Head of Project Management Office (PMO)

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British Geological Survey
HEAD OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE (PMO)
Internal UKRI Vacancy
Grade: UKRI Pay Band G
Salary: £65,262 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full-time - 37 hours a week (some flexible working options may be available, including a small amount of remote working, in line with BGS policy)
Location: BGS headquarters in Keyworth in Nottingham, (other locations will be considered)

The post holder will need to interact heavily with operational teams and in order to build a new core PMO team, the Head of PMO role needs to be located in Keyworth for at least 6 months. For the following 6 months it is expected that Head of PMO will be on-site in Keyworth for at least 3 days in every two weeks, to continue personal interaction with Operations and to continue developing the core PMO team.
Closing date: Monday 9 September 2024
About the role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and enthusiastic candidate to join the BGS Executive function as the Head of Project Management Office (PMO).

The Head of PMO will lead work to support and strengthen BGS' community of practice, ensuring appropriate implementation of project, programme and portfolio management (P3M) within BGS. The Head of PMO will bring strong P3M expertise to BGS and will work across many areas to drive forward corporate initiatives for the benefit of BGS science and operations. Your key responsibilities/duties will include:

• Lead the development of a corporate programme and project management standard process framework and supporting resources (formal documents/workflows) to be applied proportionally (according to scale and risk) across BGS projects and programmes.
• Lead and build a community of practice on project, programme and portfolio management (P3M).
• Champion and strengthen the implementation of appropriate P3M within BGS in conjunction with the PMO community of practice.
• Ensure enhanced project governance, reporting and risk management on projects, especially those that are complex or high value.
• Lead work with operational teams, science programme and project managers and direct PMO to develop better financial forecasting (ease, frequency, and accuracy), supporting earlier identification of major financial risks and mitigation to ensure financial sustainability.
• Management and delivery of corporate tools/systems to support PMO framework.
• Line management, oversight and development of a team of trained Project Managers following standardised BGS methodologies.
• Lead a team of Project Managers to handle the most complex projects across BGS, providing strengthened capability and organisational resilience.
• Work with key clients and funders to build trust in BGS' ability to provide robust and professional Project Management, supporting increased income to BGS and ability of BGS to secure strategic aligned external incomes.

About you

In this role, you will be a key member of the Operations Leadership Team and have high visibility across the BGS science areas. We are looking for candidates who have evidence of leading large complex projects/programmes, applying project management methodologies to ensure the successful delivery of outputs.

It will be important that you have the ability to make sound decisions, resolve complex problems and operate at pace in a changing environment. You will also be expected to work with ambiguity and have clarity of thought to cut through the detail to see the bigger picture and bring order.

You will be expected to travel to other BGS and UKRI sites and this will include occasional overnight stays.

The additional specific essential and desirable skills criteria for this post will be assessed at Shortlist (S) stage, interview (I) stage, or both (S&I).
Essential

• Project AND Programme Management Qualification at Practitioner level (for example, APM, PMI, Prince2, MSP, PgMP or equivalents) (S)
• Experience of working in a PMO environment and/or extensive experience of portfolio, programme and project management together with significant senior project management experience (S&I)
• Experience of project/programme management in a non-departmental body/public sector (S&I)
• Very strong presentation skills with the ability to influence and negotiate across a range of collaborators (S&I)
• Experience of being able to lead a collaborative working culture across multi-disciplinary teams as well as be an effective team-player (S&I)
• Evidence of managing team performance to successfully deliver through others (S&I)
• You will be committed to a diverse and inclusive approach to work in the geosciences (S&I)

Desirable

• Experience of project/programme management in a scientific research organisation (S&I)
• Experience of applying continuous improvement approaches (S&I)
• Experience of developing corporate tools or systems to support project and programme management (S&I)
• Experience of change management (S&I)

About us

The British Geological Survey (BGS) is an applied geoscience research centre that belongs to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and is affiliated to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). It is a world leading geological survey whose core mission is to advise government of science related to the subsurface and to undertake applied research to solve earth and environmental issues, both in the UK and globally. It is funded directly by UKRI, as well as through research grants and private sector contracts.

We strive to promote equality and diversity across our organisation in order to continuously improve our scientific and organisational efficiency! As such, we aim to have a workforce with employees from all backgrounds with people who are passionate about earth science and who share our dedication to work for the good of the environment and the benefit of society. BGS became a signatory of the Technician Commitment in July 2022.
How to apply

Applicants are required to include a CV and covering letter outlining their suitability for the role. We would stress the importance of this paperwork in our selection process.

A well thought through application providing evidence and examples of how you meet the advertised essential and desirable criteria for the post will be considered far more favourably than a generic covering letter and CV.

If you experience any issues applying for this role, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org .

The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 9 September 2024. Interviews are expected to be held in mid to late September 2024 in Nottingham.

About The British Geological Survey (BGS)

The British Geological Survey (BGS) is an applied geoscience research centre that is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and affiliated to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). It is a world leading geological survey that provides a core science mission to inform government of science related to the subsurface and its interfaces and also undertakes applied research for solutions to earth and environmental processes, both in the UK and globally. It is funded directly by UKRI as well as through research grants and via private sector contracts.

BGS has an annual budget of approximately £60 million and employs 650 people. It has two main sites, a head office in Keyworth near Nottingham and the Lyell Centre, which is a joint collaboration with Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. BGS works with more than 150 private sector organisations as well as having close links with 40 universities and sponsors approximately 100 PhD students each year.

How to Apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit your CV and a covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for BGS and the role you're applying for. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit your application without a covering letter may result in your application not being considered. You will only be assessed on the content of your CV and covering letter and not the 'experience' section of the application.

About UKRI

UKRI launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK's innovation agency, Innovate UK to create an independent organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, and a vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. More information can be found at www.ukri.org .

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to flourish and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit 'How we support EDI in the workforce'

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.