Faculty/Administrative/Service Department / IT Services
Job Title / Project Manager Team Lead
Job Family / Professional Services / Job Level / 6
Responsible to / Business Planning Manager
Responsible for (Staff) / 7 IT Project Managers
Job Purpose Statement
To lead the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for IT Project Management, defining and implementing best practices for project tools, methodologies and governance. The post holder manages the IT Project Managers, ensuring that they contribute to the development of standards and adhere to them for all projects for which they are responsible. The role will ensure that the portfolio of over 100 projects with overall development budgets of typically £4M pa capital and £1M opex are managed professionally and in the correct sequence to deliver and maximise the delivery of benefits included in approved business cases.
Key Responsibilities This document is not designed to be a list of all tasks undertaken but an outline record of the main responsibilities (5 to 8 maximum)
1. Develop and lead the CoE for IT Project Management. This will involve working closely with the ITS PMO and leading the contributions from the IT Project Managers in developing standards for templates, methodologies and governance. Collaborate with the CoE for Programme and Project Management and for Business Analyse and Process Mapping to ensure alignment between the three CoEs.
2. Introduce Agile and hybrid Waterfall/Agile methodologies to the IT PM team and ensure appropriate training is delivered to all those in IT Services and other departments who will be involved in Agile or hybrid projects.
3. Line manage the IT Project Manager Team. This includes performance management, staff development and succession planning resulting in a motivated, engaged and high performing team which adheres to all agree CoE standards. Recruit and manage IT Project Managers on short term contracts for projects whose business cases include funding for external resource. Providing guidance and mentoring for these recruits.
4. Own and manage the allocation of IT project managers to specific projects based on the overall schedule of projects agreed with the IT PMO to deliver against the priorities set through the Quadrant process. Ensure that the workloads are balanced across the team. Where it is not possible to assign an IT PM to a new project due to existing allocation, liaise with the ITS PMO and lead the discussions with the requestor to establish whether the delivery date can be revised. Where this is not the case, provide guidance on which if any of the existing projects can be rescheduled.
5. Working closely with the Service Management function, establish and embed service transition into project processes. This will clearly define the necessary and sufficient steps to move from Project delivery into Business as Usual mode.
6. As an exemplar of good practice for the IT PM team, Project Manage major IT Programmes and the IT work streams of University Programmes. This will include establishing and matrix managing project team(s) comprising technical specialists from across IT Services and the business. Typically the budget for these Programmes will be > £500,000 and the activity will span 6- 36 months. Be accountable for ensuring all project activities deliver to the required deadlines, pro-actively identifying risks early and managing their mitigation wherever possible. The post holder will draw on their skills and experience to judge when and how escalation of risk is required.
7. Be accountable to the Project Sponsor and the Programme or Project Board for the delivery of assigned projects. Produce regular and ad-hoc status reports to the agreed standard format for Boards and any other project governance groups as appropriate. The post holder will use agreed Change Management processes to obtain the Project Sponsor’s approval for any deviations to project plan beyond the agreed project tolerances. Changes to project delivery dates are likely to have a knock-on effect on the whole portfolio as the dates that resource can be released to work on other projects will be pushed back. The post holder will work with the PMO and PMs whose projects are affected by delays to minimise the impacts.
N.B. The above list is not exhaustive.
All staff are expected to:
· Positively support equality of opportunity and equity of treatment to colleagues and students in accordance with the University of Surrey Equal Opportunities Policy.· Work to achieve the aims of our Environmental Policy and promote awareness to colleagues and students.
· Follow University/departmental policies and working practices in ensuring that no breaches of information security result from their actions.
· Ensure they are aware of and abide by all relevant University Regulations and Policies relevant to the role.
· Undertake such other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by your Manager.
· Work supportively with colleagues, operating in a collegiate manner at all times.
Help maintain a safe working environment by:
· Attending training in Health and Safety requirements as necessary, both on appointment and as changes in duties and techniques demand.
· Following local codes of safe working practices and the University of Surrey Health and Safety Policy.
Elements of the Role
This section outlines some of the key elements of the role, which allow this role to be evaluated within the University’s structure. It provides an overview of what is expected from the post holder in the day-to-day operation of the role.
Planning and Organising
· Planning and organising are key dimensions of this role. Failure to plan could result in an inefficiently run Project Management team and lower value projects being delivered at the expense of strategic improvements or critical / mandatory developments to the detriment of the University’s reputation and / or finances.
· The post holder is responsible for the forward plan of Project Manager allocations across the portfolio of over 100 projects to meet the rolling 6-12 month delivery schedule agreed with the ITS PMO. Typically, these allocations will require careful management to avoid either over-loading individuals PMs or failing to provide PM resource to time-critical activity.
· They are expected to have a significant input into the development of longer-term (5 year) portfolio improvement plans and strategies.
· The post holder will on occasion be required to plan and organise Programmes into a number of separate Work Streams and delegate responsibility for their delivery to an IT PM or a designated technical expert whilst maintaining accountability for the delivery of the overall piece.
· On occasion, the post holder will be expected to take on the responsibility for in-flight re-planning of projects and of IT PM allocations due to projects which are not running within the time/budget/quality tolerances set in the business case. With assistance from the PMO, the post holder plans options and makes recommendations to the Project Sponsor to allow the Sponsor to either approve the revised plan/budget or cancel the project if required amount of change renders the business case invalid.
· Where changes have been agreed, the post holder works with the PMO to reschedule the particular project, this is likely to require negotiation with the Resource Manager from IT Services and other departments represented in the project team for the availability of individuals with key specialist skills.
· A particular challenge of this role is the complex inter-relationship between managing the overall programme of projects and individuals who they do not directly line manage, whilst simultaneously managing individual projects.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
· The post holder has considerable scope for problem solving in individual and multi-faceted cases and in establishing robust and effective Project Governance and decision making procedures. They act with considerable independence, applying their own judgement and taking a proactive approach.
· Whilst actions to be taken may be guided by external factors, they will apply a high level of knowledge, experience and judgement as well as analytical and interpretive skills to devise appropriate and timely solutions. They are expected to take into consideration both technical best practice and business factors when devising a plan of action, recognising the further implications of those decisions.
· The post holder acts as an escalation point for the 7 IT Project Managers and any other member of IT Services staff acting in a project manager capacity and will be expected to provide guidance on the resolution of specific project-related problems whilst paying close attention to any resulting impacts on other projects or Business as Usual activity.
· The post holder is expected to refer to their own experience and expertise to provide either guidance or a resolution for Programmes or Projects which have exceeded their set tolerances for time, cost and/or quality. They will think laterally about the provision of innovative solutions.
Continuous Improvement
· In close alliance with the IT PMO, the post holder is responsible for the continuous improvement of all aspects of the CoE for IT Project Management.
· The post holder is expected to conduct research on emerging best practice in the field of IT Project and Programme Management. Specifically, they will be expected to introduce Agile and hybrid Waterfall/Agile techniques, ensuring that IT PMs, Business-facing PMs and all project team members have appropriate levels of training.
· The post holder acts as an escalation point of contact for EB level Sponsors and all stakeholders involved in the portfolio management and project delivery processes and must therefore be able to provide a high level of customer service.
Accountability
· The post holder is accountable to the Business Planning Manager and CIO for the operation and continual improvement of the CoE for IT Project.
· The post holder is accountable for ensuring that all staff acting in an IT project management capacity, be they IT Project Managers (permanent or contract staff) or staff from an IT Services technical team, adhere to the agreed standards for project methodologies and templates. This ensures consistent and profession levels of delivery across the whole IT project portfolio.
· Through the course of their work, the post holder may have access to systems containing data of a sensitive or confidential nature and therefore it is essential that they ensure that all data is held securely at all times.
Dimensions of the role
· The post holder has line management responsibilities for seven permanent IT Project Managers and a fluid number of contractors and will on occasion matrix manage multi-functional project teams. They have specific responsibilities for ensuring that all IT PMs meet the performance expectation of the CoE for IT Project Managers
· The post holder will be accountability for the budgets for specific IT Programmes, IT Projects and Major IT work streams in Programmes which will typically each have budgets of £0.5-1M (Capex and Opex).
Supplementary Information
N/A
Person Specification This section describes the sum total of knowledge, experience & competence required by the post holder that is necessary for standard acceptable performance in carrying out this role.
Qualifications and Professional Memberships
Professionally qualified with a relevant degree/postgraduate qualification, plus significant relevant managerial experience and leadership experience, or substantial experience and proven success in a strategically important specialist area.
Or:
Extensive vocational and strategic management and leadership experience demonstrating professional development through involvement in a series of progressively more demanding and influential work/roles,
backed by evidence of significant development.
/ E
Technical Competencies (Experience and Knowledge) This section contains the level of competency required to carry out the role (please refer to the Competency Framework for clarification where needed and the Job Matching Guidance). / Essential/
Desirable / Level
1-3
An in depth knowledge and understanding of Programme, Project and Portfolio management best practice including Prince 2, Goal Directed Project Management and Agile methodologies / E / 3
Knowledge and skills relating to implementing and managing a broad range of Programme and Project management standards and tools / E / 3
Relevant management and leadership experience with proven success in a strategically important specialist area. Experience must include direct staff management including recruitment, performance management, staff development and succession planning / E / 3
Experience of matrix managing project staff resources and an understanding of budget management procedures. / E / 3
Experience of leading complex change projects or programmes / E / 3
Excellent IT skills with working experiences of Microsoft Packages / E / 2
Special Requirements: / Essential/
Desirable
The post holder must be willing and able to work flexibly. This will include working outside of regular office hours upon occasion to support time-critical activities including system and infrastructure implementations. / E
Core Competencies This section contains the level of competency required to carry out this role. (Please refer to the competency framework for clarification where needed). n/a (not applicable) should be placed, where the competency is not a requirement of the grade. / Level
1-3
Communication
Adaptability / Flexibility
Customer/Client service and support
Planning and Organising
Continuous Improvement
Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
Managing and Developing Performance
Creative and Analytical Thinking
Influencing, Persuasion and Negotiation Skills
Strategic Thinking & Leadership / 3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
This Job Purpose reflects the core activities of the post. As the Department/Faculty and the post holder develop, there will inevitably be some changes to the duties for which the post is responsible, and possibly to the emphasis of the post itself. The University expects that the post holder will recognise this and will adopt a flexible approach to work. This could include undertaking relevant training where necessary.
Should significant changes to the Job Purpose become necessary, the post holder will be consulted and the changes reflected in a revised Job Purpose.
Organisational/Departmental Information & Key Relationships
Background Information
With an operating budget of approx. £15M and complement of approx. 130 staff, IT Services provides a wide range of administrative and academic computing and information services for all staff and students at the University. Increasingly seen as mission critical, IT underpins both the operational heartbeat of the University and enables strategic developments. The 5 year IT Strategy is build on the following 7 strategic themes: