Project Manager

Job summary

Applicants should review all aspects of this advert to ensure a thorough understanding. If reviewing via a screen reader, please note that the Job summary, Job description, Person specification, Benefits and Things you need to know sections have been emphasised

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:

• Delivering full lifecycle (end‑to‑end) business and technical projects, ensuring delivery to agreed time, cost, and quality measures.
• Maintaining accurate, assured project plans using MS Project, Azure DevOps, or similar toolsets, including running planning sessions and managing dependencies.
• Managing risks and issues effectively, including identifying emerging technical and business risks, tracking impacts, and ensuring timely mitigations.
• Leading multidisciplinary blended teams (technical, business, operational), maintaining scope, direction, and alignment with the business case.
• Producing clear, concise, and accurate project reporting for governance teams, including progress updates, time and cost forecasts, and performance metrics.
• Working with resource owners, technical leads, and business stakeholders to manage forward demand and ensure the right skills are available at the right time.
• Ensuring alignment with relevant organisational frameworks, including governance requirements and the System/Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) where applicable.
• Supporting testing and assurance activities, ensuring that test planning, execution, and acceptance (UAT) align with project delivery requirements.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Proven experience in delivering both business and technical projects using Agile, Waterfall, or Hybrid methodologies within structured governance frameworks.
• Strong understanding of project management principles, with proficiency in project tools such as MS Project and Azure DevOps.
• Demonstrated ability to produce and maintain key project artefacts, including PIDs, Gantt charts, Plans on a Page (POAP), Level 0 plans, and milestone trackers.
• Experience collaborating with technical teams, such as developers, engineers, testers, and architects, with the ability to interpret technical concepts and manage technical dependencies.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with experience managing multiple competing demands in fast‑paced environments.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and communication skills, including ability to translate technical detail for non‑technical audiences.
• Experience supporting or managing testing phases, including unit, integration, system, and user acceptance testing, ensuring alignment with organisational testing strategies.
• Must hold a recognised project management qualification, such as PRINCE2 Practitioner, APMQ, Agile Practitioner, or equivalent

Please Note: Candidates must hold a recognised project management qualification, such as PRINCE2 Practitioner, APMQ, Agile Practitioner, or equivalent to be considered for interview

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 a 250-word example for each of the following Behaviours:

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
E-mail: Julie Thomas@ipo.gov.uk
Telephone: 01633 811409

Qualifications

Candidates must hold a recognised project management qualification, such as PRINCE2 Practitioner, APMQ, Agile Practitioner, or equivalent to be considered for interview

Behaviours

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

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

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 disclosure and barring security check

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

Stage1 – 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:

Your 750 word personal statement will be used to assess your suitability for the role.

Stage2- Interviews

If invited to interview Behaviours, Experience and Technical based 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 out 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 reserve list. If a suitable position opens up during this time, we will reach out to individuals in merit order.

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

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

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