Business Case Manager

Job summary

Census 2031 represents our most ambitious data collection project yet – a once-in-a-decade opportunity to capture a complete picture of everyone living in England and Wales. Building on the digital success of 2021, we're pioneering new ways to reach every household and community, ensuring no one is left uncounted. This vital work will provide the foundation for policy decisions, resource allocation, and community planning for the next decade.

Job description

The Business Case Manager creates and maintains a strong business case to justify the necessary investment in a project. This determines whether the project is, and remains, desirable, viable, and achievable. A Business Case Manager may operate in a Programme Management Office (PMO) in any Directorate across the organisation delivering projects/programmes/portfolio to help realise our organisational strategy. These PMO's will vary in size, scope, complexity and delivery methodology.

Key Responsibilities

• Leads the planning, development, drafting, and oversees the production of business cases. Is ready to challenge expert input and ensures compliance with organisational and Treasury requirements. Uses insights from similar projects to guide business case preparation.

• Creates and provides guidance and advice to project teams on business case requirements and development using organisational templates and the HMT 5 case model.

• Presents the business case rationale to senior managers and project governance forums. Collaborates with key stakeholders to anticipate and address issues and delays while engaging with senior management.

• Ensures that all relevant organisational factors for change are included within a comprehensive business case and provides a clear rationale for preferred options.

• Leads the adoption of configuration management techniques to maintain the business case's validity throughout the project life cycle and updates project sponsors as needed.

• Leads stakeholder engagement to identify, define, and quantify benefits, and negotiates with stakeholders to agree on key benefits.

• Manages and engages with key stakeholders to support business case production and ensure alignment with benefits realisation.
• Using digital tools applies data analytics to develop robust business cases, assess project viability and track benefits realisation.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Leading the development, review and assurance of complex business cases using HM Treasury's Green Book Five Case Model (or equivalent recognised methodology), ensuring proposals are strategically aligned, evidence-based and demonstrate value for money.
• Analysing complex information, data and evidence to evaluate options, assess affordability, benefits, risks and dependencies, and provide clear recommendations to support investment decisions and project or programme governance.
• Identifying, defining, quantifying and managing benefits throughout the project and programme lifecycle, ensuring intended outcomes are measurable, achievable and aligned to strategic and organisational objectives.
• Applying a strong understanding of the project and programme lifecycle to ensure business cases remain valid and deliverable, including the management of governance, assurance, risks, assumptions, dependencies, change control and ongoing business justification.
• Leading, directing and influencing multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders in a matrix-management environment, without direct line-management authority, whilst negotiating and influencing senior leaders and governance boards to secure agreement, resolve complex issues and achieve successful, valued outcomes.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Business Case Development - Practitioner: Project Delivery Capability Framework
• Benefits Management - Practitioner: Project Delivery Capability Framework

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,861, Office for National Statistics contributes £16,472 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

ONS are committed to flexible ways of working that support a healthy work-life balance. ONS has already considered how this job could be right sized for applicants working flexibly and we are happy to explore options with you about working part time, in a job share or flexibly, in line with our hybrid working policies.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Security Clearance

For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately pr