Project Manager

Milton Keynes City Council; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday entitlement

Pension scheme

Family friendly policies

Employee benefits programme

Salary sacrifice car scheme

Blue Light Card

Job summary

Milton Keynes City Council is seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead and deliver complex reforms in Children's Services. You will drive strategic, time-limited programmes such as SEND improvement and Best Start in Life, coordinating with sponsors, boards and partners to ensure objectives are met and benefits realised.

Site-based role with potential hybrid elements, depending on service needs. You will develop robust project plans, governance, and risk management while controlling budgets

Qualifications

• Recognised project management qualifications such as Prince2 Foundation or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage multiple projects from initiation to delivery, ensuring clear plans, timelines and successful outcomes.
• Work closely with project sponsors, boards and stakeholders to provide updates, advice and recommendations.
• Develop and maintain project plans, documentation and governance processes to ensure quality and compliance.
• Define delivery approaches, manage resources and implement change and communication plans.
• Identify, assess and manage risks, issues and dependencies, ensuring appropriate mitigation is in place.
• Manage budgets, suppliers and project teams while building strong relationships with internal and external partners.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Budget management

Risk management

Education

Degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Job Introduction

Join our growing Project Management team in Children's Services at Milton Keynes City Council and help shape the future of services for children, young people and families.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead complex and high‑profile projects that make a real difference to people's lives. You'll work with colleagues, partners and stakeholders across the organisation to plan and deliver transformational change, ensuring projects are well managed, achieve their objectives and create lasting benefits for our communities. You'll be trusted to take projects from concept through to delivery, managing priorities, risks, resources and budgets while helping teams navigate change successfully.

Our Project Managers play a vital role in delivering some of the most significant programmes across Children's Services. You'll lead strategic, time‑limited projects that support service improvement and organisational change, including major social care and education reforms such as SEND improvement, Best Start in Life, the Child‑Led Families First agenda, and school organisation projects involving new, expanded or reconfigured educational provision. Through your expertise, you'll help ensure these programmes deliver positive outcomes for children, families and communities across Milton Keynes.

Site-Based role

This is a Site-Based role, and you'll be expected to work from the designated workplace.

Interviews for this role will be held on 6th and 7th October 2026.

We're building a team that's focused on making a real difference across our local area. Working with partners, services and communities, you'll help bring people together, drive collaboration and support improvements that have a lasting impact.

In this role, you'll play an important part in delivering key priorities, helping shape better experiences and outcomes while ensuring our work stays aligned with both local needs and national expectations. It's a chance to be part of meaningful, system‑wide change where your contribution really matters.

Main Responsibility

• Lead and manage multiple projects from initiation to delivery, ensuring clear plans, timelines and successful outcomes.
• Work closely with project sponsors, boards and stakeholders to provide updates, advice and recommendations.
• Develop and maintain project plans, documentation and governance processes to ensure quality and compliance.
• Define delivery approaches, manage resources and implement change and communication plans.
• Identify, assess and manage risks, issues and dependencies, ensuring appropriate mitigation is in place.
• Manage budgets, suppliers and project teams while building strong relationships with internal and external partners.

The Ideal Candidate

• A recognised project management qualification such as Prince two Foundation or equivalent, supported by strong technical knowledge.
• Educated to degree level or demonstrating equivalent experience within a relevant field.
• Proven experience managing and delivering multiple complex projects from planning through to successful outcomes.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to work through complex challenges and deliver results.
• Effective communication skills, including presenting complex information clearly and working collaboratively with others.
• Confidence managing competing priorities, budgets and deadlines while maintaining quality and accuracy.

Package Description

In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension - everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support.
• Access to an award‑winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low‑cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme - eligible employees can lease an electric or low‑emission vehicle at a reduced cost through salary sacrifice, subject to National Minimum Wage and other eligibility requirements.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Why join us? Along with more on our Benefits, discover why Working at the City Council could be the right move for you here Working at the Council | Milton Keynes

Roles are either 'site based' or 'home based'.

Site based roles are mainly based at the workplace, with the option to work from home for up to two days a week, depending on service needs.

Home based roles are mainly based at home, with the expectation of attending the workplace up to one day a week.

The working arrangement for each role is set by the manager, based on service requirements.

About The Organisation

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round‑the‑clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference.

We're very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it's time for a new role.

If you'd like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council, see attached.