Senior Project Manager in City of Westminster

Nationality requirements:

• UK Nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries with right to work in the UK
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

Applicants must meet the above nationality requirements. No sponsorship for work visas is provided.

About the NAO:

The National Audit Office (NAO) scrutinises public spending on behalf of Parliament, helping it hold government departments to account and supporting public service leaders to improve performance and service delivery. The NAO is independent of government.

About the role:

The Senior Project Delivery Manager leads the delivery of digital projects and workstreams within the Digital Services team. The role reports to the Head of PMO or equivalent.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead delivery and day‑to‑day management of Digital Services projects.
• Help define and document project scope, goals and deliverables that support business objectives.
• Manage projects on a day‑to‑day basis on behalf of the sponsor / Project Board throughout the full life cycle, in accordance with NAO guidance and standards.
• Produce high‑quality project reporting and governance documentation, including progress, risk, issue and status reporting for teams, stakeholders and boards.
• Monitor and manage project budgets, ensuring accurate forecasting and effective financial control.
• Establish project controls and ensure they are effective (governance, risk and issue management, highlight and exception reporting, project reviews).
• Communicate project goals and progress clearly to team members and stakeholders.
• Support the technical project owner by leading and coordinating project delivery teams, delegating as appropriate to ensure timely, cost‑effective delivery of fit‑for‑purpose solutions.
• Develop change management plans, including communication and engagement plans.
• Manage stakeholder relationships across the business to support successful project initiation, transition into business‑as‑usual and closure.
• Ensure projects are appropriately resourced, negotiating with department managers and external suppliers as needed.
• Identify and manage project and inter‑project dependencies, including critical path activities.
• Plan, schedule and track project timelines, milestones and deliverables.
• Proactively manage changes to project scope, identify potential risks and devise contingency plans, providing project boards with options for resolution.
• Define project success criteria and disseminate them throughout the project lifecycle.
• Build strong working relationships that support successful project delivery.
• Lead project reviews and capture lessons learned to identify successful and unsuccessful elements.
• Apply appropriate project delivery tools, governance and controls to support effective project execution.
• Share knowledge and embed good project delivery practice across the team.
• Contribute to solution development ensuring options align with business needs and data architecture.

Personnel management responsibilities (5%):

• Provide timely, delivery‑focused feedback on the contribution of project team members.
• Support, coach and coordinate project team members and contractors, encouraging proactive working and accountability.
• Delegate tasks and responsibilities as appropriate.
• Identify and resolve issues and conflicts within the project team.

Required skills and experience:

• Formal training and experience in at least one modern software development lifecycle / methodology (e.g. PRINCE2, Agile).
• Experience delivering digital change initiatives and projects, including infrastructure, cloud or network related change.
• Strong leadership and coordination skills, with experience leading multi‑disciplinary business and technology teams.
• Experience planning, monitoring and reporting on projects using tools such as MS Project or Azure DevOps.
• Positive, delivery‑focused approach.
• Excellent people skills, self‑aware.
• Negotiation, conflict management, influence and gaining buy‑in for new initiatives.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including presentation skills.
• Ability to clearly articulate and communicate project concepts and issues to both technical and non‑technical staff.
• Understanding of business analysis techniques and how they support delivery of digital change projects.
• Ability to effectively prioritise and execute tasks in a complex and changing environment.

Desirable experience:

• Experience using Azure DevOps.
• Experience with workshop facilitation.

Internal and external relationships:

• DS management and colleagues within DS, Engagement & Change, Business Analysts, Test Leads and other Delivery Managers.
• Programme / Project Boards and delivery team members.
• Build effective relationships with staff at all levels and working directly with users to ensure technology systems and services meet user and business needs.
• Build relationships across NAO audit and corporate service teams to keep stakeholders engaged and informed.
• Work closely with service owners to understand priorities, resource implications and service impacts.
• External relationships with suppliers.

Resources managed:

• Staff: No line management responsibilities; staff allocation depends on project size.
• External resources: Manage external consultants and specialists as required.
• Budget: Support management of project budgets and financial controls.