Project Manager (Scientific)

Job summary

We are looking for a Project Manager to join the Pathogen Genomics Programme team within Clinical and Public Health. An interest/knowledge in genomics with an education in a scientific discipline is preferred.

The team are responsible for:

• Progressing the genomics programme, including monthly reporting on risks, issues and milestones
• Engaging with cross-agency stakeholders for updates on the programme.
• Providing updates on monthly programme finances and resourcing.
• Drafting business cases where required to support the programme and achieving approval for these.
• Aligning work to the recently published 5-year Genomics Strategy.

Job description

As a Project Manager you will lead on the day to day running of a project(s), which will typically be low to moderate in complexity. These will be small scale initiatives often relating to making sure the business can continue to operate, although you may be involved in supporting more complex projects. You will be
responsible for overseeing the delivery of the project, ensuring that the objectives are clearly defined and achieved within the agreed time, cost, and quality constraints. You will have a key role in project governance and will work with stakeholders to ensure the agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefit realisation. You will support the SRO (Senior Responsible Owner ) and their private office, creating programme communications and showcasing the programme’s work.

• Manage the day to day running of the projects.
• Lead the projects to deliver the agreed outcomes within time, cost, and quality constraints.
• Build project plans and apply appropriate delivery methodology, setting project controls and track and report against milestones.
• Co-ordinate the development of relevant business cases.
• Monitor and track project spend, ensuring it is within budget.
• Plan and manage resources to deliver the project.
• Identify benefits, ensuring these are understood, measured, tracked, and owned; monitoring the longer-term delivery of benefits against the business case.
• Develop effective relationships with key stakeholders.
• Identify and monitor project risks and issues, developing mitigating actions and escalation process.
• Support the Programme SRO by providing up to date information in a timely manner, including lines to take.
• Showcase the programme work to wider internal and external stakeholders by creating programme communications.
• Provide project reports, support effective governance and decision making.
• Support project assurance, audit, and gateway reviews.
• Set up effective change management processes, including documenting agreed changes to the project deliverables.
• Promote individual and team performance, seek appropriate guidance and coaching from the project community.
• An active member of the UKHSA Project Delivery Profession Community.

The above is an outline of the duties and responsibilities of the role. The job description and person specification may be reviewed in line with organisational needs.

Person specification

• Educated to degree level in Science or health related subject [e.g. Epidemiology, Microbiology, Genetics, Genomics]or equivalent level of experience(e.g. laboratory) of working at a similar level in specialist area (e.g. working in a genomics programme).
• Working knowledge of planning, scheduling, budget management, resource management, risk and issue management and quality management in a project or programme environment or appropriate skills that have been gathered in a non-project environment.
• Experience of working in a large or medium complexity project team or work stream lead for a small low complex project with working knowledge of project delivery methodologies and frameworks.
• Experience in supporting scientific projects within a collaborative or multidisciplinary environment.
• Working knowledge of governance, assurance, requirements management and change control in a project or programme environment or appropriate skills that have been gathered in a non-project environment.
• Awareness of business case development, commercial and procurement processes, and asset allocation.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment with multiple tasks.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, collaborating across boundaries with the ability to influence and challenge effectively.
• Excellent communication skills demonstrated through the ability to influence and challenge effectively.
• Ability to work well under pressure, with multiple tasks, in a fast-changing and ambiguous environment, with keen attention to detail.
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems.

Desirable role criteria:

• Knowledge and experience of Project Management methodology.
• Awareness of UK government departments, intergovernmental organisations and devolved administrations involved in pathogen surveillance and genomics activities and generally of the health and social care environment and roles and responsibilities within it.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,310, UK Health Security Agency contributes £13,416 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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 and will assess your Behaviours / Strengths / Experience

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)

• 1,500 word Supporting Statement

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1,500 words. We will not consider any words over.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. The application form is the kind of information you would put into your CV. Please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Longlisting

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria

• Meets some essential criteria

• Meets no essential criteria

If used, the pile(s) ‘Meets all essential criteria’ will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting

In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of :

• Educated to degree level in Science or health related subject [e.g. Epidemiology, Microbiology, Genetics, Genomics]or equivalent level of experience(e.g. laboratory) of working at a similar level in specialist area (e.g. working in a genomics programme).
• Working knowledge of planning, scheduling, budget management, resource management, risk and issue management and quality management in a project or programme environment or appropriate skills that have been gathered in a non-project environment.

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a single remote interview.

Behaviours, Strengths and Experience will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be :

• Delivering at Pace ( Lead Behaviour )
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communication and Influencing
• Working Together

Interviews dates to be confirmed.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria – External

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our core HQ in Canary Wharf (London). We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month)working at our office. Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be
appointed. The level of security needed is :

• Baseline Personnel Security Standard

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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 : Recruitment Team
• Email : conny.agyei@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukkhsa.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

http://www.healthjobsuk.com/vacancy/7973145