Project Officer in Stirling

The Programme Management Office (PMO) is central to the management and coordination of programmes of work across Information Services and the University. The PMO is governed by a Programme Board and encompasses all programmes and projects underway or being planned. It provides a standardised methodology, templates and approach to managing projects, and enables transparent reporting against progress and objectives, and early intervention where corrective action is required.

The Project Officer provides project and administrative support to the PMO and to projects of strategic importance, contributing to multiple projects at any given time. The Project Officer will contribute to the development and ongoing maintenance of project management template documentation and tools, the wider methodology, and other resources including the PMO SharePoint Hub. They will support the PMO to build project management skills and capacity across the Information Services team, in order to ensure that all projects, no matter how small, are managed and governed effectively and consistently by others.

The postholder will be required to be digitally adept and able to work efficiently and confidently across new technologies in support of the PMO and emerging tools in support of project or programme management and governance. The postholder will be a highly efficient coordinator, who will support the PMO by scheduling and administering project governance at all levels including project boards and the IS Programme Board. They will keep meeting records, pursue members for updates on progress against agreed actions, and will coordinate and share project documentation in a timely manner. They will have a good level of familiarity with project management and will provide advice and support to other IS colleagues who may be assigned smaller projects to manage and will occasionally be required to manage small projects themselves.

The team provides a second-line support service in their field of specialism within Information Services, underpinned by ITIL and Customer Service Excellence standards.

Description of Duties

• Provide project management support to IS colleagues who have been assigned projects to manage and undertake aspects of project management for small projects assigned through the full project management lifecycle.
• Ensure the completion and ongoing maintenance of detailed project documentation for each lifecycle stage including, for example, the PID, project plan, project reports, closure and evaluation documentation.
• Coordinate the ongoing refinement of the project management arrangements and documentation, ensuring lessons learned are shared.
• Work with the wider team to develop a project timeline and manage the budget and oversee progress to make sure goals are met on time. Regularly report on milestone progress and budget.
• Coordinate and manage project close-out activities with the support of the project manager as required.
• Provide informal training (e.g. one-to-one or small teams) in the IS project methodology or other general project management concepts, processes or procedures.
• Manage the PMO mailbox and triage support enquiries from IS colleagues in support of project management, escalating more complex issues when required.
• Take a lead role in the administration of the PMO SharePoint Hub, ensuring that all documentation and data is kept up-to-date and shared appropriately:

• Maintain the PMO project lists (requested, pipeline, active and archived), liaising with project sponsors and project managers to ensure the timely update and accuracy of data held.
• Maintain the PMO SharePoint hub with updated documentation, using appropriate document version control, and ensuring that sharing permissions are regularly reviewed and maintained.

• Support the business area in requirements gathering using a range of techniques, including, for example, requirements workshops, document analysis, interviews, use cases, task/workflow analysis, process mapping, etc.
• Identify issues, recognise opportunities and propose solutions to help establish and maintain successful collaborations and demonstrate agility in response to unexpected challenges.

• Collate and record performance data and/or management information.
• Edit and compile data into appropriate project reports in liaison with the project manager/project manager lead.

• Coordinate PMO governance meetings including project boards, workshops and IS Programme Board, including the scheduling of meetings, preparation and distribution of documentation, keeping meeting records, and following up with board members to ensure progress against agreed actions.
• Support procurement activity or contract reviews, maintain project documentation, through the documentation of business analysis/user requirement workshops, etc.
• Ensure that engagement activity outputs are documented and shared in a timely manner.

Essential Criteria

• Qualifications: Degree in a relevant discipline; or equivalent qualification. Formal project or programme management qualification or certification (e.g. PRINCE2 Foundation, P3O Foundation, APM PFQ, or similar), or willing to achieve within a reasonable timescale.
• Knowledge & Experience: Experience in a busy and demanding work environment, ability to work under pressure at times to produce accurate work to deadlines and attention to detail. Experience of supporting and documenting a PMO or similar business area. Experience of scheduling and coordinating project boards and other governance activities, including the preparation and distribution of project documentation. Demonstrable experience of writing documentation including user support materials, project documents, etc. Excellent understanding and experience of technologies, including MS Project, SharePoint, O365 and other related tools. Experience of capturing and managing data with a high degree of precision.
• Skills & Attributes: A customer-oriented approach to service design, delivery and evaluation; Highly organised approach to managing services and workload, with the ability to work calmly and systematically. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate appropriately and effectively with a wide range of stakeholders. Ability to investigate, gather, collate and analyse information. Digitally adept and inquisitive; always exploring new digital technologies/tools with a view to improving services, processes, etc.

Desirable Criteria

• Qualifications: ITIL certification. Customer service certification or qualification.
• Knowledge & Experience: Knowledge of project management methods or concepts, and some experience of managing small projects. Experience of working within ITIL and Customer Service Excellence standards. Experience of performance management and continuous service improvement. Experience of training and supporting others in project management. Experience of working in the HE sector.

Additional Information

• Full time, Open ended.
• The closing date for applications is midnight on Tuesday 24 February 2026. Interviews are expected to take place Tuesday 10/Wednesday 11 March 2026.
• There is an expectation that work will be undertaken in the UK.
• This role may be eligible for sponsorship depending on candidate circumstances under SOC code 3543.
• The University of Stirling recognises that a diverse workforce benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers and welcome applications from those who would contribute to further diversification of our staff and ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is woven into the substance of the role. We strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including gender, identity, race, age, class, and ethnicity.

Behaviours and Competencies

• The role holder will be required to evidence that they can meet the qualities associated with the following behavioural competencies, as detailed within the AUA Competency Framework:

• Managing self and personal skills: Being aware of your own behaviour and mindful of how it impacts on others, enhancing personal skills to adapt professional practice accordingly.
• Delivering excellent service: Providing the best quality service to external and internal clients. Building genuine and open long-term relationships in order to drive up service standards.
• Finding solutions: Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically to analyse problems and to develop workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.
• Embracing change: Being open to and engaging with new ideas and ways of working. Adjusting to unfamiliar situations, shifting demands and changing roles.
• Using resources effectively: Identifying and making the most productive use of resources including people, time, information, networks and budgets.
• Engaging with the wider context: Enhancing your contribution to the organisation through an understanding of the bigger picture and showing commitment to organisational values.
• Developing self and others: Showing commitment to own ongoing professional development. Supporting and encouraging others to develop their professional knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential.
• Working together: Working collaboratively with others in order to achieve objectives. Recognising and valuing the different contributions people bring to this process.
• Achieving Results: Consistently meeting agreed objectives and success criteria. Taking personal responsibility for getting things done.