IT Project Manager

The founder and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We have, over the past thirty years, implemented ideas and initiatives that have transformed the opportunities of pupils from working class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Harris academies are widely recognised as a force for social mobility. We are immensely proud of the role that our alumni are now beginning to play in the world and of what we believe our current generation of pupils will go on to achieve.

We now have over 50 schools educating more than 40,000 young people across London and Essex, and employ over 5,000 staff across our academies and head office. With the majority of our academies located in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage, a high-quality education is key to the futures of the pupils we serve.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.

Our work will impact many generations to come, and our staff come from all backgrounds and walks of life, coming together to inspire young minds. We promote an inclusive culture that embraces the valuable and enriching contribution that all of our community make. We continue to be proactive in uplifting and supporting all voices at Harris.

To discover more about our culture, ethos and what it is like to work here, visit the page.

We are seeking an IT Project Manager to lead the successful delivery of a diverse portfolio of infrastructure and software projects across the Harris Federation. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in enhancing technology services that support students, teachers and staff, helping to create outstanding learning environments.

Working closely with internal teams, academy leaders and external partners, you will be responsible for planning, coordinating and delivering projects on time, within budget and to agreed specifications. From project initiation through to operational handover, you will ensure solutions are implemented smoothly and deliver lasting value to our schools.

If you are passionate about driving change, building strong stakeholder relationships and delivering projects that make a real difference, we'd love to hear from you.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing IT projects from initiation through to successful delivery, ensuring timescales and budgets are met
• Supporting the development and delivery of the annual IT project programme
• Leading technology projects including infrastructure upgrades, lifecycle refreshes, cybersecurity and digital transformation initiatives
• Planning, coordinating and monitoring project activities, risks and dependencies
• Maintaining project documentation and securing necessary approvals
• Managing project budgets and ensuring cost-effective delivery
• Coordinating with stakeholders to define requirements, timelines and success measures
• Supporting procurement activities, including vendor selection and tender processes
• Facilitating the smooth transition of completed projects into operational use
• Collaborating with IT teams, academy leaders and staff to understand and meet technology needs
• Working closely with IT Operations, Estates, Finance and Procurement teams to align project delivery
• Communicating effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle
• Supporting change management activities and helping users adopt new systems and processes successfully

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Qualifications to degree level, or equivalent experience
• Project management certification such as PRINCE2 Practitioner, APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ), or equivalent
• Change management qualification or experience
• At least three years’ experience managing IT projects, ideally in infrastructure, security, data or digital transformation
• Experience working on projects with budgets in the hundreds of thousands to millions of pounds
• Ability to coordinate multiple workstreams and manage priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot and resolve IT-related challenges
• Confident engaging with stakeholders at all levels and translating technical details into clear business language
• Experience in risk management, budgeting and procurement

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

If you would like to discuss the opportunity further, or if you have any questions, please contact us via email to arrange a conversation.

Before applying please ensure you download the job pack from our careers website, this will help with completing your application. Please note that we only accept applications submitted online before the closing date.

When applying, you will have the option to import your CV or use a LinkedIn profile which will auto populate the online application.

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Our vision, from the start, has been to provide the structure and services needed for our schools to amount to more than the sum of their parts, and to free-up our teachers and leaders to focus on one thing and one thing only: the outstanding education of all their pupils. Our young people and communities are at the heart of everything we do. Our core mission has always been to close the educational gap between young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. Our ambition is one where every child in London, no matter their background, has equal access to high quality ...