Project Manager Planning, RAID, & Interdependency Manager

Mars; Slough; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global food company is seeking an experienced professional to support its Digital Core program by managing risks and planning interdependencies. This role involves defining risk management strategies, facilitating collaboration among stakeholders, and ensuring alignment with strategic objectives. The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's degree, at least 5 years of relevant experience, and a strong capability in risk and issue management. The position is based in Slough, England, offering an opportunity to drive enterprise-wide value.

Qualifications

• 5 years of experience in program or project risk, issue, and planning management.
• Proven ability to lead risk reviews and develop frameworks.
• Strong experience in generating risk and issue reports for leadership.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive adoption of proactive risk management.
• Ensure consistent risk assessments with appropriate strategies.
• Facilitate risk and issue escalation and coordinate resolution.

Skills

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Project planning

Influencing skills

Education

Bachelors Degree or equivalent

Risk management and project management certification

Tools

SAP S / 4 HANA

Project management frameworks

Job description

Job Description

Mars is undergoing a transformation journey to modernize its business processes and enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs). This involves replacing the previous generation ERPs with an enterprise-wide Digital Core and a modernized cloud-based ERP (SAP S / 4 HANA) tailored for Mars manufacturing businesses. Our Digital Core (DC) program will unlock segment and corporate strategic priorities drive efficiency and create enterprise-wide value.

This role supports the DC program by leading proactive risk and issue management alongside project planning and interdependencies oversight. It ensures risks and issues are identified assessed and mitigated while maintaining accurate integrated program schedules and facilitating cross-functional collaboration to drive seamless delivery and alignment with strategic objectives.

What are we looking for

• Bachelors Degree or equivalent.
• Risk management and project management certification (e.g. PMI-RMP CRISC Project / Program Management) preferred.
• Experience with enterprise risk management and project planning frameworks and tools.
• 5 years of experience in program or project risk issue and planning management.
• Proven ability to lead risk reviews and develop risk management frameworks.
• Strong experience in generating risk and issue reports for senior leadership.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to influence and drive risk awareness across diverse teams.
• Strong storytelling acumen to enable relationship and influence.
• Familiarity with SAP S / 4 Hana or similar enterprise transformation programs
• Source to Pay acumen / understanding is a plus.

What will be your key responsibilities

Risk & Issue Management

• Define refine and drive adoption of proactive risk and issue management across the program and workstreams.
• Ensure consistent risk assessments using agreed frameworks for likelihood and impact with appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Identify resolve and escape risks and issues as needed generating periodic and ad hoc reports for leadership and stakeholders.
• Facilitate risk and issue escalation and coordinate resolution actions.
• Support performance management of third parties regarding risks and issues aligning with commercial and supplier relationship managers.
• Lead Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) reviews maintaining the programs ERM framework policies and guidelines.
• Ensure risk management practices align with Mars corporate standards and Responsible AI principles.

Planning & Interdependencies

• Develop maintain and ensure accuracy and integrity of Level 0 (L0) and Level 1 (L1) program plans.
• Contribute to playbook development and adoption for planning processes.
• Support resource capacity management and change control submissions related to milestones scope budgets and risks.
• Prepare and gain endorsement for plan revisions and control the overall program schedule including technology patches and upgrades.
• Manage and run all interdependencies across PMO and workstreams to ensure alignment and timely execution.
• Facilitate planning workshops and collaboration across global teams to update and refine plans.
• Act as escalation point for missing incomplete or misaligned plans and interdependencies.
• Gather and integrate external dependencies and conduct planning of NDA and sensitive topics with appropriate confidentiality.

Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Promote a risk-aware and planning-focused culture by providing training guidance and support.
• Continuously improve risk issue and planning management processes tools and reporting.
• Collaborate with PMO workstreams and global stakeholders to embed risk and planning governance into program operations.
• Support risk management by identifying potential schedule impacts and coordinating mitigation actions.

Stakeholder Collaboration & Communication

• Work closely with Global Process Owners (GPOs) Digital Operations Teams (DOTs) program managers and other PMOs to ensure visibility understanding and mitigation of risks issues and planning conflicts.
• Communicate status risks and issues to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
• Facilitate cross-functional workshops and meetings to resolve planning conflicts and dependencies.