Senior PMO Manager

Scottish Government

Galashiels TD1, UK

Hybrid

Expires: Expiring in less than 4 weeks

Full time

£62,111 - £77,439 per year

Job summary

Job descriptionReady to lead PMO excellence delivering secure pensions for Scotland’s key services? The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) administers pensions for Scottish Teachers, Police, Firefighters' and National Health Service employees on behalf of the Scottish Government. We’re responsible for protecting the financial futures of over half a million people - that’s around 1 in 10 people in Scotland. If you’re looking for meaningful work, a supportive environment and a career with purpose, you’ll find it at the SPPA. Our office is based in Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders, the train station is a short two-minute walk away and offers regular services to and from Edinburgh Waverley, making it a convenient and well-connected location for commuters. The surrounding area offers access to green space, walking routes and a strong sense of local community, supporting wellbeing both in and outside of work. Our modern office building is designed to support flexible and collaborative working, with spaces for teamwork, quiet focus and hybrid working. Colleagues benefit from a comfortable, welcoming environment that reflects our commitment to wellbeing and inclusion. The Senior PMO Manager is responsible for ensuring the PMO delivers the critical services needed to guide SPPA portfolios, programmes and projects from inception to closure – by setting standards, co-ordinating and supporting delivery and providing assurance to SPPA SROs. In doing so, the postholder will lead the PMO and be a role model for portfolio, programme and project success across the SPPA.

Job description

Responsibilities

Ensure appropriate governance arrangements are in place and are operating smoothly, with SROs and relevant groups receiving meaningful and timely reports which support effective decision making and delivery of measurable benefits and improvements.
Act as a role model for portfolio, programme and project hygiene, providing support to project teams on planning, resource forecasting, change control, milestone management and risk, and issue and dependency identification and management. Ensure standardised documentation is accurate, high quality, relevant and timely.
Develop a suitable library of tools and processes in areas such as RAID, quality and benefits management and work closely with project teams to embed high standards of portfolio, programme and project management across the SPPA. Provide constructive challenge to ensure delivery of milestones and achievement of outcomes.
Lead and coordinate portfolio, programme and project assurance activities (e.g. Gateway and audit) and contribute to the management of related frameworks and standards.
Support the Head of Programme Delivery in preparing timely and meaningful advice to the Chief Transformation Officer and Chief Operating Officer, ensuring emerging issues and risks are escalated as required.
Build cohesion and resilience within the PMO, supporting the personal development of Band B team members and ensuring they contribute fully.

Person specification

QualificationsSenior PMO Managers must have a professional level qualification, such as APM’s PMQ or Axelos’ P3O qualifications.

Proof of qualifications will be checked at the assessment stage.
Success profile
Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) the candidates will be assessed on. Experience: (Lead Criteria) - You must have experience of managing or leading in a PMO for complex projects and defining and maintaining standards for any element of delivery.
Technical / Professional Skills:

Governance - Expert - Governance is the ability to clearly define roles, responsibilities and accountabilities and establish controls and approval routes appropriate to each stage of the project to monitor project progress and compliance.
Benefits Management - Expert - Benefits management is the ability to identify, quantify, map and track project benefits to justify investment in the project, and to provide assurance that the benefits identified can be realised.
Risk & Issue Management - Expert - Risk and issue management is the ability to systematically identify and monitor risks and issues, planning how to mitigate / respond to those risks and issues and implementing the responses.

Definition of Expert - You are required to have extensive knowledge and experience of performing in a Project Delivery capacity. By your expertise, you can improve processes and structures to reduce risk or support greater delivery, and could be expected to train and supervise the work of others, building their capability in the process. Behaviours:

Changing and Improving - Level 4
Leadership - Level 4

Find out more about what the different levels for the behaviours mean in our candidate guide.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £62,111, Scottish Government contributes £17,993 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

Please apply using the link provided and completing the application process

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

Security

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

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

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Contact point for applicants

Salary range

£62,111 - £77,439 per year