Senior Project Manager

The University of Manchester; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 29 days

Generous pension

Hybrid working

Staff benefits

Job summary

The University of Manchester is seeking a senior leader to drive delivery of complex, high value capital projects across the university estate. You'll lead from planning to completion with autonomy, coordinating budgets, risks and stakeholders to ensure value, safety and sustainability.

You will advise senior stakeholders, manage consultants and contractors, and strengthen project governance and controls across Major Projects to deliver long-term value for the university.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience leading complex, high value capital projects and programmes.
• Proven ability to manage multiple interdependent workstreams with governance and reporting.
• Autonomy and professional judgment advising senior stakeholders and governance forums.
• Excellent knowledge of construction procurement, contract administration and commercial management.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, influencing and clear decision making in high risk situations.

Responsibilities

• Provide autonomous senior client side leadership for complex capital projects through initiation, delivery, handover and operation.
• Manage concurrent projects, interdependencies, risks, resources, approvals and stakeholder impacts to meet scope, time, cost, quality and safety.
• Own robust financial and project controls including budgets, cashflow, schedules and change control with transparent reporting.
• Lead procurement strategies and manage consultant/contractor performance for value for money.
• Engage senior stakeholders across academic, professional services and operations, translating complex information into clear recommendations.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Autonomy

Leadership

Analytical skills

Communication

Job description

The Role:

As a senior member of the Estates and Facilities Major Projects team, you will lead the delivery of complex, high value and strategically important capital projects and programmes across the University estate.

Working with a high degree of autonomy, you will take projects from planning through to completion, managing multiple priorities, risks, budgets and stakeholders to ensure successful delivery against time, cost, quality, safety and sustainability objectives.

You will act as a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders, providing expert professional and commercial advice, managing consultants and contractors, and resolving complex delivery challenges. You will also play a key role in strengthening project and programme governance, controls and ways of working across Major Projects, helping ensure the University's capital investment delivers long term value.

Your Responsibilities Will Include:

• Provide autonomous senior client side leadership for complex, high value and strategically important capital projects and programmes, from initiation and brief development through delivery, handover and operational use.
• Take ownership of multiple concurrent projects and programmes, managing interdependencies, risks, resources, approvals, constraints and stakeholder impacts to achieve agreed scope, time, cost, quality and safety outcomes.
• Own robust financial and project controls, including significant budgets, cashflow forecasts, schedules, risk registers, change control and performance reporting, providing clear delivery confidence to senior stakeholders.
• Provide authoritative commercial and professional leadership, shaping procurement and contracting strategies and managing consultant and contractor appointments, performance, cost risk, change and claims to secure value for money.
• Lead senior stakeholder engagement across academic, professional services and operational areas, managing competing priorities and translating complex technical, commercial and programme information into clear recommendations and decisions.
• Provide professional leadership to multidisciplinary teams, consultants and contractors, setting performance standards, challenging underperformance and intervening where delivery is off track to agree and implement recovery actions.

About You:

• Substantial experience of leading complex, high value and strategically important capital projects and programmes within a large, multi stakeholder organisation.
• Proven ability to manage standalone projects and programmes of multiple interdependent workstreams, including planning, dependencies, risks, governance, reporting and delivery to agreed outcomes.
• Demonstrable experience operating with a high degree of autonomy and professional judgement, advising senior stakeholders and governance forums on complex project, programme, commercial and delivery matters.
• Excellent knowledge of construction procurement, contract administration and commercial management, including NEC contracts and effective management of consultant and contractor performance.
• Highly developed stakeholder management, influencing, analytical and communication skills, with the ability to interpret complex information, manage competing priorities and provide clear recommendations in high risk or uncertain situations.

What You Will Get:

• 29 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and December closure days
• Generous pension scheme
• Flexible and hybrid working
• Access to a wide range of staff benefits, including discounts, wellbeing support, and development programmes

Explore full benefits: www.manchester.ac.uk/connect/jobs/benefits-working-here

For informal enquiries please contact the Talent Attraction Team [e-mail]