Senior Project Manager - Research & Evaluation (Public Affairs) in London

Make your mark at Ipsos. We are looking to recruit a Senior Project Manager with a background in managing research and evaluation projects. The role will focus on assisting with managing the delivery of large-scale programmes (£500k+) of projects. We are particularly interested in candidates with experience in social policy research and evaluation.

What is in it for you? This is an exciting opportunity for you to work on some of the largest and complex central government research and evaluation studies. The chance to make a real impact on society by working on high profile studies which influence and inform Government decision-making. Further enhance and develop your skills by working as Senior Project Manager, where you will be responsible for coordinating large-scale mixed-method evaluation and research studies, including setting up and implementing appropriate project management processes, communication and engagement with clients, partners and other internal / external stakeholders in collaboration with project directors and PM leaders, developing autonomy for day-to-day decision-making and escalation when needed. Projects will typically incorporate both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.

The role: These are the types of things you can expect to be doing during your day to day, although as Ipsos is a dynamic organisation, this may vary as different opportunities arise:

• Managing/coordinating large-scale programmes of projects to time and budget alongside individuals responsible for methodology and design, with involvement throughout the project lifecycle including use of PM tools such as RAID logs, Gantt charts, etc.
• Being the day-to-day point of contact for clients, able to manage client expectations and ensure projects stay within scope.
• Creating and managing project plans - implement project set-up, organise meetings and the allocation of project resources, and make sure different teams and partners work together effectively. You will also be directly involved in managing / implementing complex fieldwork and sampling strategies.
• Financial management of your projects, including monitoring time and cost spend against budget using Ipsos internal finance systems, managing project scope, and sourcing cost quotations.
• Business development through managing the delivery of proposals, assisting with drafting PM sections and generating repeat business through high quality delivery, excellent client relationships, and identifying and pursuing new business opportunities.
• Quality and compliance (including MRS, ISOs, GDPR) with the autonomy to develop / implement new processes. As part of this, you’ll need to initiate team project reviews, with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Inspiring a continuous improvement culture with internal Operations and external suppliers, reviewing processes and ways of working to ensure best quality of service and value for money.

About you: Essential Criteria

• Strong project management experience within large-scale (£500K Plus) research / evaluation studies
• Prince 2 or equivalent qualification
• Experience with Smartsheet, MS Project or equivalent PM tools, and MS suite of tools (Excel, Office, Word, Teams, Sharepoint)
• Proven ability to manage projects to timelines with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities
• Confidence in managing senior clients and leading meetings and discussions
• Strong commercial awareness, including experience negotiating with suppliers
• Experience of bid management, coordinating teams to deliver successful ITT responses, as well as bid writing and costing
• Experience costing projects and managing budgets, forecasts, and invoicing processes
• Experience of working with multiple partners / subcontractors
• Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and proactivity
• Strong problem-solving skills, with experience identifying and managing risks and issues
• Clear and confident communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams

Benefits: We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you as an individual. Our standard benefits include 25 days annual leave, pension contribution, income protection and life assurance. In addition, there are a range of health & wellbeing, financial benefits and professional development opportunities. We realise you may have commitments outside of work and will consider flexible working applications - please highlight what you are looking for when you make your application. We have a hybrid approach to work and ask people to be in the office or with clients for 3 days per week.

We are committed to equality, treating people fairly, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment and ensuring we have diversity of people and views. We recognise that this is important for our business success - a more diverse workforce will enable us to better reflect and understand the world we research and ultimately deliver better research and insight to our clients. We are proud to be a member of the Disability Confident scheme, certified as Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. We are dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process.