Project Manager

Location: South West, Gloucestershire, Rosehill - Hybrid

Contract Type: Full Time

About UCAS: UCAS is at the heart of connecting people to higher education. UCAS is the world’s leading shared admissions service for higher education. We provide application services for UK universities and colleges as well as delivering a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers. We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers — they're at the heart of everything we do.

Business Unit description: The purpose of our People and Change team is to motivate and mobilise our people to deliver organisational change, enabling us to stay ahead of customer expectations and provide exceptional service. We aim to create an environment which brings together diverse thinking, passion and expertise to work together in delivering our mission and strategy. We shape the culture and ways of working, identify and hire the right capabilities and talent, help people use their strengths and potential to learn and grow, and measure and monitor success so we know our work is having a positive impact. We want UCAS to be a great employer where colleagues are enabled to reach their fullest potential and our team is at the heart of this ambition.

About the role: To plan and execute initiatives to help UCAS improve existing operations and processes, run events or develop new products and services. The Project Manager’s role is to guide a team through the initiative by making sure the schedule, budget, and communications are aligned in order to hit the project’s goals or to turn the product manager’s vision into reality.

Key accountabilities:

• Manage all aspects of designated initiatives from conception to delivery.
• Facilitate the writing of business cases, including helping to define objectives and scope to secure the required funding and resources.
• Work with the Business Owner to run a kick-off meeting with delivery teams and key stakeholders to cover the approach, timelines, resources and overall goals including supporting the ongoing integration of third party partner resources and internal ‘part-time’ team members.
• Translate requirements into a delivery plan, working with the wider team to achieve effective resource identification, estimation, allocation and utilisation.
• Identify and manage dependencies, including those outside the initiative, working closely with the product-focused multi-disciplinary Teams (MDTs) to negotiate and prioritise the work within the product roadmaps within the required timeframes via the Demand Management Forum.

Skills, qualifications, and experience:

• Strong experience of managing projects to completion specifically in a digital product business.
• Understanding and experience of utilising different project management approaches and methodologies, able to apply these in a blended way.
• Strong experience of managing without authority and the ability to lead and influence others outside of their direct team, working within a matrix structure.
• Experience of budget and supplier management to ensure control of spend and value for money is achieved.
• Ability to continuously anticipate change and drive improvement in project delivery processes and tools to meet business and user needs.
• Comfortable in questioning the status quo with a creative yet pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
• Possesses tenacity, drive and a proactive approach to recognise, intercept and address challenges early.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with key project stakeholders to establish support and minimise resistance to the change.
• Proficient user of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Microsoft Teams and Sharepoint.
• Experience of using project management software (e.g. Monday.com).

Package:

• Salary – up to £45,000.
• Purpose-driven work in a charity-led organisation connecting people to education and opportunity.
• Internal training, mentoring, and access to industry-recognised certifications through our development academies.
• Hybrid working model built on trust and flexibility, with a 35-hour week and flexible contracts.
• 30 days annual leave, 3 concessionary days over Christmas, bank holidays, and the option to purchase additional leave.
• Everyday wellbeing support through Perkbox, offering discounts and wellness tools.
• Onsite facilities including a free gym, subsidised café, and free parking at our Cheltenham office.
• Inclusive culture supported by employee networks, wellbeing champions, and Mental Health First Aiders.
• Recognition and reward through our quarterly employee scheme and an ex-gratia bonus for going above and beyond.

Studies have shown that some groups of people are less likely to apply to a role unless they tick every box. At UCAS, we recognise that talent comes in various forms and we are committed to delivering a fair and equitable recruitment process where applicants have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills. So, if you are interested in this vacancy, but don't necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still apply. If you have any questions and would like to find out more about the role before applying please email the Talent Acquisition team via careers@ucas.ac.uk and one of us will be in touch.