Senior Project Manager

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Project Manager to join our IT and Business Change team. We’ve a great track record of delivering positive business outcomes through agile delivery with Product Teams and in larger scale change programmes. You’ll therefore need to be able to demonstrate a similar, successful track record in using both agile and more traditional change methodologies to meet the needs of your customers.

As a valued part of the team, you’ll collaborate with product owners, suppliers, and our own Europe wide change group to drive results across a diverse IT and business change portfolio.

Canada Life operations a flexible working model, where you can work from home where appropriate, and be present in the office when needed, for example to join team meetings, run workshops, etc. Office locations include Potters Bar, Bristol, London and Isle of Man.

The Team

This role will be part of the IT and Infrastructure Portfolio team, which delivers both technical and business change. The current portfolio includes a critical business system upgrade in collaboration with teams based in the UK and Canada, and a cloud migration project to transition one of our UK businesses’ applications and services to Azure. As a relatively small team, we are committed to fostering individual growth while working effectively within a matrix organisation across projects, programmes, and agile change initiatives.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Be responsible for all stages of the project delivery cycle, applying best practice and team working to realise great outcomes
• Manage the budget and ensure the financial performance within the project is maximised
• Own the outcomes for the project, removing blockages from delivery team or scrum master and creating a positive and supportive environment for the team
• Use your strong communication skills to engage with all levels of the organisation, understanding your stakeholders and their respective needs
• Employ project management tools and practices such as effective change control management to ensure transparency and effective delivery performance
• Provides leadership within IT & Change function to champion best practices and standards and ensures that projects adhere to them providing feedback on enhancements
• Works with the Portfolio Lead to develop and maintain the Portfolio Roadmap

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Strong working knowledge of project management best practices and delivery disciplines (Project Management, Portfolio Planning, Governance, budgeting, controls, benefit realisation) within a Financial Services organisation
• Experience of Project Delivery methodologies and practices (Waterfall, Agile and Lean practices)
• Possesses excellent communication and presentation skills both verbally and in writing and to ability to lead professionals across various disciplines
• Commercial acumen when working with external parties and delivering project outcomes
• Excellent Communication skills, with experience of technical and non-technical communication with ability to confer a technically detailed scenario in a manner that is easily understood by those stakeholder groups
• Experience of working effectively in pressure situations
• Ability to multi-task and effectively manage large complex projects and multiple workstreams within a project
• Aptitude for analytical and creative thinking, with a keen attention to detail
• Strong team player with problem-solving mindset
• An optimistic and upbeat personal manner, with ability to motivate and engage others
• Proven experience and skill in acting independently with initiative and decisiveness, coupled with a keen awareness of when to escalate issues