Senior Project Manager

Surrey County Council; Woking; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 58,000

Job description

• Salary: The salary range for this role is £52,047- £57,125 PA
• Category: Project Management
• Contract type: Fixed term
• Working hours: 36
• Posted on: 1 April 2025
• Location: Woking

Description

This starting salary for this role is £52,047 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week. This role is offered as a 12 months fixed term contract or secondment opportunity.

We are looking for two Senior Project Managers to support our Childrens, Families and Lifelong Learning Directorate with focused projects and programmes of work supporting the transformation of our Additional Needs and Disabilities (AND) services in Surrey.

This role offers hybrid working with an expectation that at least two days per week will be spent in locations across Surrey. This includes one day a week with the team in who are based in our Woking office, with another spent in Surrey dependent on business requirements. You must be both willing and able to travel for meetings when required.

About the Role:

As a Senior Project Manager you will provide effective and robust senior project management and delivery capability to the AND Transformation Programme, its projects and workstreams. Working closely with Programme Managers and cross-functional teams to ensure that projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in alignment with the Council's strategic transformation objectives. You will ensure that assigned projects and workstreams produce the required outcomes, to the agreed standard of quality and within the specified constraints of cost, risk and time.

You will collaborate with and influence key stakeholders including project commissioners and services to scope and develop directorate improvement and efficiency projects, reviews and programmes. Leading and managing inputs to ensure successful outcomes of articulated plans and deliverables, analysing, monitoring and reporting on progress as needed.

A key focus for you will be managing risks and issues, budgets, timescales, change control, stakeholders and standard project documentation in accordance with SCC project management processes to ensure delivery of intended outcomes.

You will also be responsible for managing staff allocated to the workstream/project/programme to assist service managers in achieving their objectives and outcomes framework through the application of project management principles. You will input into cross directorate improvement and development networks, helping the growth of the one team working culture within CFLL and beyond, including the AND Transformation network. You will be really able to thrive in this role if you have some knowledge or understanding of the challenges around Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Shortlisting Criteria:

To be considered for shortlisting for this position your CV and answers to our application questions below will clearly evidence:

• An appropriate professional project or programme management qualification (such as Prince2, APM or MSP) or equivalent experience
• Substantial experience of leading and implementing complex projects at a senior level
• Proven written and oral communication and interpersonal skills with established negotiation and influencing skills
• Evidence of successful collaborative working with internal and external partners/professionals.
• Proven problem solving skills with the capacity to devise and implement innovative solutions.
• Demonstrable experience in successful recruiting, managing, coaching and developing of staff.

In support of your application please submit your CV and answer the following application questions:

• Using a recent example please tell us about the key skills and experience you have in relation to complex project management and large-scale change.
• Please tell us about a significant project you have led where there were competing demands. How did you manage the challenges and pressure to ensure the project remained on track? Were you successful?
• Using an example please tell us about a time when you have used your interpersonal skills to work with diverse stakeholders to overcome a problem. What skills and strategies did you use and were you successful in achieving your collective objective?

The job advert closes at 23:59 on Sunday the 20th of April 2025.

Interviews are planned to be held in person at our Woking office on 29th, 30th April or 1st May 2025.

There will be a numeracy and scenario assessment as part of the interview. It is anticipated that the assessment and interview process will take an hour and thirty minutes.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Our Commitment:

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.