Synergy HR Project Manager

Job summary

The Synergy@Defra Programme team is looking for energetic, resilient and service-focussed Project professional who can develop and lead effective projects across Defra group HR in preparation for Synergy.

The Synergy programme covers Defra, the Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions, and the Home Office. It will implement a new technology platform for HR, Finance and Commercial functions, a new Business Process Service contract, and stand up a new inter-departmental Shared Service Organisation.

This role represents an exciting opportunity to be at the forefront of change, contributing to the delivery of a programme that will affect over 250,000 civil servants, providing business critical tools in HR, Finance, and Commercial functions.

Job description

This role is aligned to Project Manager SEO in the Government Project Delivery Capability Framework (https://projectdelivery.gov.uk/government-projects-academy/project-deli…).

Precise responsibilities will be flexible, but we expect the post holders will:

• Create, lead and manage projects and project teams to deliver successful outputs to time, cost and quality measures.
• Cascade vision and translate into delivery objectives for the team. Design project structures and adopt appropriate methodology and controls to drive effective transition between phases
• Develop, maintain and track the project plan. Identify and set appropriate stage checks and report progress.
• Develop, manage and control the project budget. Identify skill requirements and deploy appropriate resources. Assure and track performance against forecast profiles.
• Ensure benefits are identified, understood, measured, tracked and owned with appropriate Benefits Realisation Strategy in place.
• Identify, nurture and manage stakeholder relationships. Capture feedback to challenge the project, amend plans and provide focus on critical delivery points.
• Identify, monitor and track risk. Develop mitigating actions and escalate as appropriate. Identify and work with related projects to manage interdependencies.
• Provide reports as necessary and support effective governance and decision making.
• Engage with assurance reviews and support action on recommendations.
• Ensure effective change management processes are in place to agree and document changes to deliverables as agreed with stakeholders.
• Develop, draft and manage project-level business cases if needed for investment to onboard into the programme working with colleagues across the organisation.
• Implement, monitor and enable continuous improvement through process, sharing and embedding lessons learned. Report and communicate activities and key messages.
• Provide coordination, direction and guidance to a virtual team. Ensure that individual and organisational learning opportunities are fully exploited in order to enhance organisational capability

Person specification

• Experience of working in a complex project team, with working knowledge of project delivery methodologies and frameworks.
• Knowledge and application of planning, scheduling, budget management, resource management, risk and issue management and quality management in a project or programme environment.
• Knowledge and application of governance, assurance, requirements management and change control in a project or programme environment.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment with multiple tasks.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, collaborating across boundaries with the ability to influence and challenge effectively.
• Enabling innovative solutions by researching and applying new ideas and ways of doing things.
• Working with ambiguity in an environment of uncertainty and continual change. Able to feel comfortable making decisions and setting direction without having the full picture and re-focus as details emerge.

Qualifications

One or more of the following: APM Project Management Qualification; PRINCE 2 Practitioner; Agile Project Management Practitioner; PMI Project Management Professional; Leading and Managing Project Workstreams

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Project Management technical skills

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,052, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £12,761 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).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

Application Process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, a Personal Statement (no more than 750 words). Please provide evidence of all points of the Experience Criteria and the Knowledge and Technical Criteria in both your CV and your 750 word Personal Statement.

Further details around what this will entail are detailed on the application form.

Sift

Should there be a large number of successful applications, there will be an initial sift assessing the Personal Statement. Those who pass the initial sift will either be progressed to a full sift or straight to interview.

Interview

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on Behaviours, Technical Skill and Experience.

If selected to attend an interview you will be required to make a short, informal presentation to the panel. Those invited to interview will be provided with further information as part of the interview invitation process.

Your interview will be conducted virtually via MS Teams.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

Location

As part of the pre-emplo