Senior Programme Manager (Major Projects)

For jobs located in Wales, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable.

From the design and development of policies to the delivery of services supporting work, welfare, pensions and child maintenance, DWP is the Government’s largest department.

People are at the very heart of what we do. We ensure disabled people can live more independent lives; help tackle poverty and homelessness; provide a financial foundation for a secure old age; and support families ensuring children can fulfil their potential.

DWP has the largest commercial estate in government and our team is committed to being smaller, greener and better – helping people to work, grow and thrive. Our estate provides accommodation for colleagues who support millions of daily customer interactions in Jobcentres and Health Assessment centres, back of house offices delivering frontline services and hub sites housing expert functions such as Policy, Finance, Digital and HR.

The DWP Estates function ensures the smooth and efficient operation of this network on a day-to-day basis. We manage a private sector supply chain that delivers essential services such as security guarding, maintenance, property and leasehold, construction, cleaning and facilities management. Many of these services are business critical and we cannot safely open our offices without them. 

Our ambitions are to:

• Transition to a smaller, more affordable, and adaptable estate
• Invest in improving DWP’s buildings and infrastructure, conducted mainly through an extensive programme of planned replacement works 
• Meet our agreed Government Greening Commitments – creating a culture where sustainability is embedded
• Expertly deliver cost effective services
• Create a professional working culture that is best in class across the Government Property world.

There is no better time to join us as we transform our estate and make our buildings fit for the future.

Reporting to the G6 Major Projects Lead this role is professionally responsible for the end to end delivery process for major projects from inception to completion. The Senior Programme Manager should co-ordinate the delivery of projects on budget, on programme and to a high standard of quality across the Authorities large and complex Real Estate portfolio through active liaison with the DWP Estates team.

The Senior Programme Manager will be required to understand the context of the organisation at its broadest perspective to effectively manage our assets in conjunction with the wider Estates strategic portfolio plan. This will require you to liaise and represent Estates with senior stakeholders across DWP and other Government Departments.

Government Property Profession Career Framework (Link)

This role sits within the following:

• Job Family – Property & Construction Projects
• Core Role – Property & Construction Project Management
• Level – Senior Practitioner

Key accountabilities

• Professionally accountable for all phases of project management including responsibility for procurement/contracting with suppliers, tendering, initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, controlling and closeout phases to ensure projects are effectively managed. Key focus areas include scope, budget, schedule, quality and risk management
• Liaising and working in partnership across Estates and the EPMS supplier partner, ensuring appropriate and accurate input to the Demand Management and Business Case Approvals processes relating to all major projects and overseeing the EPMS and programme management supplier’s PMO function to ensure accurate reporting and project monitoring
• Support an inclusive and collaborative working culture with internal colleagues and the other Estates Project Teams who may be delivering directly related projects with high dependency factors to be considered

Understand DWP’s governance policies and procedures, and responsible for ensuring governance policies and procedures are adhered to across functional responsibility and wider DWP Estates department.

In partnership with Strategy and Portfolio Planning, manage demand that builds the project needs that promote work place efficiency / space optimisation in support of the strategic portfolio plan.

Ensures projects are procured to the appropriate professional, technical and quality standards.

Liaise with key internal function and partners (e.g. IT, HR and Legal departments) to facilitate, manage and coordinate the full collaboration and resources required to ensure the end to end delivery, with high quality and within agreed contracted timescales.

• Responsible for ensuring detailed programming, design and contractual obligations related to the construction/building project are managed and fulfilled.
• Interact regularly with key senior stakeholders and customers, to ensure that goals and objectives are established and achieved. Develop and implement action plans to correct variances. Anticipate and respond to the customer needs and concerns.
• Ability to identify and manage complex project risks, develop risk mitigation and contingency plans, and implement action plans to reduce or eliminate project risks. Determine and manage the DWP staff requirements across all projects.
• Supports the professional development of staff, responsible for managing performance, coaching, training needs, and motivating direct reports.
• Monitors adherence to policies and procedures regarding DWP governance, policies and controls. Implement best in class tools and process improvements. for managing multiple projects simultaneously and providing, all related governance, oversight and reporting.
• Balances the requirement to direct, audit and monitor the EPMS supplier partner whilst empowering it to deliver its services effectively and all other service providers as required.
• Engage positively in debate and resolve ambiguities, gaining the best possible outcomes for the Department, whilst ensuring best value objectives are met through procurement, budgeting and cost improvement projects identifying new ways of ‘smart’ working.
• Support Health and Safety delivery, that complies with all legislative requirements and policies to ensure a safe working environment for all staff and customers.
• Support a ‘one team’ culture of quality and continuous improvement across the extended organisation to include the EPMS and supplier partners, on a day to day as well as strategic basis.

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• A successful track record of managing large complex projects gained within a Property Profession discipline
• Experience of a wide range of CAPEX related projects and activities from inception onwards, applying good commercial principles to multi-site CAPEX works delivery
• Management of key stakeholders resulting in solutions that that balance commercial performance and business strategy
• Understanding and complying with Real Estate and related Statutory, Regulatory and Professional requirements
• Day to day management of key suppliers, able to support negotiations, management or escalation of issues and engage in key decision making with the potential to impact upon project delivery
• Excellent organisational skills supported by robust planning and prioritisation.
• Interpretation and analysis of data to inform decision making
• Project financial control, procedures and reporting
• Sound judgement, flexibility, initiative and prioritisation skills, the ability to deliver at pace and work to tight timescales

 Qualifications/professional memberships

 Desirable

• Working towards professional membership of industry organisation for e.g. RICS, RIBA, ICE, CIBSE, CIOB with a preference if already held
• Working towards a recognised project management qualification, e.g. Prince2 or APM with a preference if already held
• Degree qualified or equivalent in relevant Property and Construction discipline