Project Manager

-; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 44,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Reading seeks a Project Manager to oversee initiatives aligned with strategic goals. You will lead projects enhancing efficiency and student experience, working closely with the Strategy & Planning Office. This fixed-term position offers a competitive salary, hybrid working arrangement, and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

26 days paid holiday

Pension and life assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience leading cross-departmental projects.
• Background in Higher Education or Not-for-Profit sectors.
• Proven record in managing projects with digital components.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of assigned projects.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans.
• Identify and manage project risks and issues.

Skills

Strong organisational and prioritisation skills

Ability to influence and engage stakeholders

Problem-solving and decision-making abilities

Understanding of project management frameworks

Knowledge of risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience

Certification in project management methodology

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Job Description

Employment status and working hours

Fixed term for up to 24 months, full time.

Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00.

Organisation structure

Chief Operating Officer, Strategy and Planning Office.

Your line manager will be Hannah Al-Katib, Director of Strategy and Planning.

Place of work flexibility

Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home* . The exact split of days/hours is negotiable with a preference for one to two days per week to support collaboration and team integration. Flexibility can be discussed based on individual circumstances but must include a minimum of two to three working days each month in Horizons only on the core days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). *Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable.

High level summary of job role

We are seeking a Project Manager to lead a portfolio of initiatives aligned with the University's strategic priorities and operational improvements. Working closely with the Director of Strategy & Planning and stakeholders across the University, you will define, plan, and deliver projects that drive efficiency, enhance the student experience, and support institutional growth.

This two-year fixed-term role offers a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact, with a particular focus on programmes related to our Digital Campus and apprenticeships. In some areas, such as apprenticeships, this may involve coordinating a cluster of related projects in a programme-style approach, helping to shape how we manage such initiatives as our project maturity develops.

Joining us at a pivotal moment, you'll contribute to the Strategy & Planning Office's evolution into a high-performing enterprise Project Management Office (PMO), helping shape its capability for organisational transformation and supporting the wider ambitions of the University.

Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities

Project Delivery

• End-to-end delivery: Lead the end-to-end delivery of assigned projects, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and to agreed quality standards, in line with the University's project management framework.
• Transformational initiatives: Lead cross-departmental projects with multiple stakeholders that contribute directly to organisational transformation and the University's strategic priorities.
• Technology-enabled change: Manage projects that involve significant digital or technological components, ensuring effective collaboration with technical experts while focusing on outcomes, adoption, and benefits for staff and students.

Business case and benefits

• Business case development: Contribute to clear, evidence-based business cases, articulating benefits, costs, and risks.
• Benefits tracking: Track and evaluate project outcomes to demonstrate alignment with the University's strategic objectives.

Planning and resource management

• Project planning: Develop and maintain detailed project plans, identifying critical paths, dependencies, and resource requirements.
• Budget and suppliers: Manage project budgets and supplier relationships, escalating significant variances where appropriate.

Stakeholder engagement

• Relationships: Build and maintain strong working relationships with project sponsors, stakeholders, and delivery teams.
• Communication: Facilitate effective communication across departments to ensure alignment and collaboration.

Governance and reporting

• Governance structures: Ensure appropriate governance structures are in place for each project.
• Reporting: Provide regular progress updates, risk assessments, and recommendations to the Director of Strategy & Planning, and other senior stakeholders.

Risk and issue management

• Proactive management: Identify, assess, and manage project risks and issues, working collaboratively to resolve challenges and maintain momentum.

Process improvement

• Framework maturity: Actively contribute to the continuous improvement of the University's project management framework.
• Capability building: Share best practice and support colleagues in developing project management capability.

Other responsibilities

• Guidance and mentoring: Provide mentoring and advice on best practice project management.
• Representation: Represent the Strategy & Planning Office in cross-institutional initiatives.
• Professional development: Proactively develop your own skills and knowledge to support the University's evolving project delivery needs.

Other important features of the job role

• Line management responsibilities: None.
• Budget responsibility: Yes, for project budgets.
• In this role you will liaise with the following: all University departments and teams.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

How the person requirement will be assessed:

• A = Application
• I = Interview
• T = Test or other assessment

Please be aware that as part of onboarding processes, we will seek original documentary evidence of the relevant academic and/or professional qualifications which you include within your job application. This is all part of our comprehensive pre-employment screening which also includes checking your identity, right to work, criminal record history (basic disclosure), and three years employment history.

Qualifications and training

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience (E, A).
• Certification in a recognised project management methodology (e.g., APM, PRINCE2, PMP) (E, A).
• Additional certifications such as Agile Practitioner, Lean Six Sigma, or change management (D, A).

Previous experience

• Leading end-to-end delivery of cross-departmental projects with multiple stakeholders (E, A, I).
• Delivering projects that support organisational change and transformation (E, A, I).
• Developing business cases and tracking delivery of measurable benefits (E, A, I).
• Managing projects with significant digital/technology components (e.g., systems, platforms, or digital services), working effectively with technical specialists (E, A, I).
• A background in Higher Education or Not-for-Profit sectors (D, A, I).
• Contributing to the development or improvement of project management processes (D, A, I).
• Providing guidance or informal mentoring in project management (D, A, I).

Skills, knowledge, and aptitudes

• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills to manage multiple projects simultaneously (E, A, I).
• Ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels, demonstrating emotional intelligence and strong communication skills (E, A, I).
• Problem-solving and decision-making abilities, with a proactive and solutions-focused approach (E, A, I).
• Adaptability and resilience; able to work on varying projects and handle challenges in a fast-paced environment (E, A, I).
• Understanding of project management frameworks and methodologies (e.g., PRINCE2, Agile) (E, A, I).
• Knowledge of risk management, governance, and reporting processes (E, A, I).
• Financial awareness for managing budgets and demonstrating project value (E, A, I).
• Digital skills confidence: We use MS Office which includes Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and several other systems/technology (E, I, T).
• Awareness of sector trends and regulatory considerations in Higher Education (D, A, I).

Other requirements or special requirements

• Alignment to the University's core values of Passion, Integrity, Excellence and Support; all employees are expected to demonstrate our values at work (E, I).
• Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students; we want our students to be successful (E, I).
• You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed including Data Protection, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, Prevent, and EDI (E, I).

PAY AND BENEFITS

Salary: Salary range £44,000 to £46,000 per annum.

Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days (typically between Christmas and New Year); all per holiday year Full Time Equivalent. Our holiday year runs from 1 August to 31 July. We also have a holiday buy and sell scheme in place. Sometimes the University does not need to close for five days per year and any balance (for example one day), can be used as a paid Wellbeing Day to take time out for your own physical or mental health.

Pension and life assurance: Pensions auto-enrolment to the People's Pension which is a default salary sacrifice scheme. You may opt out of salary sacrifice but remain in the scheme, or you may choose to opt out altogether. We provide life assurance (death in service) cover as standard to all employees.

Family-friendly policies: Policies in place for all types of family-friendly statutory leave with enhanced pay available from day one of employment for some leave types. Access to Tax-Free Childcare (Government scheme).

Wellbeing: Full access to the Employee Assistance Programme as well as the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app. Several employees are trained Mental Health First Aiders and can support staff. We have a wellbeing policy and we focus on five pillars of wellbeing.

Sustainable travel: Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.

Parking: We have locked sheds for bicycles. For cars, for Horizons based roles, we may in the future be able to offer parking on site however you must not assume this will be possible. Every now and then we may have a spare parking space become available and you can ask to join the waiting list. The University is keen wherever possible, to encourage staff to commute as sustainably as possible.

Other health related benefits: Employer-funded Health Cash Plan (Simplyhealth) and voluntary dental insurance (Unum).

Other valuable benefits:

• Charity giving options available including one voluntary paid day, per annum.
• You will have access to Microsoft Office 365 applications for personal use.
• You will have access to range of lifestyle discounts and everyday savings.
• We offer learning platforms including LinkedIn learning.

On the Join the team page of our website, you will find the full list of employee benefits.

APPLICATIONS - THINGS TO CONSIDER

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Stuart Gibson on 0118 467 2024 or email [e-mail]. For any other enquiries please contact HR on 0118 467 2454 / 2433 or email [e-mail].

Did one of our employees recommend you? If you apply on the recommendation of an existing employee, please make sure to mention their name within your application.

We're passionate about sustainability and we have a five-year strategic plan: We expect job seekers to be curious about who we are and what we do. We point you towards a couple of resources about who we are and sustainability.

Closing date and next steps

We will receive applications until the advert closes on Monday 17 November 2025 at 17:00. We will not consider late applications. Our ATS does not screen applications, we humans do. Applications may be reviewed prior to the closing date and occasionally, you may be invited to interview ahead of the closing date.

Interview details

Initial interviews are scheduled for Monday 24, Tuesday 25, and Wednesday 26 November 2025. We'll ask you to tell us about any dates you cannot make, up to 4 weeks from the closing date; this helps us to plan interviews should you be shortlisted, prior to contacting you.

Interviews are normally carried out over Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Depending on the job role and place of work, your interview may be at our Reading or London office. Please be prepared for a two-stage interview process, held on different dates. As part of the interview process, you will likely meet a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Note for internal candidates

If you are an existing employee, we request you inform your current line manager of your intention to apply for this role.

As this is a fixed term role, if you were (in the future) to be offered and accept this role, it would mean relinquishing your contractual permanent employment status with the University. Following the expiry of the fixed term period, your employment with the University would cease, unless an alternative role is secured. If instead you would like to apply for this role on the basis of it being a secondment (i.e. not relinquishing your permanent status), please discuss this with your current line manager. Only your line manager can consider and agree to a secondment because this impacts the resourcing in your current team. Please contact HR if you or your line manager need to discuss this further.

Department COO - Strategy and Planning Locations Horizons, Reading, UK Remote status Hybrid Yearly salary £44,000 - £46,000