Education Project Coordinator

Role: Project Manager

Offer type: This is a fixed term for 9 months

Salary: £34,000 - £42,000

Location: This is a remote role, based nationally

NCS Trust is an equal opportunities employer, embracing diversity and inclusion. At NCS we respect and value differences in people and all hires are made on merit.

We particularly welcome applications from people who are Black, Asian, or from an ethnically diverse background, or people with disabilities, as these groups are currently underrepresented particularly in our leadership.

We are committed to improving equality of opportunity in the workplace and are a signatory to the Race at Work Charter from Business in the Community, the Prince’s responsible business network; and the Disability Confident Committed employer scheme.

Role Purpose

The role holder will be part of the Operations & Transformation Directorate reporting to the Head of PMO / Change and Delivery Lead.

The incumbent will have a pivotal role in the management of change, implementation and continuous improvement projects, mostly in the digital and IDS sphere. The role holder will help to ensure the work is aligned with the strategic objectives of the organisation, promoting the team’s relevance and value. Working on a broad spectrum of digitally focussed projects, this role will partner with the senior management team and other internal stakeholders.

Key Activities

• Project Management of Mobilisation and Implementation projects covering systems, continuous improvement, and strategic projects
• Creating project plans & mapping dependencies from bottom-up in collaboration with key stakeholders
• Define and track project milestones and ensure dependencies are understood and accepted by the relevant owners
• Report on the status of projects and ensure the appropriate governance and compliance is applied
• Coordinate and facilitate the delivery of a complex range of initiatives and/or projects
• Act as Project Manager by planning, supporting, facilitating and monitoring progress of activities, ensuring that delivery is on track, as well as establishing mitigating activities where risks and issues may arise.
• Oversee a number of complex projects
• This role requires a proactive approach to relationship building - collaborating, negotiating and managing internal and external stakeholders, ensuring delivery is achieved by the most effective and efficient means.
• Ensuring the project stays on time and within budget to deliver outcomes and measure expectations
• Working with the Risk Manager on risk and issues management

Role Specific Skills

• Influencing – uses a repertoire of communication styles, sells ideas by constructing arguments, builds trust by demonstrating reliability and consistency
• Adaptability – supports others through change, is objective under pressure and eliminates barriers to success
• Leading Self and Others – supports team to achieve objectives, uses appropriate delegation, takes ownership of own development and makes development opportunities for others
• Solving Problems – identifies tools and techniques for problem solving, identifies opportunities for improvement and innovation, establishes long term goals for team,
• Delivering Results – demonstrates high standard of work, monitors work against a plan, takes personal responsibility for success of team tasks and projects
• Build strong productive relationships within the Trust, the Operations & Transformation team and with third parties in order to deliver effective solutions.
• Partner closely with teams across the organisation to understand the priorities and changing needs.
• Help ensure projects are adhering to PMO procedures and standards by understanding the PMO governance process.
• Support with PMO tools & templates to enable project managers to better deliver projects.

Measures of Success

• Project groups set up and functioning effectively
• Project governance in place with actions and decisions tracked and followed up regularly
• Projects delivered on time and in budget
• Positive feedback from business owners who have been supported with projects

Experience & Qualifications

Essential:

• Significant and demonstrable project management experience (3-5 years) in a multi-project environment, from inception to implementation and closure
• Extensive experience delivering complex projects with strategic change component
• Experience managing projects through multi-disciplinary teams
• Project/Programme qualification e.g. APM, PRINCE2, MSP; experience working with both Waterfall and Agile methodologies
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills (verbal, written and listening)
• Strong attention to detail
• Self-starter with the ability to work autonomously and proactively
• Resilient and able to handle ambiguity
• Personal, relatable character, able to build relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and manage data and information with discretion

Desirable:

• Have had exposure with matrix working and strong capability as a business partner in relationship building with stakeholders
• Demonstrable experience dealing with Director-level stakeholders and challenge thinking where appropriate
• Government / public sector experience would be advantageous
• Knowledge of project management best practices, methodologies, and project governance principles
• Adaptability – accepts need for change, maintains a positive outlook and projects credibility
• Experience of using Google Sheets and Smartsheet to be able to create project plans

Our benefits include

• 28 days annual leave in addition to Bank Holiday entitlements.
• 5 Volunteer days
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity/New parental (Subject to 1 year of service) pay
• Life Assurance
• 24/7 access to an Employee Assistance Program
• Access to a self-directed learning and development platform
• Access to a national discount platform, shared with one family member
• Discounted Eye Care
• Cycle to work scheme
• You can request flexible working after 26 weeks of employment
• Well being days

We welcome applications from candidates who do not have all of the criteria for the role. We believe in potential for growth and development at NCS.

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