Project Manager

www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk - Jobboard; Reading; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK government department is seeking a Project Manager to lead the Land Model workstreams, ensuring timely delivery and compliance with project standards. The ideal candidate will manage projects using Agile principles and collaborate with various stakeholders, focusing on delivering quality outcomes and facilitating effective governance throughout the project lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing projects within budget and timelines.
• Ability to deliver quality outcomes using Agile methodologies.
• Strong communication skills for stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Land Model workstreams delivering outcomes on time.
• Manage daily project activities and external collaboration.
• Design project structures and coordinate development of the Business Case.

Skills

Agile project management

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Team leadership

Job description

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our food and farming industry, and maintaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in daily life, from the food we eat to the air we breathe and the water we drink. The Geospatial (Land) Programme seeks an experienced project manager to lead the delivery of Defra’s Land Model Workstreams.

The purpose of the Geospatial (Land) Programme is to support Defra’s outcomes, improve efficiencies, and reduce data debt across the Defra group, ensuring policy and delivery teams use consistent data to inform decisions, thereby reducing conflicting policy impacts. The successful candidate will:

• Deliver an authoritative land use and boundary map for England (common land base map) from Defra’s insights, supporting real-time land use change monitoring.
• Provide a common land map to facilitate collaboration among government departments, local authorities, and land managers, supporting land use frameworks and planning reforms.
• Supply accurate data exploitable by innovative technologies such as drone surveillance and AI.
• Streamline grant processes by providing improved land use data for spatial targeting of subsidies, grants, and incentives, reducing fraud and errors.
• Integrate existing foundational land datasets from ALBs and third parties into a single data repository (Defra Land Model) to prevent duplication, maximize licensing investments, and support data sharing across the Defra group.
• Develop and implement a common geospatial data standard framework in collaboration with DDTS, CDO, and the Geospatial Commission for data sharing within and outside Defra.
• Establish a Centre of Excellence to equip teams with skills to exploit the land model and geospatial capabilities, collaborating with the Government Geography Profession.

As a Project Manager with DEFRA, your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the Land Model workstreams to deliver outcomes on time, within budget, and to quality standards, following an Agile approach.
• Managing the project and team daily, ensuring compliance with Defra’s project controls and acting as the liaison between the Programme team and external delivery teams.
• Designing and refining the project structure appropriate to each stage.
• Planning and coordinating the development of the Business Case, ensuring assurance routes and resource commitments are in place.
• Ensuring delivery of quality outcomes against milestones.
• Collaborating with Commercial leads to develop supplier tenders.
• Managing resources to meet key milestones.
• Identifying, measuring, tracking, and owning benefits, with a Benefits Realisation Strategy in place.
• Developing effective stakeholder relationships and supporting communication plans.
• Ensuring robust governance and project assurance.
• Managing Business Change throughout the project lifecycle, engaging Change management specialists as needed.

Project Performance & Controls:

• Developing project/programme plans and applying project management principles.
• Establishing and tracking project controls, reporting against milestones.
• Leading risk, issue, assumption, and dependency management, with escalation and mitigation strategies.
• Forecasting and monitoring delivery within budget on a monthly basis.
• Implementing effective Change Management processes.
• Travel to Crewe may be required for stakeholder meetings.