Capability and Project Manager

UKRI. 

Salary: £46,743 per annum.  

Band: UKRI Band E. 

Contract Type: Fixed Term, 23 months (cover for temporary move). 

Hours: Full time.  

Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid working (Min 2 days per week in the office).

Closing Date: Sunday 27th September.

About the role 

This role is primarily focused on Capability Management, leading the development and embedding of project delivery, change and continuous improvement capability across the Project Deliver and Improvements directorate. You will play a key role in delivering capability and career development initiatives that support the attraction, development and retention of a skilled and diverse workforce, ensuring PD&I continues to provide a high-quality service to UKRI. This is a fantastic opportunity for a project professional to move into a capability space and broaden their horizons with a new challenge.

Working closely with the Head of Change Capability, Project Profession Centre Lead, HR colleagues and senior stakeholders, you will lead talent development programmes, apprenticeships, career pathways and professional development activities, helping to grow capability maturity and professional excellence across the function. You will also line manage colleagues within talent development programmes, supporting their learning, performance and career progression. 

Alongside capability responsibilities, the role will undertake project management activities, leading the delivery of priority projects and improvement initiatives. This will involve providing effective project leadership, stakeholder engagement, governance and delivery management to ensure agreed outcomes and benefits are achieved. This project delivery element provides an opportunity to apply professional project management expertise while maintaining a primary focus on capability development and organisational improvement. 

Your responsibilities: 

• Lead the PD&I capability and talent development programme. Including managing apprenticeships (10%). 

• Develop professional pathways, learning interventions and succession planning activities (20%). 

• Build strategic relationships with stakeholders, HR and external partners (15%). 

• Deliver projects to agreed time, cost, quality and benefit objectives (30%). 

• Manage project governance, risks, resources and change (10%). 

• Promote a culture of professional excellence, continuous improvement and high performance (15%). 

Personal Specification  

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I). 

Essential 

• Experience of leading and managing others, motivating coaching and developing skills and capability. Demonstrates ability to act as role model (S&I). 

• Experience of successfully engaging with and influencing a range of internal and external stakeholders (S). 

• Experience delivering medium scale projects or major workstreams in research or public-sector environments and in line with recognised project delivery standards such as the PDCF of the Civil Service (S&I).

• Project Management Qualification such as Agile PM Foundation, PRINCE2 Foundation, APM PMQ, or equivalent and demonstratable experience of embedding these methods within projects and or programmes (S&I). 

• Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline, or equivalent experience in a professional projects’ environment (S).  

• Ability to build productive relationships and influence decisions (S&I). 

• Ability to create and present a compelling vision, set direction and adapt to ambiguity and change (I). 

• Ability to recognise, anticipate and effectively deal with conflict (I).

Benefits 

We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning! 

A list of benefits below: 

• An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme. 

• 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent). 

• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities. 

• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice. 

• Flexible working options. 

Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance! 

For further information on our benefits please see: 

Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer. 

Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact [email protected]  

Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact [email protected].

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme.  For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

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 rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

As part of the pre-employment checks there is a requirement to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Screening. BPSS is a pre-condition of employment and failure to achieve it may mean that the employment offer is rescinded. UKRI reserves the right to run, or re-run, security clearance as required during the course of employment.