Project Support Officer- £37,546-£42,084 p.a. + benefits

Job summary

We are currently looking for a Project Support Officer to join our Finance Function within the Corporate group.

This is a full-time opportunity, on a permanent basis. The role will be based in 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf London, E14 4PU.

Government departments and agencies are working towards implementing a minimum 60% attendance in office sites.

We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 8 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 12 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly.

Who are we?

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency enhance and improve the health of millions of people every day through the effective regulation of medicines and medical devices, underpinned by science and research.

The Finance Division plays a central role in enabling the MHRA to deliver its mission to protect and improve public health. As part of the wider Government Finance Function, we make sure that public money is spent wisely, that our activities are affordable and sustainable, and that our decisions are grounded in robust financial insight.

We support the Accounting Officer and Executive Committee in meeting their responsibilities to Parliament and the public, including through high-quality financial planning, reporting and stewardship.

The function is structured in line with the Government Finance profession model, covering strategic finance, finance business partnering, planning and performance, financial operations and financial control. Across these areas we are responsible for activities such as budgeting, forecasting, agency fee setting, management information, financial analysis, financial accounting, and the billing and collection of income due to the Agency. We work closely with colleagues across science, regulation, enforcement and corporate services to ensure that plans are affordable, risks are understood and managed, and that we meet HM Treasury and accounting requirements.

Job description

Finance at the MHRA is a professional, forward-looking function that aims to put finance at the heart of decision-making. We are strengthening our systems, data and capabilities so that we can provide clearer insight on cost, performance and value for money, and support the Agency’s policy and investment choices.

Colleagues in the team are part of the cross-government finance community, with access to Civil Service learning, professional qualifications and a strong focus on continuous improvement and collaboration.

What’s the role?

This role will help support the Planning and Performance team’s delivery of the MHRA’s fees uplifts. This is critical work that involves policy development, costing, stakeholder engagement and public consultation, secondary legislation and ministerial and parliamentary approval. It currently generates around £175 million of income each year and underpins the agency’s ability to deliver its public health outcomes.

We are looking for someone who shares our commitment to making a difference and is motivated by the MHRA’s unique public health purpose. It is an exciting opportunity for an individual who wishes to gain more experience in project support. You will play a vital role in helping to ensure our fees uplift projects are delivered on time and to high standards.

We require someone with a methodical approach to project support, and with a good understanding of project management and stakeholder management principles. The person should enjoy working as a self-starter and have a strong blend of team working, communication and organisational skills. You will need to demonstrate you can plan and prioritising actions, whilst requiring minimal supervision to manage your work.

Key responsibilities:

• Monitoring, managing and updating project documents, plans, timelines and risks, escalating when appropriate. This includes co-ordinating for Fee meetings to ensure key functional work is communicated and to ensure outputs from the meetings are implemented.
• Secretariat and admin project support for PMS Fee and Fee Uplifts projects.
• Undertaking activities to support the development of high-quality lessons learnt, monitoring the impact, key critical deadlines and being the first port of query contact.
• Organising and coordinating key meetings, including preparing agendas, briefing materials and providing secretariat support backed by follow up actions, and managing all admin, drafting comms and engagement milestones for the project with the direction from the Comms and G7 leads.

Person specification

Who are we looking for?

Our successful candidate will have:

• Strong project or administrative support experience, ideally in a structured environment.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise competing deadlines.
• Clear, confident communication skills — written and verbal — with the ability to convey information concisely.

If you would like to find out more about this fantastic opportunity, please click here for further details

Person Specification:

Method of assessment: A=Application, I=Interview

Behaviour Criteria:

• Managing a Quality Service (I)
• Working Together (I)
• Delivering at Pace (I)
• Changing and Improving (I)

Experience Criteria:

• Project and admin secretariat support experience essential. (A, I)
• Communication skills with the ability to concisely communicate information to groups of people. (A, I)
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise extensive demands essential (A, I)

Technical Criteria:

• Project Management experience desirable (A)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,456, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency contributes £10,851 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Annual Leave: 25 days annual leave on entry, rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff. PLUS 8 bank holidays
• Privilege Leave: 1 day
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): One month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months full pay/five months half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allowing staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Civil Service Pension Scheme. Please see the link for further information http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/ For enquiries relating to the Civil Service Pension Schemes please contact MyCSP's Pension Service Centre directly on 0300 123 6666
• Flexible working to ensure staff maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Interest free season ticket loan or bike loan
• Employee Assistance Services and access to the Civil Service Benevolent Fund
• Eligibility to join Motoring , Boundless by CSMA
• Variety of staff and Civil Service clubs
• On-going learning and development

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

The selection process:

We use the Civil Service Success Profiles to assess our candidates, find out more here.

• Application, which will include a CV, which should demonstrate how you meet the Experience and Technical Success Profile criteria. Please submit your application to Hays by visiting this websitehttps://shorturl.at/xwQC8
• Interview, which can include questions based on the Behaviour, Experience, Technical and Strengths Success Profiles.

Closing date: 08 April 2026

Shortlisting date: 10 April 2026

Interview date: 16 April 2026

Candidates will be contacted within a week of the sift and the interviews completed to inform them of the outcome.

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check as well as animal rights and pro-life activism checks. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Certain roles within the MHRA will require post holders to have vaccinations, and in some circumstances, routine health surveillance. These roles include:

• Laboratory-based roles working directly with known pathogens
• Maintenance roles, particularly those required to work in laboratory settings
• Roles that involve visiting other establishments where vaccination is required
• Roles required to travel overseas where specific vaccination may be required.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Any move to the MHRA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility here.

Individuals appointed on level transfer will retain their existing salary and are responsible for ensuring they fully understand the financial implications of any potential move and the impact (if any) on their terms. If an individual is in any doubt, they should seek clarification before accepting a job offer.

Staff joining on promotion will receive up to a 10% increase of their current basic salary, or the pay band minimum, whichever is the greater.

The individual will not retain any allowances paid by the former department/Agency, unless there are special circumstances, such as a reserved right to those allowances on transfer.

Successful candidates may be subject to annual Occupational Health reviews dependent on role requirements. If you have any queries, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk.

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should firstly contact careers@mhra.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

info@csc.gov.uk

Civil Service Commission

Room G/8

1 Horse Guards Road

London

SW1A 2HQ

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.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

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 : Vidya Lobo
• Email : Vidya.Lobo@hays.com

Recruitment team

• Email : Careers@mhra.gov.uk

Further information

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Resourcing Team at Careers@mhra.gov.uk, in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk - info@csc.gov.uk - Civil Service Commission Room G/8 1 Horse Guards Road London SW1A 2HQ