Project Management Lead

Job summary

The Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) is a well-established non-ministerial department in the heart of government, which uses statistical analysis and probabilistic financial models to assess a wide range of risks facing the public sector. Using these techniques, we aim to enhance the stewardship of public sector finances by providing expert advice to government departments in areas including pensions, contingent risks, insurance, and social security.

Examples of our work include: (1) the regular assessment of approximately £1 trillion of public service pension schemes liabilities, covering around 15 million people; and (2) the ongoing appraisal of the financial positions of social security frameworks together with recommendations on how to manage them.

For further information about the role and GAD, please see the following pack: Project Management Lead - Project Management Lead

Job description

This role is an excellent opportunity to help shape the project management of such complex, important and often interdependent projects, and to support GAD in delivering high quality projects.

The successful applicant will be a project management professional with significant relevant experience and a proven track record of successfully delivering strategically important projects with senior stakeholders. You will have a desire to learn and understand how this relatively specialist department and its actuarial professionals operate. You will be able to adapt quickly to changing priorities and establish effective working relationships with all business areas.

At GAD we embrace diversity and believe that it builds a stronger and more effective organisation. It is therefore important to us that we recruit from a wide range of professional and personal backgrounds, bringing varying perspectives and experiences to our work. All our recruitment is made on merit, on the basis of open and fair competition.

Person specification

The key areas that you will have responsibility for are set out below:

1. Driving the effective use of Project Management across the Organisation by supporting our Business Units to

• Implement project initiation and kick-off activity in line with wider best practice
• Effectively manage projects with a focus on budgeting, planning, monitoring and delivery management
• Proactively manage risk, issue and stakeholders

2. Working in partnership with Heads of Teams to:

• understand the landscape of projects and support required
• ensure the application of best practice in the delivery of projects
• help build a culture focused on prioritisation and addressing issues resolutely and promptly
• provide training and support across a wide range of different Project Management tools and techniques
• develop, monitor and report on key project management performance indicators

3. Setting out the Project Management framework for the Department including central materials, training opportunities and communication channels

4. Ensuring that the project management processes, tools and documentation used within GAD are appropriate.

5. Ensuring that we adhere to the Governments Project Delivery Functional Standard.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Knowledge of a wide range of Project Management techniques (Essential)
• Knowledge of the Project Delivery Functional Standard (Desirable)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £66,361, Government Actuary's Department contributes £19,224 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

As well as competitive salaries, we offer a substantial package of benefits:

• Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day-to-day work.
• 25 days annual leave per year, increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service. In addition, we offer 9 days public and privilege days leave per year (pro rata for part time staff)
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• 5 days of paid volunteering leave
• Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave
• Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year.
• Occupational sick pay
• Family-friendly policies such as help with caring responsibilities, special leave, generous paid maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
• Access to employee assistance programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice.
• The opportunity to join a trade union.
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity.
• Salary advances for travel costs, including annual season tickets and cycle-to-work schemes.
• Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice.
• Complimentary BUPA health check.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Technical skills.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained.
• A Personal statement of up to 500-words explaining how you meet the essential criteria for the role, with particular reference to the criteria provided in the person specification of the JD.

Your CV and Personal Statement will be used to assess the essential criteria listed in the job description.

During the interview you will be assessed on the experience and behaviours listed in the Person Specification and detailed in this advert.

Application deadline: 1200 hrs on 09 November 2026

Shortlisting: w/c 09 November 2026

Interviews: w/c 23 November 2026

Interview location: In office (London or Edinburgh)

Please apply via our recruitment portal below.

As part of the application form process, please submit your CV and supporting statement. Please do not email your CV outside of this process as it will not be accepted.

Shortlisting criteria is based on the Person Specification as set out in the Assessment Criteria section of the Job Description. Please ensure you provide examples of how you meet the Assessment Criteria; a strong application will also demonstrate that you meet the required criteria that are identified as key for this role. Applications will be shortlisted in line with the essential criteria for the role. The desirable criteria will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates. Behaviours will be assessed at sift and interview stage. Candidates who are successful at shortlist will be contacted as soon as possible and advised of the interview process and assessment (exact times and dates will also be confirmed).

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Agency Notice: We will not pay agency fees for any candidate submitted in response to this advertisement unless we have explicitly agreed and contracted with an agency to support that specific role prior to advertising. Agency referrals will only be recognised where prior approval has been obtained from the Recruitment Team for the specific vacancy. Any other candidate submissions will be treated as direct applications.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : GAD Recruitment Team
• Email : recruitment@gad.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@gad.gov.uk

Further information

The Government Actuary’s Department’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm… If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by contacting the recruitment team at recruitment@gad.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioners.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-actuarys-department

Attachments

Project Management Lead JD Opens in new window (pdf, 572kB)