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Project Manager
Pearson
London, , United Kingdom
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Description
The NCT programme manages the delivery of services under contract with the Standards and Testing Agency. The NCT Team deliver operations and marking services that enables the delivery of test results for c600000 primary school pupils taking Key Stage 2 assessments each year.
These services encompass the registration of pupils for the tests, the design and production of marker training materials, training of c4.5k markers, the marking of approximately 4 million completed tests and the delivery of test results to 16.5k schools across the UK, securely as well as to time and quality. These services are delivered using PRINCE2 and M_o_R (Management of Risk) frameworks.
Purpose:
As Project Manager, you will be accountable for the end to end delivery of small to medium sized projects from inception to close down. During delivery, the Project Manager has full responsibility for the project deliverables and their acceptance, and will report progress issues and successes to the Project Sponsor and Project Board if applicable). Project Managers responsibilities include:
1) Managing the early inception and initiation of projects with Workstream managers; defining the project approach and estimating the project delivery; supporting project success and achieving Programme benefits
● Development of the project definition document/ project brief
● Planning and defining the end of end project required to achieve the outcomes based on PRINCE2 best practice
● Defining an appropriate delivery approach, peer reviewed and validated by experts
● Setting and agreeing the project budget with the project sponsor, agreeing budget tolerances
● Resourcing the project phases appropriately with the correct team experience, skills and roles
2) Managing the end to end delivery of the project, ensuring alignment to Programme objectives and benefits with accountability for the project’s successful (time, cost, quality)
● Ensure a good understanding of the NCT Programme including understanding the key objectives and challenges
● Creating and maintaining project controls such as status reports, issues and risk logs
● Taking accountability for dependency, risk and issue management; managing their mitigation across scope, time and budget
● Managing and tracking the project budget and costs (where required)
● Creating, updating and tracking project performance to the overall project plan
● Proposing solutions to major issues, seeking acceptance from project sponsor and Project Board
● Managing the quality of deliverables to defined and agreed acceptance criteria
● Leading, supporting and motivating the project team; leading by example and driving project momentum and energy, addressing performance issues
● Completing effective project close down, including lessons learnt activities
3) Managing the involvement of stakeholders in project delivery, building a single team of resources and supporting their participation in the definition and acceptance of the solution
● Supporting the Project owners in tracking benefits and realisation plans
● Ensuring that all key stakeholder groups are involved throughout the project lifecycle, supporting the transition into BAU
● Managing business change/readiness in a manner sympathetic to the business and designed to ensure clarity and understanding of the changes being implemented.
● Ensure change impact of a project is conducted and incorporated into the plan
● Communicating to all stakeholder to maintain buy-in and confidence in the project delivery
● Identifying and implementing change management techniques to ensure the adoption of the solution and return of investment is achieved
Also you may be asked to assist colleagues within the NCT Programme team (during peak times) and any other reasonable programme activities as requested by the PMO Manager or Head of NCT Programme.
Key Outcomes:
• An appropriate project governance and structure is defined and implemented to ensure comprehensive oversight, support and control over the project(s)
• Risk management and reporting is appropriate and drives decision making
All client contractual interaction is managed professionally and through formalised governance processes
Key challenges:
• Open individual with an enthusiastic outlook, promoting confidence and credibility to peers and project stakeholders
• Flexible and adaptable, with a positive attitude when operating in an environment of continual flux
• Ability to influence and negotiate where necessary with peers, project team, sponsor and Project Board
• Ability to respond confidently to conflicts and manage situations positively, proactively escalating on-going issues
• Communicates effectively (written and verbally) with peers, project team, sponsor and Project Board
• Diligent attention to detail
• Ability to organize tasks in a logical and efficient manner
• Strong organisation skills: Self organizing and self-motivation and management
• Strong time management
• Ability to multi-task and make appropriate calls on prioritisation
• Ability to remain composed in stressful situations
Qualifications
Education, qualification & training:
• Degree or equivalent qualification/experience.
• Prince 2 Practitioner (desirable).
• M_o_R Practitioner (desirable).
Essential previous experience:
• Project Management experience in managing small to medium sized cross functional teams
• Understanding of managing complex stakeholder relationships and working as part of a wider team
• Strong understanding of project methodology processes/tools
• Strong organisational, planning and communication skills
• Strong PC skills
Desirable previous experience:
• PRINCE 2 Practitioner.
• Management of Risk (M_o_R) Practitioner.
• Experience of the education sector and the public sector.
• Understanding of contract terms and contract negotiation requirements.