Senior Project Manager (Scientific)

Job summary

We are looking for a Senior Project Manager (Scientific) 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 metagenomics programme, including monthly reporting on risks, issues and milestones, chairing the operational meetings, and ensuring actions are progressed in a timely manner.
• Engaging with cross-group 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 aims of the 5-year Genomics Strategy.

Job description

As Senior Project Manager you will lead on the day to day running of scientific projects that are typically moderate to high in complexity. These are likely to influence the UKHSA long term outcomes, goals or in year strategic objectives.

You will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of the projects, ensuring that the objectives are clearly defined and achieved within the agreed time, cost, and quality constraints. You will have effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills and will play a key role in project governance, working with stakeholders to ensure the agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefit realisation.

You will take ownership of risk management within the programme and ensure the risk process is standardised for the team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day running of the science projects, with ownership and accountability for delivering agreed outcomes within time, cost, and quality constraints.
• Provide effective leadership to the project team.
• Develop and maintain project plans. Setting project controls, managing performance and report progress to Senior Programme Manager, escalating where appropriate.
• Lead the development of the budget and track project spend, attending monthly forecast of outturn meetings.
• Identify skills requirements and deploy suitable resources.
• Deliver the agreed business case benefits and outcomes. Monitor the longer-term delivery of benefits against the business case, ensuring the Benefits Realisation Strategy is updated.
• Identify key stakeholders, internal and external, and effectively manage these relationships.
• Lead on the programme risks and issues. Develop mitigating actions, escalating as appropriate. Identify and manage project assumptions and dependencies.
• Support effective governance and decision making. Provide project reports and updates at the monthly portfolio meetings, engaging in processes that hold you accountable for delivery.
• Engage with assurance reviews and support recommended action. Co-ordinate project assurance processes and gateway reviews.
• Set up effective change management processes, including documenting agreed changes to the project deliverables.
• Role model commitment to personal development, promoting individual and team performance through support, guidance, and coaching.
• An active member of the UKHSA Project Delivery Profession Community.

This is not an exhaustive list, and the above is only an outline of the core components, tasks and outcomes required of the role.

You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by your line manager.

The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the division and the UKHSA.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Educated to degree level in science or health related subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area.
• Knowledge and experience of Project Management Methodology supported by professional qualifications such as:
  • PRINCE2 Practitioner
  • Agile Project Management Practitioner
  • APM Project Management Qualification
  • APM Chartered Project Professional
  • Project Leadership Programme
  • PMI Project Management Professional
• Experience of successfully managing medium complexity projects covering planning, scheduling, budget management, resource management, risk and issue management.
• Detailed knowledge and experience of project methodologies and frameworks, governance, assurance, planning, requirements management and change control in a project or programme environment.
• Experience in delivering scientific projects within a collaborative or multidisciplinary environment.
• Appreciation and understanding of the public health / public sector with the ability to extract key messages from complex scientific information and analysis.
• Working knowledge of business case development, benefits management, and commercial and procurement processes.
• A visible leader with experience of promoting diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, respecting differences.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, collaborating across boundaries.
• Excellent communication skills demonstrated through the ability to influence and challenge effectively at a senior level.
• 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 Criteria

• 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 £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.

• 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%

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA 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.

Please visit our careers site for more information: UKHSA Hub , Civil Service Careers

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, Experience and Technical Skills.

Success Profiles - GOV.UK

Stage 1: Application & Sift

At sift stage you will be assessed against the 12 Essential Criteria listed in this job advert. You will be required to complete an:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
  • 1500 word 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 listed in this advert.

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 note 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 so your supporting statement can be no more than 1500 words.

Longlisting

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

• Meets all Essential Criteria
• Meets some Essential Criteria
• Meets no Essential Criteria

Only those that 'Meets all Essential Criteria' will progress to Shortlisting.

Shortlisting

In the event of a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift on the following Essential Criteria:

• Experience of successfully managing medium complexity projects covering planning, scheduling, budget management, resource management, risk and issue management.
• Experience in delivering scientific projects within a collaborative or multidisciplinary environment.

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/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 remote interview.

Interview date(s) to be confirmed.

The Behaviours and Experience being assessed during the interview will be as follows:

• Leadership - Lead Behaviour
• Changing and Improving
• Communication and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Technical Skills will be assessed from questions during the interview.

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

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

Location information

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our core HQ in London/Canary Wharf, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf Estate, London E14 4PU.

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).

Salary Information

Grade: Civil Service Grade 7

Grade 7 Inner: £60,494 - £70,566 per annum, pro rata

This is a Fixed Term Contract until 31 March 2029

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.

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.

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.

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

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 : Sarah Handy
• Email : sarah.handy@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 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

https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/v7990506