Project Manager

Job summary

Project Manager

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is the official UK government body responsible for intellectual property (IP) rights including patents, designs, trademarks, and copyright. We operate and maintain a clear and accessible IP system in the UK, which encourages innovation and helps the economy and society to benefit from knowledge and ideas. We help people get the right type of protection for their creation or invention. Delivering the best IP services to our customers is central to the IPO strategy and we are building on our strengths in rights granting and related services to improve our digital service offering and data.

The role sits in the Portfolio Management Office (PMO) within the Strategy directorate. The post holder will be part of a team of project professionals responsible for delivering the Portfolio to support the IPO Strategy and corporate priorities. This will consist of a variety of IT and Business change initiatives across the IPO.

Working Style

This role will be carried out in-line with IPO Hybrid working arrangements where staff are currently expected to spend at least 20% of their time working onsite from one of our offices. This role is based in our Newport Office.

The requirement for attendance at an office location can vary by role so we would encourage candidates to discuss working arrangements with the recruiting manager to agree a reasonable balance between working from home and the office.

Job description

Main duties consist of but are not limited to:

As a Project Manager, you will be responsible for:

• Deliver end‑to‑end IT projects, ensuring outcomes are achieved within agreed time, cost, quality, and aligned to the organisation’s System/Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
• Maintain and assure detailed project plans using MS Project, Azure DevOps, or similar toolsets, running planning sessions with technical teams to sequence work, identify dependencies, and keep plans accurate and up to date.
• Manage technical risks and issues, proactively identifying technology‑related impacts and ensuring effective tracking, escalation, and mitigation.
• Provide clear leadership to multidisciplinary technical teams, maintaining delivery direction, scope, and alignment with the business case.
• Produce concise and accurate delivery reports, including progress summaries, performance metrics, and time and cost forecasts for governance purposes.
• Work with resource owners and technical leads to manage forward demand, secure required skills, and ensure capacity for key delivery milestones.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Proven experience delivering complex IT projects using Agile, Waterfall, or Hybrid methodologies within structured governance frameworks, with strong knowledge of project management principles and proficiency in digital delivery toolsets such as MS Project, Azure DevOps, and related technologies. This includes ensuring alignment with an organisation’s System/Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Demonstrable experience across all levels of testing, from unit and integration testing through to system testing and UAT, with the ability to develop comprehensive test plans aligned to organisational testing strategies.
• Extensive experience working with technical teams — including developers, engineers, testers, and architects — with the ability to interpret technical information and manage complex technical dependencies effectively.
• Demonstrable ability to manage technical risks and issues, including identifying emerging technology related risks, assessing impact, securing appropriate technical ownership, and producing and maintaining high quality delivery artefacts (such as PIDs, Gantt charts, POAPs, Level 0 plans, milestone trackers and technical delivery roadmaps) to support governance and assurance.
• Skilled in technical dependency management, with sufficient understanding of architecture and system design to identify, validate, and coordinate interdependencies across multiple teams, services, or platforms.
• Must hold a recognised project management qualification, such as PRINCE2 Practitioner, APMQ, Agile Practitioner, or equivalent.

How to Apply

Click the 'Apply now' button and complete the application form by providing the following:

750-word Personal Statement

• Use this to explain why you're suitable for the role.
• Structure your statement around the essential criteria in the Person Specification.
• Make sure to provide clear examples to show how you meet each requirement.

Behaviours

Provide one 250-word example for each of the following Behaviour headings;

Communicating and influencing

• Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner - choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact
• Ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs

AI Usage
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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

For further information on the sift and interview stages of this recruitment campaign, please head to our 'Things you need to know' section below.

Please visit our Civil Service Careers page - IPO – Recruitment Support , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

If you require job-specific information, please contact Julie Thomas
E-mail: Julie.thomas@ipo.gov.uk

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• At interview you will be assessed on technical criteria

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,766, Intellectual Property Office contributes £13,837 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• A flexible working scheme with excellent development opportunities
• 25 days annual leave moving to 30 days in annual increments (1 day per year) over 5 years of reckonable service. You will also get 8 days public leave and 1 day privilege leave
• Family friendly policies that support modern working families and individuals with caring responsibilities
• A variety of support functions; Staff Counselling Service, Peer to Peer Support Group
• Eligibility for special and office-wide bonus payments
• The opportunity to form part of our many inclusive network groups, find out more by looking at Intellectual Property Office (IPO) (diversityjobsgroup.com)
• A range of wellbeing initiatives; Onsite Gym (Newport office), Eye Care Scheme, Volunteering Programme, Cycling facilities
• Free car parking is available on site at our Newport office
• On-site shop, restaurant and coffee shop at our Newport office

For more information about what’s on offer at the Intellectual Property Office please review our IPO benefit pack attached to the bottom of this advert.

Please note that benefits may be subject to change.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Additional details on security and vetting

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check and if successful you must also hold, or be willing to obtain, a higher Security Clearance.

For meaningful checks to be carried out individuals will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, depending on the level of clearance, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. For this role the successful individual will need to have consistently lived in the UK for a minimum 5 years in order to meet the relevant security clearance.

Further information on the vetting process can be found at National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK

If you have questions regarding this or are unsure if you meet the eligibility criteria, please contact Recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

The assessment process will comprise of the following:

Stage 1 – Sift

An initial sift of applications will be carried out to create a shortlist. This will be based on the evidence provided for the following Success Profile elements:

Experience

Your 750 word Personal statement will demonstrate your essential criteria

Behaviours

Provide one 250-word example for each of the following Behaviour headings;

Communicating and influencing

• communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner - choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact
• ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs

Stage 2 – Interviews

If invited to interview Behaviours, Experience and Technicalbased questioning will be used.

Specific information regarding the Success Profile elements that will be assessed at interview will be contained within the interview invitation.

Interviews for this role will be carried in person at our Newport Office.

This recruitment campaign will keep a reserve list for 12 months. If you meet the requirements for this role but aren't offered after passing the interview, you'll be placed on

The successful candidate would be expected to remain in the role for a minimum of 12 months before applying for another role.

Applicants to note: CVs sent direct to the IPO will not be accepted.

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

This post is being advertised to Internal, acrossGovernment and external candidates at the same time.

Incomplete and/or late submissions will not be accepted or considered. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

We do not routinely reimburse travel expenses for candidates, however if participating in the selection process would cause you undue financial hardship or if it restricts your ability to participate, please contact the recruitment team for more information.

In line with Government guidance, successfully appointed candidates will need to provide documents for our Right to Work checks. Information on this will be sent within the invite to interview text.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, then please let the recruitment team know viarecruitment@ipo.gov.uk

For more information on the IPO’s terms and conditions, please review the attached IPO Modernised Terms and Conditions document attached at the bottom of this advert.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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.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 : IPO Recruitment team
• Email : recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

Further information

Commissioners Statement
The Civil Service recruits by merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

Complaints Procedure:
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please contact;
Penny Phillpotts
Intellectual Property Office,
Concept House,
Cardiff Road,
Newport,
NP10 8QQ.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

Attachments

IPO Modernised Terms and Conditions Opens in new window (doc, 149kB)What's on offer at the IPO Opens in new window (pdf, 2034kB)