Sponsor - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

Your new role

National Highways are excited to be looking for a Project Sponsor to join the team on an initial 12-Month fixed term contractwithin our Major Projects Regional Investment Programme (RIP) South West Team.

In your new role, you will oversee the sponsorship of one of our Major Projects within the South West, for example the M5 Bridgwater project, with an opportunity to sponsor some of our smaller, but equally important projects within the programme as well.

You will also support the Regional Sponsor in achieving the outcomes (benefits) of large scale regional and national investment. Ensuring alignment with National Highways and wider government strategic priorities. Identification and management of Benefits and Business Cases for individual schemes. Ensuring appropriate governance and coordination is in place for projects under the post holder’s control. Providing leadership, internal challenge, and support to project delivery function, and owning the relationship with wider government.

The team for this role is based out of our Bristol office, however for the right candidate we are open to looking at this role Nationally with a mix of home and office working as well as regular travel to Bristol.

What you’ll be leading on

• Own the Project Brief and business case, and update these where appropriate. Ensure that solutions are delivered to meet the objectives and outcomes of the Roads Investment Strategy. Monitor the scheme benefits realisation plan and ensure that the benefits are realised.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders inside and outside of National Highways, building trust, gaining commitment to the programme and individual project objectives and benefits and clarifying and resolving issues and concerns. Be accountable for managing stakeholders associated with the project. Champion the customer throughout the development and delivery of projects.
• Ensure that investment proposals fit with the longer-term asset strategy to deliver the business case and planned benefits. Ensure that there is adequate funding for the project throughout all stages of the lifecycle and that the impact of any change on the benefits is fully understood so the business case remains viable.
• Be accountable for the key decision making needed throughout the project lifecycle in order to ensure that desired outcomes are delivered through the appropriate governance forums. Ensure that the governance and assurance requirements of National Highways, the Department for Transport and, where appropriate, HM Treasury and Cabinet Office are met in a timely manner.
• Act as an escalation point for risks, issues and changes, providing clear direction to the project management team throughout the project lifecycle. Identify and manage strategic risks within the project and work with the project delivery teams to manage and mitigate them.
• Formally hand over project to operation, closing each project and ensuring a long-term benefits realisation plan is in place having conducted post implementation reviews and documented lessons learned. Transfer responsibility for post-project benefits reviews to the Programme Committee.

To be successful you’ll need

• Working towards, or achievement of, an appropriate professional accreditation/membership of a relevant body.
• Experience of leadership and decision making on projects or programmes, overseeing high profile low value (multi million pound) projects, or low profile high value (£100m +) projects.
• Experience of delivering business cases, either in an author, editor, or reviewer capacity, and successfully taking it through governance frameworks and approvals.
• A good understanding of Benefits Management and business cases for the successful delivery of major and/or complex projects, and managing diverse teams, in a complex customer facing organisation, using a recognised Programme and Project framework.
• Experience of building successful engagement with internal and external clients and stakeholders through great communication and influencing skills; ability to collaboratively work with and present to senior managers and directors.
• Excellent writing skills; ability to write high-quality evidence based decision papers, briefing papers, and slide packs.

A bit about us

The Regional Investment Programme (RIP) is responsible for the development and delivery of nationally significant infrastructure projects, including some of the largest and complex ‘Tier 1’ projects. Some of our projects are in the Government Major Projects Portfolio due to their level of investment, complexity of stakeholder and political landscape and importance. We deliver capital improvements that will drive economic growth, deliver wider social and environmental benefits, and improve infrastructure. RIP also oversees and manages projects through the options phase and ensures Ministers and other decision makers have sufficient information about the schemes to regulate which should be progressed through delivery and construction.

Want to know more?

To request a copy of the role profile, please contact hrhighwaysengland@mailgc.cx.ukg.oraclecloud.com quoting reference number #5096