Project Manager

Job summary

You'll help deliver a wide range of projects that improve our forests, estates and visitor facilities across the East of England.

Working across the East England District, which covers around 35,000 hectares from Norfolk in the north to the Sussex coast in the south, and west to Buckinghamshire, you'll manage a diverse portfolio of environmental projects that support Forestry England's Growing the Future ambitions.

As a Project Manager, you'll lead projects from initial idea through to completion, working with colleagues, specialist advisers, contractors and external partners to deliver successful outcomes. You'll ensure projects are safely delivered on time, within budget and to the required quality standards.

You'll be responsible for developing project plans, managing budgets, monitoring risks and reporting progress. You'll also help develop business cases and investment proposals, providing clear recommendations that support decision making and secure value for money.

Job description

Leadership Responsibility

• Lead the delivery of a portfolio of projects, ensuring agreed outcomes are achieved within approved scope, time, cost and quality parameters.
• Manage projects through their full lifecycle, from initiation and business case development through to delivery, handover and closure.
• Establish and maintain effective project governance, assurance and control arrangements, supporting informed decision making and successful delivery.
• Identify, assess and manage project risks, issues, dependencies and change requirements, taking corrective action and escalating where appropriate.
• Develop business cases, options appraisals and investment proposals in line with HM Treasury's Five Case Model and Forestry England governance requirements.
• Analyse project information and performance data to develop evidence based recommendations and support operational decision making.

Management of Resources

• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, budgets and resource forecasts to support effective delivery and performance management.
• Manage project expenditure and resources, ensuring value for money and compliance with Forestry England financial controls and delegated authorities.
• Procure and manage consultants, contractors and suppliers, ensuring delivery meets agreed requirements, standards and contractual obligations.
• Identify, measure and monitor project benefits, ensuring benefits are realised and sustained following project completion.

Stakeholder Engagement, Representation and Communications

• Build and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, delivery partners, government bodies, contractors, local communities and other stakeholders to support successful project outcomes.
• Prepare and present clear reports, business cases, recommendations and performance updates for senior managers, project boards and governance groups, while contributing to continuous improvement and the sharing of lessons learned across projects.

Person specification

Essential Professional and Technical experience

• Experience of leading and delivering projects from initiation through to completion, achieving agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality parameters.
• Experience of delivering projects within the built environment, construction, infrastructure, property or estate management sectors.
• Knowledge and practical application of project management disciplines, including planning, governance, risk management, change control and performance reporting.
• Experience of developing project proposals, options appraisals or business cases to support investment and delivery decisions.
• Strong financial and resource management skills, including budget management, forecasting and monitoring project performance.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships, analyse information and provide evidence based recommendations to support decision making.

Desirable Professional and Technical experience

• Experience of developing business cases using HM Treasury's Five Case Model.
• Experience of working within the public sector, Forestry England, the Defra Group or a similarly regulated environment.
• Knowledge of procurement, contract management and commercial management practices.
• Experience of managing consultants, contractors or suppliers.

Qualifications
Essential

• Degree level qualification or equivalent relevant professional experience.

Desirable

• APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) or equivalent project management qualification.
• APM Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ), PRINCE2 Practitioner or equivalent.
• Additional qualifications in leadership, business case development, procurement or contract management.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,388, Forestry Commission contributes £11,700 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).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

We cannot accept applications via email. Please follow the steps outlined below. Any CVs and/or personal statements sent outside the system will not be considered for shortlisting.

As part of your application, you'll need to provide your career and education history, and complete:

• A 200-word statement outlining your relevant experience
• A personal statement of no more than 500 words

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving

You may also be assessed on Experience, Strength based questions, and/or the Technical Success Profile at the interview. The technical element could include a presentation, practical or written task.

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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.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 : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk
• Email : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk
• Telephone : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact FCE by email: englandhr.services@forestryengland.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.

Attachments

FE Job Description Project Manager Opens in new window (pdf, 67kB)