Project Manager
Project Manager – Swindon Borough Council
Purpose:
Working as part of the Project & Programme Delivery Team, this role has lead responsibility for undertaking the Project Manager role on Client’s key strategic and complex transport and highways projects, ensuring that each project delivers the predicted benefits on time and within budget, through established project management processes, generating exceptional value for the Client.
Manage a portfolio of bespoke projects each with a value of up to £30m, including but not limited to capital delivery, revenue grant projects and major bids. Managing SBC interface and response to major infrastructure projects delivered by other parties (e.g. statutory providers)
Assign and oversee elements of project work to a direct report(s), and the matrix management of specialists in specific technical projects. Identify and suggest improvements to ways of working, to infrastructure and to processes in order to feedback on what works, what doesn’t and what should be done in the future to ensure that Swindon delivers consistently excellent advice and services to the community.
Excellent internal and external communication skills will be required to provide advice and technical guidance within specific areas of specialism, managing streams of activities and using expertise in a specific technical area to deliver outputs, liaising with a number of stakeholders to deliver required outputs, including statutory bodies, key consultees, Elected Members and the public.
The role holder will be expected to translate technical and complex language into documentation (e.g. contracts, briefs, reports and drawings) that can be easily understood by a non-technical audience.
Accountabilities:
• Develop, prepare and manage project documentation for multi-disciplinary in-house and partner project teams, including the development of project briefs and business cases, project plans, forward planning strategic risk registers, issue logs and budget management tools.
• Ensure all project change control processes are initiated, agreed and implemented. Assess the financial operational and political impact of any changes to projects and propose solutions and mitigation.
• Dynamic management project risks via instigation of appropriate interventions and mitigations where achievement of project delivery is at risk.
• Ownership and accountability of the project programme to identify critical paths and resolve problems to ensure milestones are achieved.
• Identify, provide technical advice, manage and administer NEC3 / NEC4 contracts within the NEC suite of contracts to include Term Service, Professional Services and Engineering Construction.
• Prepare documentation for the procurement of goods, services and works using NEC3 / NEC4 Term Service, Professional Service and Engineering Construction Contracts.
• Procure contracts to include the advertising of contracts, management and coordination of the Council’s Gateway process, responding to tender clarifications, post tender analysis of submitted documentation and contract award / appointment following the sealing of contract.
• Manage, and where needed, lead on Contract Management of the Principal Contractor and Principal Designer
• Supervise and guide a team of external technical specialists and / or oversee the work of external contractors, to ensure all technical project activity and on-going workloads are delivered effectively, safely, accurately, on time and within budget.
• Establish, monitor and report on project Key Performance Indictors (KPIs)
• Manage and co-ordinate projects based on established project management principles.
• Prepare, monitor and report project updates (written and verbal) including recommendations and decisions to project boards, the Cabinet Member and / or committees, as required.
• Act as a single point of contact for all stakeholders, including external agencies, concerning the progress of projects, and handling of communications upstream and downstream
• Manage and control significant service or project budgets and, in certain cases, take responsibility for developing income-generating services.
• Undertake post project analysis and sharing of lessons learned with wider department colleagues to ensure improvement across SBC and best practice.
• Keep abreast of activities happening across the wider department , with an understanding of how the activities of this role will affect other areas.
• Build strong and positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders and colleagues, to deliver expert technical advice and guidance where necessary and appropriate.
• Represent the Client as subject matter experts with customers, colleagues and external agencies.
• Provide technical advice to ensure all projects are carried out in accordance with SBC, HSE and CDM 2015 health, safety and environmental regulations and procedures.
• Take part in formal communications and provide evidence-based advice and challenge across different levels of the business, including senior management and stakeholders, to influence behaviour and persuade them to think and act differently.
3
• Deputise for the Senior Project Manager / Programme Manager in their absence on day-to day matters arising and make key decisions, as appropriate, taking of their accountabilities
• Ensure projects achieve value for money, comply with current standards and promote innovation and best practice.
• Undertake site visits to ensure project progress and all relevant standards are maintained.
• Develop, co-ordinate and manage public consultation and public relations concerning projects.
• Any other duties and / or accountabilities commensurate with the roles seniority to meet the needs of residents, through the application of relevant knowledge, skills and experience within the specialism of the role.
Supplementary Accountabilities
Managerial
• Manage, lead and motivate a team of staff including APMs, specialist technical services, consultants, designers and site supervisors, whilst maintaining a highly competent, creative and participative culture through visibly effective leadership, the promotion of high-quality standards and the development of high-performance teams.
• Input into business continuity planning; manage budgets and contracts effectively and make the best use of resources to meet service requirements internally and request external BCP from contractors to ensure coordination and implementation.
• Provide effective planning for the service over the medium term and input into the wider plan.
• Provide effective management of a team (professional competence of team, performance and accuracy, PDR completion, turnover and attendance etc.).
• Provide effective resource and budget management.
Professional
• Provide specialist technical services and advice to particular areas of the Council, often ensuring that they bring internal best practice from the marketplace.
• Provide accurate technical and specialist advice.
• Input into new ways of working.
• Keep up-to-date with changes in the external environment and share best practice and inputs into service planning.
Context and Dimensions:
Financial responsibilities: This role has direct budget accountability of up to £100k spend approval and management of a portfolio of bespoke project costs each up to £30m.
Rate of Pay
PAYE: £43.53
Umbrella: £58.66
Location: Civic Campus, Euclid Street, Swindon, SN1 2JG, United Kingdom