Senior Project Manager

Job summary

We’d love you to join us at Companies House as a Senior Project Manager.

In this exciting role, you’ll be responsible for the delivery of projects within our portfolio of delivery. The majority of projects come within the remit of our transformation programme and will deliver new and transformed digital services and legislative reform. Our aim is to be the best registry in the world, achieved through brilliant people working on brilliant systems delivering brilliant services. We are currently delivering an organisation wide transformation programme focussing on a complete redesign of our digital services, target operating model and culture and delivering legislative reform to play a vital role in fighting economic crime. This requires different skills, capabilities, and mindset, where empowerment is encouraged and utilised.

In this role, you’ll be an active member of the Project Delivery profession in Companies House, supporting and mentoring other Project Managers.

Why choose Companies House?

At Companies House we take a proactive approach to wellbeing by promoting a welcoming culture, healthy work life balance and supporting colleagues to be their best in work because we know people are the key to our success.

Our benefits include:

• Flexible working with no core hours (between 6am and 8pm)
• 30 days annual leave
• 8 bank holidays & 1 privilege day
• Enrolment into the Civil Service Pension scheme, with an average employer contribution of 28%

Find out more about what a great place Companies House is to work.

Job description

Our Senior Project Manager will focus on the management of high value and complex digital and non-digital projects and will report to one of our Principal Project Managers. The responsibilities will include:

• Working closely with the project Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) to design and manage the delivery of project objectives and outcomes in accordance with our project management practices.
• Developing the continuing business justification for the project.
• Ensuring that benefits are identified, defined, and monitored, and that mechanisms for measuring progress and benefits realisation are in place.
• Developing and managing the delivery plan, ensuring the achievement of project, programme, and portfolio delivery milestones.
• Leading the project delivery team, holding them accountable for their delivery, removing impediments to progress, supporting them in production of project deliverables, operating effective change control processes, and planning the integration of the project outputs to business as usual.
• Ensuring the project is compliant with our governance requirements and arrangements, including any interface with broader governance arrangements, such as government digital service or procurement standards.
• Managing relationships effectively with customers and stakeholders both internally and with external organisations.
• Providing assurance to the project board of your management of project budgets, issues, risks, resources, dependencies, delivery, and quality, and managing project controls around these.
• Arranging and facilitating project board and project team meetings, including the preparation of reporting decks.
• Contributing to broader portfolio reporting.
• Contributing to the continuous improvement of our project delivery profession, including the continuous development of your own skills.

About the team

Our Senior Project Manager will sit within the Transformation Delivery Directorate and is at the heart of our transformation - facilitating the project delivery of significant changes to the role and functions of Companies House over the next few years. As outlined in our corporate strategy, we play an important role in driving confidence in the UK economy. Our programme of change over the coming years is key to enhancing that role further. We are an enthusiastic and inclusive team with lots to do and a positive attitude to achieving it.

Please note:

• You will be based at either our Cardiff or Edinburgh office where you will be expected to attend on a regular basis.
• Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.
• We can accept applications for those looking to work full time, part time or compressed hours, a minimum of 30 hours over 4 days per week.

Person specification

We're looking for:

• Experience of delivering complex, high-value projects, including at least one of the following:

- Working in a digital environment using Agile development methodology.

- Working with complex business change, managing cross-cutting themes, and mixed methodologies.

- Working in partnership with external suppliers or organisations.

As well as:

• A people-focused approach to project delivery.
• That they are resourceful, show initiative, with a willingness to explore and solve problems effectively
• Who can demonstrate strong technical skills in project planning and/or risk management and/or benefits management.
• Strong communication and engagement skills, both written and verbal, for effective team collaboration and stakeholder engagement.
• Extensive experience of working in a project environment, showcasing great project management skills.
• A willingness and experience of stepping out of their comfort zone, and learn new things quickly.
• A commitment to ongoing professional development and staying abreast of industry trends and best practices.
• Experience of line management.

Qualifications

We're looking for a Senior Project Manager with project management skills who has achieved at least one of these qualifications, or has equivalent demonstrable experience.

1. PRINCE2 Practitioner
2. Agile Project Management Practitioner
3. APM Project Management Qualification
4. APM Practitioner Qualification

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

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

• Strong technical skills in project planning and/or risk management and/or benefits management

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,540, Companies House contributes £15,510 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).

We believe that our success is driven by the well-being and satisfaction of our team members at all levels of the organisation. At Companies House we’re committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary, ensuring your career journey with us is not only fulfilling, but also rewarding. We pride ourselves on offering a quality work-life balance with our employee wellbeing being central to our working practices.

Head to Our benefits - Working for us - Recruitment (companieshouse.gov.uk) to find out more about the fantastic benefits package we have at Companies House.

We celebrate diversity...

As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity, being committed to ensuring we’re representative of the citizens we serve and creating an inclusive environment. Everyone in Companies House brings something different, and so will you. To fulfil our commitment to recruiting and attracting diverse talent we welcome applications from underrepresented groups. We also welcome applications from Welsh speakers.

We are proud to be a disability confident leader. Our recruitment process is fully inclusive and we can make adjustments as needed through our process. These could include having an interview buddy, extra time at interviews/assessments and receiving interview questions in advance, to name a few.

If you require any reasonable adjustments at application stage, or if you'd like to discuss any person-centred adjustments, please contact us by emailing recruitmentCH@companieshouse.gov.uk.

Read our 'Applying under the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS)' guide to find out how to successfully complete an application under the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS).

Where will you be working?

You will be based at either our Cardiff or Edinburgh office where you will be expected to attend on a regular basis. We are currently using a hybrid approach to the way we work which provides opportunities for you to be adaptable in the way you work so that you can achieve a healthy balance between your work and home life. The degree of choice you have will depend on your role and your day-to-day work activities. Your manager will agree regular patterns of attendance with you, however you may be required to make yourself available to attend the office more frequently when required to meet business needs.

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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Key dates (dates are indicative only and could be subject to change)

• Closing date - 14th October 2026, at 23:55
• Sifting - 15th October 2026 onwards
• Interviews - w/c 26th October 2026, on Microsoft Teams

Communications will be electronic via email therefore it is important that you check your Civil Service Jobs account regularly, as well as your spam/junk email folder.

What will the process look like?

1. Application

During the application and sift stages we will be using the Success Profiles: Experience and Technical Skills.

In your application form we’d like you to:

1. Tell us about your employment history, including any key responsibilities and achievements.
2. Write a 250-word entry telling us about your strong technical skills in project planning and/or risk management and/or benefits management (in the event of a large number of applications, we may choose to pre-sift against this Technical Skill).
3. Write a 1250 word personal statement where you demonstrate how you meet the skills required for this role, providing examples to evidence your level of experience. In your personal statement we are looking for evidence of:

• Experience of delivering complex, high-value projects, including at least one of the following:

  - Working in a digital environment using Agile development methodology.

  - Working with complex business change, managing cross-cutting themes, and mixed methodologies.

  - Working in partnership with external suppliers or organisations.

• A people-focused approach to project delivery.
• Experience of being resourceful, showing initiative, with a willingness to explore and solve problems effectively.
• Strong communication and engagement skills, both written and verbal, for effective team collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

We’re committed to being diverse and inclusive, so please make your application anonymous by removing all identifying personal information (such as names and dates) from your employment history and personal statement.

You should aim to make use of the full wordcount in each section of your application and show how you meet the above criteria. Please give clear and specific examples of what you have done personally and the impact it has had.

2. Sift

Once the advert has closed we will sift applications - this involves reading through them all, please bear with us as this can take some time. The panel will look at all elements of your application for evidence of the sift criteria.

We may raise the score required if we receive a high number of applications. We may also choose to take through the highest performing candidates to the next stage. If, after the final stage is completed and roles are unfilled, we will proceed to invite lower scoring candidates to interview.

Also, if we receive a high volume of applications, we may carry out a pre-sift and will look at your application for evidence of: Strong technical skills in project planning and/or risk management and/or benefits management. Those applications which are successful at pre-sift stage will then progress to the main sift, where we'll read and score the rest of your application.

3. Interview

Successful candidates from the sift stage will be invited to attend a virtual interview, which will be conducted using Microsoft Teams.

Companies House uses a blended interview technique, allowing us to find out more about you. We use the Success Profile framework and at interview we will be asking questions relating to:

• Behaviours: Changing and Improving, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace
• Strengths: Not shared in advance as we want to see your first, natural response.

Activity - There will also be an activity during the interview which will be a presentation which we'll ask candidates to prepare in advance. Candidates who are invited to interview will be sent further details. The presentation will assess:

1. Experience: A people-focused approach to project delivery.
2. Technical Skill: Strong technical skills in project planning and/or risk management and/or benefits management.

4 . Offer

Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome. Offers will be made in strict merit order. The lead criteria to distinguish between tied candidates will be the Behaviour: Making Effective Decisions.

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles (of the same or lower grade). Subject to business need, if a suitable position opens during this time we may reach out to individuals in merit order.

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of recruitment based on fair and open competition with decisions made on the basis of merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.

Security

Successful candidates must pass a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check before they can be appointed.

BPSS is an entry level security check. It uses the Police National Computer (PNC) to make sure a candidate has no convictions. The check returns evidence of any current criminal record and un-spent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Sponsorship

Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. Companies House holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship, your application may be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment withdrawn.

Pre-Employment Checking

In line with Government guidance, successfully appointed candidates will need to provide documents for our Right to Work checks.

From June 2026, applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). Your personal details (name, National Insurance number, and date of birth) will be checked against the Civil Service Resourcing Extract 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.

If your details appear on this database, you will not be offered employment unless you can demonstrate exceptional circumstances. Companies House, acting on behalf of the vacancy holder, will inform you if your application is refused for this reason.

Please note: You are 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.

Nationality statement

As part of our recruitment process, it is essential for all candidates to independently verify their eligibility to work in the UK before applying. This includes a thorough check of your right to work to ensure compliance with UK employment laws, being mindful of the recent changes to going rates detailed on GOV.UK.

Please ensure you have the necessary documentation and permissions in place. Our team is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce and encourages applicants from all backgrounds to apply. However, it is the candidate's responsibility to ensure they meet the UK's legal requirements to work.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.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 : Jon Shenton
• Email : jshenton@companieshouse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitmentch@companieshouse.gov.uk

Further information

We welcome applications in Welsh / Rydym yn croesawi ceisiadau yn y Gymraeg. 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. In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by 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 infopoint@companieshouse.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission .

info@csc.gov.uk

Civil Service Commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road SW1A 2HQ