At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead tech projects, ensuring timely delivery and quality standards while optimising team performance.
- Company: Join the University of Sheffield, a world-class institution with a vibrant community.
- Benefits: 41 days annual leave, flexible working, generous pension, and discounts on shopping and travel.
- Other info: Diverse workplace with opportunities for personal development and career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by bridging strategy and execution in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in agile methodologies and excellent communication skills are essential.
The predicted salary is between 38249 - 46735 £ per year.
The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world‑class university. We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement, a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.
Overview
The Delivery Manager bridges product strategy and execution by orchestrating people, processes, and resources to deliver successful product initiatives. Working at the intersection of product, technology and business stakeholders, the role translates strategic roadmaps into actionable plans while ensuring adherence to timelines, quality standards and budget constraints. The Delivery Manager creates transparency around delivery progress, proactively removes obstacles and guides cross‑functional teams through the delivery lifecycle. As a Delivery Manager you will combine technical understanding with exceptional organisational and interpersonal skills to champion agile methodologies and foster collaborative environments. You will balance tactical coordination with strategic thinking, continuously seeking opportunities to optimise delivery processes while maintaining team health and stakeholder satisfaction. Success in this role requires adaptability to changing priorities, strong problem‑solving abilities, and excellent communication skills, with opportunities to grow from supporting individual team activities to driving delivery excellence across multiple workstreams.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Manage the execution of delivery plans aligned to the product roadmap, ensuring adherence to timelines, quality standards and budget constraints while optimising business value outcomes.
- Facilitate agile ceremonies (daily stand‑ups, sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives) and coach teams on agile principles and practices appropriate to their maturity level.
- Identify, track, and resolve delivery impediments and blockers, implementing measures to maintain continuous team momentum.
- Prepare and communicate delivery status reports tailored to different stakeholder audiences, clearly conveying progress, variances, dependencies and risks.
- Partner with Product Owners and Product Managers to refine and prioritise the backlog, ensuring alignment between delivery capabilities and product goals.
- Implement continuous improvement initiatives based on team metrics, with focus on enhancing velocity, quality, and overall delivery efficiency.
- Create and maintain project and initiative documentation including delivery plans, status tracking and performance metrics that demonstrate delivery effectiveness.
- Foster team health, engagement, and psychological safety through collaborative problem‑solving and effective conflict resolution techniques.
- Coordinate cross‑team dependencies by creating visibility across workstreams and facilitating effective communication between teams.
- Leverage appropriate delivery tools and technologies to streamline workflows, improve visibility and enhance team productivity.
- Scale responsibilities according to experience level, from supporting activities under guidance to independently driving delivery excellence across multiple workstreams.
- Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the position.
Person Specification
Our diverse community appreciates unique abilities, backgrounds and beliefs. Even if your experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.
Essential Criteria
- Demonstrated experience of successfully delivering technology projects to agreed timelines and quality standards.
- Experience leading technology delivery using agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban or similar frameworks).
- Excellent communication skills with ability to tailor messaging to diverse stakeholder audiences.
- Proven ability to identify, track and resolve delivery impediments and blockers.
- Experience facilitating agile ceremonies and supporting teams on effective delivery practices.
- Demonstrated skills in risk management, dependency coordination and scope management.
- Proficiency with delivery tracking tools and project management software.
- Agile certification (CSM, CSPO, SAFe or equivalent).
- Experience in cross‑functional team leadership or coordination.
- Knowledge of product management principles and processes (Desirable).
- Track record of implementing measurable continuous improvement initiatives (Desirable).
Further Information
Grade: 7
Salary: £38,249-£46,735 per annum
Work arrangement: Full‑time
Duration: 12 months Fixed‑term contract
Line manager: Delivery Lead
Direct reports: N/A
Next Steps in the Recruitment Process
If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact it-services-recruitment@sheffield.ac.uk.
We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.
Delivery Manager in Sheffield employer: Diversity Dashboard
The University of Sheffield is an exceptional employer that prioritises the wellbeing and development of its staff, offering a competitive benefits package including generous annual leave, flexible working arrangements, and a strong commitment to professional growth. With a vibrant work culture that values diversity and collaboration, employees are encouraged to thrive in their roles while contributing to meaningful projects that make a positive impact on society. Join us at this world-class university to be part of a community that champions innovation and inclusivity.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Delivery Manager in Sheffield
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company culture! Before your interview, check out the University of Sheffield's website and social media. Understanding their values and what makes them tick will help you connect during the conversation.
✨Tip Number 2
Practice your delivery skills! As a Delivery Manager, you'll need to communicate effectively with various stakeholders. Try role-playing common interview questions with a friend to sharpen your responses and boost your confidence.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your agile experience! Be ready to discuss specific examples of how you've led teams using agile methodologies. Highlight any challenges you faced and how you overcame them to keep projects on track.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up! After your interview, send a thank-you email to express your appreciation for the opportunity. It’s a great way to reinforce your interest in the role and keep you top of mind for the hiring team.
We think you need these skills to ace Delivery Manager in Sheffield
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your experience aligns with the role of Delivery Manager. Use keywords from the job description to show that you understand what we're looking for.
Showcase Your Agile Experience:Since this role heavily involves agile methodologies, be sure to detail your experience with Scrum, Kanban, or similar frameworks. We want to see how you've successfully led technology delivery in the past!
Communicate Clearly:Your communication skills are key! When writing your application, ensure that your messaging is clear and tailored to different audiences. This will demonstrate your ability to convey complex information effectively.
Highlight Problem-Solving Skills:Don't forget to mention specific examples where you've identified and resolved delivery impediments. We love seeing how you've tackled challenges head-on and kept projects on track!
How to prepare for a job interview at Diversity Dashboard
✨Know Your Agile Methodologies
As a Delivery Manager, you'll need to demonstrate your understanding of agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban. Brush up on these frameworks and be ready to discuss how you've applied them in past projects. Share specific examples of how you facilitated agile ceremonies and coached teams.
✨Tailor Your Communication
Communication is key in this role, so practice tailoring your messaging for different stakeholders. Think about how you can convey complex delivery statuses in a clear and concise manner. Prepare to share examples of how you've successfully communicated with diverse audiences in previous roles.
✨Showcase Problem-Solving Skills
Be prepared to discuss how you've identified and resolved delivery impediments in the past. Think of specific challenges you've faced and the strategies you used to overcome them. This will show your potential employer that you can maintain team momentum even when obstacles arise.
✨Highlight Continuous Improvement Initiatives
The University of Sheffield values continuous improvement, so come ready to discuss any initiatives you've implemented to enhance delivery efficiency. Share metrics or outcomes that demonstrate your impact, and be open to discussing how you can bring this mindset to their team.