Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead complex projects to transform Versus Arthritis into a sustainable charity.
- Company: Join Versus Arthritis, dedicated to improving lives affected by arthritis.
- Benefits: Enjoy hybrid working, excellent benefits, and a supportive team culture.
- Why this job: Make a real impact while developing your project management skills in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Proven project management experience and strong communication skills required.
- Other info: Inclusive employer with a commitment to diversity and support for all applicants.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Location (UK): Office Hybrid* - London / Chesterfield
Hours: Full-time 35 hours per week
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer
Contract type: Fixed-term – 12 Month Maternity Cover
Travel: Occasional travel to either our London or Chesterfield office.
Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis. Within the Finance and Corporate Resources Directorate, the Change Delivery Team are driving delivery of a strategic programme of work to transform Versus Arthritis into a more sustainable charity. As experts in project, programme, and change management, we are deployed to identify, deliver, and embed the organisation’s most complex changes. We also support colleagues to deliver smaller scale changes and improvement activities in their plans by providing project management guidance, learning and development opportunities, and a suite of tools and templates.
We are looking for an ambitious and proactive Senior Project Manager to join our tenacious team.
About the role
This role is a unique senior role perfect for an experienced project manager skilled in the day-to-day management of projects, with knowledge of diverse project management methodologies, and the enthusiasm and skills to upskill, coach and engage people of all levels in project management to help embed this way of working across the organisation. This role sits within a dedicated team of project and programme experts, overseen by the Head of Change Delivery, and working in collaboration with senior leaders across the organisation to deliver the charities’ most high-risk, high-value, and complex change projects within our Sustainability Programme.
The purpose of this role is to:
- Advocate for and maintain our established organisational project management approach, including project management standards, documentation templates, and resources.
- Evolve, and deliver, a learning and development offer to build project management capability and confidence across the charity.
- Develop creative ways to engage colleagues in the Sustainability Programme to take them on the change journey.
- Refine and deliver a support offer to assist teams in delivering their own small-scale projects and improvement activities - likely through mentoring, coaching, and workshop facilitation.
- Undertake deployments to manage delivery of complex change projects within the Sustainability Programme, ensuring they are delivered on time, to budget, and to the required standard.
- Line manage a small team of Project Officers.
About you
If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we’d love to hear from you:
- Exceptional, proven, project and change management skills.
- The ability to effectively mentor and upskill others in project management.
- Highly effective listening, verbal, and written communication skills.
- Experience in effectively monitoring, analysing, and reporting on major project variables including people, process, financials, and data.
- Strong planning skills with the ability to deliver to deadlines, work independently, and manage multiple concurrent priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience in line management of a small team.
- Advanced Microsoft Office skills (SharePoint, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel in particular) and some familiarity with Monday.com would be beneficial.
*As a hybrid worker, the expectation is that you will spend around 40% of your working time in our office spaces or working in community settings. As an inclusive employer, we will consider home-based working for anyone where office-based hybrid working would be a barrier to being able to work for us, for example, for someone living with a long-term health condition or disability.
Application deadline and shortlisting: We advise candidates to apply early as we reserve the right to close applications ahead of this date. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
We do not wish to receive contact from agencies or media sales.
Please note that we do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) during our recruitment and selection processes, and we would respectfully ask that you also refrain from using AI during the selection process. Whilst we do recognise that AI may be a beneficial tool for some when aiding research and preparation for an application or interview, we want to maintain a fair, inclusive and positive recruitment experience at Versus Arthritis where candidates can feel supported to demonstrate their experience, knowledge, and skills without the use of AI generated answers.
Interview
Interviews expected: First interview on either Tuesday 8 or Wednesday 9 April 2025 at our London or Chesterfield office. As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee you will be offered an interview if you disclose a disability and demonstrate sufficient evidence within your application that you meet the essential criteria for this role. We will also make any reasonable adjustments you may require for your interview.
About us
We have made a commitment in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to increase the diversity of our charity and we welcome candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We want our employees, volunteers and trustees to represent the broad diversity of the communities of which we are a part. There are over 10 million people living with arthritis. That’s one in six, with over half of those living in pain every single day. The impact is huge as the condition slowly intrudes on everyday life – affecting the ability to work, care for a family, to move free from pain and to live independently. Yet arthritis is often dismissed as an inevitable part of ageing or shrugged off as ‘just a bit of arthritis’. We don’t think that this is OK. Versus Arthritis is here to change that. Versus Arthritis is committed to keeping children, young people and vulnerable adults safe from harm. During the recruitment process we will undertake safer recruitment practices and relevant checks to ensure applicants are suitable to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Senior Project Manager employer: Versus Arthritis
Contact Detail:
Versus Arthritis Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Project Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the specific project management methodologies mentioned in the job description. Being able to discuss your experience with these methodologies during the interview will demonstrate your expertise and alignment with our needs.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare examples of how you've successfully mentored or coached others in project management. This role requires strong leadership skills, so showcasing your ability to upskill colleagues will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Tip Number 3
Research Versus Arthritis and our Sustainability Programme. Understanding our mission and the challenges we face will allow you to tailor your responses in the interview, showing that you're genuinely invested in our work.
✨Tip Number 4
Be ready to discuss your experience with managing complex change projects, particularly in a charity or non-profit context. Highlighting relevant experiences will help illustrate your capability to handle the high-risk, high-value projects we undertake.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Project Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your project and change management skills, particularly those that align with the requirements of the Senior Project Manager role. Use specific examples from your past experiences to demonstrate your ability to manage complex projects.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for the mission of Versus Arthritis and how your skills can contribute to their Sustainability Programme. Be sure to mention your experience in mentoring and upskilling others, as this is a key aspect of the role.
Showcase Communication Skills: Given the emphasis on effective communication in the job description, ensure that your application reflects your strong verbal and written communication skills. Use clear and concise language, and consider including examples of how you've successfully communicated complex ideas in previous roles.
Highlight Relevant Tools and Methodologies: Mention your familiarity with project management tools like Monday.com and your advanced Microsoft Office skills. This will show that you are well-equipped to handle the technical aspects of the role and can hit the ground running.
How to prepare for a job interview at Versus Arthritis
✨Showcase Your Project Management Expertise
Be prepared to discuss your previous project management experiences in detail. Highlight specific methodologies you've used and how they contributed to successful project outcomes. This will demonstrate your capability to manage complex projects effectively.
✨Emphasise Your Mentoring Skills
Since the role involves mentoring and upskilling others, be ready to share examples of how you've successfully coached team members in project management. Discuss any training sessions or workshops you've facilitated to illustrate your ability to engage and develop others.
✨Demonstrate Strong Communication Skills
Effective communication is key in this role. Prepare to showcase your listening, verbal, and written communication skills through examples. You might want to discuss how you've communicated project updates or changes to stakeholders in the past.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving abilities in real-world scenarios. Think about challenges you've faced in project management and how you overcame them. This will help you illustrate your planning skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
