Project Manager - 12 months Fixed term contract

Job Introduction

Role Purpose 

Fixed term contract for 12 months.

The post-holder is required to support Children's Services with planning and managing the delivery of multiple project workstreams across the Home to School Transport Function (HTST). This project is designed to achieve savings and better manage demand for free assistance with the costs of travel and create a sustainable service of transport. 

The post-holder will work closely with the Children's Programme Manager to support the change agenda of Children's Services at BCP and help the service achieve best possible organisational performance. 

The post-holder must be confident in delivering a variety of project and change based tasks, able to work collaboratively across a range of stakeholders and will be able to coordinate the activity of the project team, stakeholders and sponsors to ensure delivery in line with time, quality and cost requirements.   

The role requires flexibility in how work is delivered, comfortable to work alone, or work in partnership with a team engaged on distinct pieces of work. 

Main Responsibilities

• Define project scope, objectives and deliverables in collaboration with stakeholders, where appropriate with support from the wider PPM team. Develop project approach and use associated tools and methods to drive execution of objectives.
• Support the project to embed a new operating system and data based performance management processes which help to identify areas for further improvement.
• Using data and evidence, work with colleagues across the service to develop, consult and implement Home to School Transport policy changes aligned to statutory changes.
• Work collaboratively with the Passenger Transport Unit to develop and implement a strategy which delivers greater flexibility and costs reductions around HTST.
• Prepare a funded proposal to move from individual HTST collections to centralised pick up points.  
• Coordinate the corporate change process in line with BCP's Project Framework.
• Advise on all aspects of project planning (time, cost, quality, risk, benefit, scope, stakeholder management, communication and change impact). 
• Facilitate project workstreams consisting of internal and external stakeholders – ensuring performance is monitored and reporting to key stakeholders within relevant services, providing timely, accurate and relevant information.
• Be responsible for the collation and appropriate use of complex and sometimes sensitive data (financial, process or HR data) from across the organisation, to support project outcomes. Analyse or interpret the data and identify where synergies or duplication exist. 
• Identify project resources, assign tasks and management of project team to ensure optimal performance and successful outputs. 
• Facilitate effective communication and collaboration, fostering a positive and inclusive team environment and focus on delivery.

The Ideal Candidate

• Relevant degree (or equivalent experience) 
• Advanced relevant professional qualification (Prince2, APM, Agile) or equivalent understanding with clearly evidenced continuous professional development demonstrating an understanding of best practice. 
• While specific subject knowledge of HTST is not required, relative work experience demonstrating practical and theoretical knowledge of effective project management in the Public Sector or comparable business sector is desirable. 
• Good knowledge of ICT including MS Office applications, MS Dynamics and relevant project management software and applications. 
• Proven track record of delivering complex or high-risk projects on time, on budget and to quality standards.
•  Experience of successfully managing a complex and high-risk case load, planning and prioritising workload to respond effectively to changing or conflicting demands to ensure that deadlines are met. 
• Able to build relationships and rapport quickly to partner with a business area with consideration to differing customer needs. 
• Change Management qualification or equivalent practical experience. 
• Knowledge and experience of supporting services through continuous improvement.

About BCP Council

BCP Council provides services to a diverse community of 400,000 residents and employs more than 5,000 people. Our area includes over 15 miles of beautiful world-renowned coastline. We can offer career defining roles to transform and improve services. By working with us, you can help deliver a vision of a thriving, word-class, prosperous and inclusive place for generations to come.

Our Benefits

We offer an excellent benefits package to colleagues. Find out more on our website.

As a result of the creation of BCP Council in 2019, we are working on simplifying our terms and conditions of service and will be creating a single pay structure which is to be applicable for all employees. It is important to us that we offer benefits that our colleagues value as part of their total employment package and we are reviewing these to make sure we have it right. We have been in a process of collective bargaining since 2019 and have positively worked forward to reach an agreed position with the unions for the new contractual offer. This has taken longer than we hoped and therefore we are having to consider all alternative avenues available to enable us to remove inequality in the organisation as a result of bringing together 3 councils. 

We are in the process of establishing a timescale for implementation, and all colleagues joining us will be included in these changes. We want to reassure everyone that whichever route is taken to reach the new terms and conditions, we can honour continuous service and there will not be any job reduction as a result of the implementation of Pay and Reward.  If you have any questions at all about this process, please feel free to raise this with the hiring manager.