Senior Programme Manager

Job summary

The post holder will provide high quality programme support to the Health Protection Workforce, Infection Prevention and Control, Medicines Governance, Safeguarding (HIMS) Division, of UKHSA.

The HIMS Division provides professional leadership and governance across UKHSA for Safeguarding, Professional Standards and Development, Infection preventions and Control and Medicines Governance.

The Programme Manager will provide leadership, management and oversight of projects associated with the delivery of high-quality work across any of the four divisional areas.

As Programme Manager, you are responsible for leading a defined set of interdependent projects and the associated business change activities. You will have primary responsibility for successful delivery of the required outcomes, including the establishment of appropriate governance and assurance, monitoring progress, managing risks and issues and ensuring the business is ready for change, whether the change be driven internally or externally.

Job description

Specific duties of the role may vary depending on the site and teams/functions.

• Business case – Development and clearance of the business case with project leads and SMEs
• Communications & Stakeholder Management – Identify and manage stakeholder relationships and highlight need for senior level support. Manage internal and external relationships as appropriate.
• Guidance – Provide direction and guidance on development to project and programme staff and more broadly across departmental profession.
• Resource Management – Secures resources and directs planning scheduling, resourcing and estimating for complex and large-scale programmes.
• Risks & Issues – Oversee risk and issue management. Ensures mitigations are in place and resolved through negotiated agreement.
• Benefits realisation – Ensure realisation of benefits for customers through planning and designing and that project outputs meet programme requirements.
• Programme Performance & Controls – Maintain overall integrity and coherence of programme and governance framework to support each project. Plan programme assurance activities.
• Leadership vision & objectives – Cascade vision and translate into delivery objectives. Lead the programme to deliver the business case benefits and outcomes.
• Dependency Management – Work with project leads and business as usual to ensure dependencies are actively managed, act as an arbiter and enforcer and resolve issues between the various elements of the programme.

Internal/External

The post holder will develop effective working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, including internally: clinical and non-clinical staff, scientists, academics, corporate staff e.g. HR and Payroll, managers and Directors. External: Academic Institutions, other Civil Service Departments, public bodies, stakeholders and members of the public. This may include verbal face to face communication, including delivering presentations and by phone, email, correspondence, reports and briefings. Key relationships include working closely with the Division’s Leadership & Management Group as well as senior external stakeholders.

This list is not exhaustive.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Master’s degree or NVQ Level 7 in Programme/ Project Management, Business Management or significant equivalent experience in project management.
• Ensure the process by which goods and services are procured by a project are in line with the relevant regulatory framework and UKHSA policies and procedures.
• Detailed knowledge and significant experience in defining the fundamental components of a project in terms of its scope, deliverables, dependencies, time scales, resource requirements and budget.
• Ability to estimate costs, prepare, develop, commission and update business cases.
• Working knowledge and practical experience of integrating the project outputs into ‘business as usual’ (BAU) ensuring that activities are planned and completed to enable the business to implement the change and realise the benefits.
• Working knowledge of identifying quantifying, mapping and tracking project benefits to justify investment in the project, and to provide assurance that the benefits identified can be realised.
• Significant experience and knowledge of systematically identifying, analysing and communicating with stakeholders, capturing needs and requirements.
• Detailed and significant experience in systematically identifying and monitoring risks & issues, planning how to mitigate / respond to those risks and issues and implementing the responses.
• Working knowledge of applying quality management processes to ensure the adherence to those standards throughout the project delivery lifecycle
• Take into account different individual needs, views, and ideas, championing inclusion and equality of opportunity for all effectively managing conflict, misconduct and non-inclusive behaviour, raising with senior managers where appropriate.
• Ensure everyone clearly understands and owns their roles, responsibilities and business priorities. Give honest, motivating and enthusiastic messages about priorities, objectives and expectations to get the best out of people.
• The ability to recommend how financial and other resources should be allocated between projects in order to optimise the organisations return on investment (ROI). This includes the determination of which projects should be initiated continued or closed to best support the organisations strategic objectives.
• You work well as part of a team and strive to ensure the team pulls together and is effective.
• You take a positive approach to tackling problems and find ways to identify suitable solutions.
• One of the following:

- Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner

- PRINCE2 Practitioner

- Managing Successful Programmes Advanced Practitioner

- APM Practitioner Qualification

- APM Registered Project Professional

- Project Leadership Programme

Desirable criteria:

• Understanding of digital tools and how to apply them to maximise efficiency.
• Ability to profile and secure the resources required to deliver a project
• Working knowledge of applying quality management processes to ensure the adherence to those standards throughout the project delivery lifecycle.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,494, UK Health Security Agency contributes £17,525 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. UKHSA's ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

• 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 will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Competency Based

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 15 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1500word supporting statement.

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 C.V –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.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500.

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) that meets ALL essential criteria will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

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

• Master’s degree or NVQ Level 7 in Programme/ Project Management, Business Management or significant equivalent experience in project management.
• Ensure the process by which goods and services are procured by a project are in line with the relevant regulatory framework and UKHSA policies and procedures.
• Detailed knowledge and significant experience in defining the fundamental components of a project in terms of its scope, deliverables, dependencies, time scales, resource requirements and budget.

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 & assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

Competency Based

You will be invited to a single remote interview.

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview in the form of questions.

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.

Please Note - For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.

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).

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.

Salary Information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms. Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location.

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

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 : John Inglis
• Email : john.inglis@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukhsa.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 the UKHSA Complaints team via email at: 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 for further information: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk