Project Manager

Job summary

Project Manager

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is the official UK government body responsible for intellectual property (IP) rights including patents, designs, trade marks, and copyright. We operate and maintain a clear and accessible IP system in the UK, which encourages innovation and helps the economy and society to benefit from knowledge and ideas. We help people get the right type of protection for their creation or invention. Delivering the best IP services to our customers is central to the IPO strategy and we are building on our strengths in rights granting and related services to improve our digital service offering and data.

This role sits within the Portfolio Management Office (PMO) in the Strategy Directorate and offers an exciting opportunity to lead the delivery of projects that directly support IPO strategic objectives and corporate priorities. As a Project Manager, you will be responsible for leading the delivery of a diverse range of business change and digital transformation projects, working with multidisciplinary teams across technology, operations and policy functions. This includes delivering projects through the full lifecycle, from initiation and planning through to implementation, transition and closure.

You will be accountable for ensuring projects are delivered to agreed scope, time, cost and quality parameters, whilst effectively managing risks, issues, dependencies and resources. The role requires strong leadership, stakeholder engagement and governance skills, with the ability to work confidently with senior leaders, technical specialists and business stakeholders to drive successful outcomes .

Working Style

This role will be carried out in-line with IPO Hybrid working arrangements where staff are currently expected to spend at least 40% of their time working onsite from one of our offices. This role is based in our Newport Office.

The requirement for attendance at an office location can vary by role so we would encourage candidates to discuss working arrangements with the recruiting manager to agree a reasonable balance between working from home and the office.

Job description

As a Project Manager, you will be responsible for:

• Delivering business and technical projects through the full project lifecycle, ensuring outcomes are achieved within agreed scope, timescales and quality standards.
• Developing, maintaining and governing project plans, schedules and delivery artefacts, identifying dependencies and ensuring effective project controls are in place.
• Managing project risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies and change requests, ensuring appropriate mitigations and escalation routes are applied.
• Leading multidisciplinary teams and coordinating activities across business, operational and technical areas to achieve successful project outcomes.
• Building and maintaining effective relationships with stakeholders at all levels, influencing decisions and ensuring alignment to project objectives and organisational priorities.
• Producing high-quality project reporting and governance documentation, providing clear insights on progress, delivery confidence, dependencies and key decisions.
• Ensuring projects comply with organisational governance, delivery frameworks and the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) where applicable.
• Supporting project boards and governance forums by preparing information that enables effective oversight and informed decision-making.
• Collaborating with resource owners and delivery teams to identify resource requirements, manage delivery constraints and support successful project delivery.
• Supporting planning, testing, assurance and implementation activities to ensure solutions are delivered and transitioned successfully into business operations.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Proven experience delivering business and technical projects using recognised project management methodologies and tools, within diverse governance frameworks
• Expert ability to develop and maintain key project artefacts, including Project Initiation Documents, detailed Gantt charts, Level 0 plans, and milestone trackers.
• Demonstrate adaptability and resilience in fast-paced, dynamic environments, working effectively within blended teams.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise workload, manage competing demands, and maintain focus on critical deliverables.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and communication skills, fostering productive relationships and ensuring alignment across all levels.
• Experience collaborating with technical teams (developers, engineers, architects) and a solid understanding of technical dependencies and integration points.
• Must hold a recognised project management qualification, such as PRINCE2 Practitioner, APMQ, Agile Practitioner, or equivalent.

How to Apply

Click the 'Applynow' button and complete the application form by providing the following:

1000-word Personal Statement

• Use this to explain why you're suitable for the role.
• Structure your statement around the essential criteria in the Person Specification.
• Make sure to provide clear examples to show how you meet each requirement.

In the event of a high number of applications, we may apply a higher sift benchmark and initially progress only the highest-scoring candidates. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements but are not initially progressed may be placed on hold and invited to interview at a later stage should vacancies remain unfilled. Any decisions to progress candidates will be made strictly in merit order and in accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles.

Candidates must hold a recognised project management qualification, such as PRINCE2 Practitioner, APMQ, Agile Practitioner, or an equivalent qualification, to be considered for interview. Candidates invited to an experience-based interview will be required to provide evidence of their qualification at this stage. Failure to provide satisfactory evidence may result in your application being withdrawn from the recruitment process.

If you require job-specific information, please contact.: Julie Thomas
Email: [email removed]

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• At interview you will be assessed on technical criteria.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,766, Intellectual Property Office contributes £13,837 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).

• A flexible working scheme with excellent development opportunities
• 25 days annual leave moving to 30 days in annual increments (1 day per year) over 5 years of reckonable service. You will also get 8 days public leave and 1 day privilege leave
• Family friendly policies that support modern working families and individuals with caring responsibilities
• A variety of support functions; Staff Counselling Service, Peer to Peer Support Group
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