact delivery.
• Support invoice queries and payment activities, helping maintain positive supplier relationships and service levels.
• Proactively track forecasts, expenditure and financial performance, highlighting risks, trends and opportunities.
• Help minimise aged GRNI balances through effective monitoring and follow-through.
• Support project governance activities, ensuring actions, decisions and deliverables are accurately recorded and progressed.
• Organise steering groups, project meetings and governance forums, including agendas, papers and minutes.
• Maintain project trackers, reports and delivery artefacts to support effective decision-making.
• Support the completion of project financial close activities and asset handovers.
• Work with project teams to enhance reporting, simplify processes and improve the end-to-end PO lifecycle.
• Maintain and update project management tools and systems, supporting continuous improvement across the PMO.
• Promote best practice, governance compliance and consistent ways of working across projects.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce manual effort and enhance the service provided to project stakeholders.
• Become the PO SME within the Project Group you’re assigned to.

Who we're looking for;

• Someone who enjoys helping others and delivering excellent customer service.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.
• Strong analytical capability and confidence working with large volumes of data.
• Intermediate Excel skills, including Pivots and vlookups.
• Experience using ERP or financial management systems such as IFS, SAP or Oracle.
• A proactive, can-do attitude with the confidence to take ownership and resolve issues.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to work effectively within a matrix environment and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
• Strong judgement, resilience and professionalism when dealing with challenges or escalations.
• A continuous improvement mindset, always looking for smarter and more efficient ways of working.

If you also have the following, we'd especially like to hear from you;

• Knowledge of project management methodologies such as PRINCE2 or PMM.
• Experience supporting project, programme or PMO environments.
• Understanding of project accounting, forecasting, budgeting and financial controls.
• Experience improving processes, reporting or governance activities.
• Experience working with project management systems and reporting tools.