Project Manager - Current SC Clearance Required

CURRENT, ATCIVE & TRANSFERABLE EXPERIENCE IS ESSENTIAL FOR THIS ROLE

Agile & Digital Delivery

• Lead delivery of Business Assurance projects and initiatives using agile principles, working in iterative cycles with clear milestones, user stories and acceptance criteria - not waterfall plans
• Act as a credible partner to Delivery Managers and product teams across the organisation, understanding their ways of working and integrating Business Assurance activity into their delivery cycles without creating unnecessary friction
• Apply GDS delivery principles and the Government Digital and Data framework to how Business Assurance projects are scoped, run and evaluated
• Champion agile and continuous improvement ways of working within the team, helping colleagues move away from rigid, document-heavy processes towards leaner, more adaptive approaches
• Use appropriate agile tooling (Azure DevOps, Jira, or equivalent) to manage backlogs, sprints and delivery visibility

Dependency Management & Portfolio Planning

• Own the identification, mapping and active management of dependencies across the Business Assurance portfolio and between Business Assurance and wider organisational programmes
• Maintain a clear, up-to-date picture of cross-programme interdependencies, ensuring blockers are surfaced early, owned clearly and resolved collaboratively
• Facilitate regular dependency reviews and planning sessions with stakeholders across Digital, Finance, Legal, Operations and other divisions
• Support the Head of Business Assurance in resource planning and forward pipeline management, providing data-driven insights to inform prioritisation and sequencing decisions
• Escalate risks and conflicts arising from competing priorities or resource constraints, with clear options and recommendations for resolution

Demand Capture & DevOps-Aware Working

• Own and manage the demand intake process for the Business Assurance team - capturing, triaging and prioritising requests from across the business in a structured, transparent way
• Develop a working understanding of the organisation's DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines and release cadences, so that assurance and governance activity can be planned around - not after - digital delivery
• Work with Digital, Technology and third-party delivery teams to ensure that assurance requirements are understood and factored into delivery planning from the outset, not bolted on at the end
• Identify opportunities to streamline how assurance demand is captured and managed, introducing lightweight tooling or process improvements where appropriate

Third Party & Supplier Management

• Manage relationships with third-party suppliers and external partners engaged to support Business Assurance or wider programme delivery, ensuring deliverables are clearly scoped, tracked and reviewed
• Ensure third-party dependencies, risks and delivery commitments are incorporated into the team's overall planning and dependency management approach
• Support procurement and commercial activity in line with Civil Service policy, working with commercial colleagues to onboard and manage suppliers effectively

Governance & Reporting

• Prepare clear, concise and insight-driven reports, board papers and briefings for senior leadership and governance forums, translating complex delivery and risk information into accessible formats
• Maintain proportionate project governance documentation - plans, RAID logs, decision logs - that supports delivery without adding unnecessary overhead
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of Business Assurance's own ways of working, processes and tooling

Person Specification - Essential Criteria

Experience:

• Demonstrable experience of managing projects or programmes in a government digital or transformation context, working within or alongside agile delivery teams
• Proven experience of managing cross-programme dependencies in a complex, multi-team delivery environment
• Experience working with or alongside DevOps or continuous delivery teams, with a practical understanding of CI/CD pipelines, release management and product-led ways of working
• Experience of demand management - capturing, triaging and prioritising work intake from multiple stakeholders in a structured way
• Experience of managing third-party supplier relationships and ensuring delivery accountability in multi-supplier environments
• Experience of working within a Civil Service, government agency or similarly regulated environment
• Experience of producing high-quality reports and briefings for senior stakeholders and governance forums

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in agile delivery tooling - Azure DevOps, Jira, MS Planner or equivalent - including backlog management, sprint planning and dependency tracking
• Strong understanding of agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe or similar) and the ability to apply them proportionately
• Familiarity with GDS Service Standard and Government Digital and Data framework principles
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical and delivery information for non-technical senior audiences
• Strong analytical skills, able to interpret delivery data and provide clear insights to support decision-making

Person Specification - Desirable Criteria

• Formal agile qualification - Scrum Master (CSM/PSM), SAFe Agilist, AgilePM, or BCS Agile
• PRINCE2, APM PMQ or equivalent project management qualification
• Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt or above) or demonstrable process improvement experience
• Experience of governance or assurance functions, including risk management or compliance
• Familiarity with Civil Service governance frameworks and policy