Head of Project Delivery and Implementation (Ref: 5647)

East Midlands (England), East of England, London (region), North East England, North West England, South East England, South West England, West Midlands (England), Yorkshire and the Humber

This position is based Nationally

This is a really exciting time to join the MMO as we become an independent coastal state, embedding new repatriated functions and services with an increased focus on the protection and enhancing of the marine environment. The Head of Project Delivery and Implementation role is critical to transforming MMO and delivering on our published Strategic Goals.Job description 1 

About the role

Accountabilities and responsibilities

The Head of Project Delivery and Implementation will lead and deliver the tools and processes to prioritise, deliver and monitor project delivery. The role will include:

• Work closely with the Planning and Change Director, the CEO and ELT to design and deliver a coherent transformation programme delivering key strategic and operational requirements.
• Leading the delivery of a programme of projects and initiatives that are both strategic and tactical in nature.
• Engaging with DEFRA to ensure that the various change programmes are complementary to Defra activities.
• Leading the MMO approach to change delivery. Continuing to evolve the change methodology within MMO ensuring that it encompasses everything required end to end from prioritisation through a gateway to benefits identification and realisation.
• Leading the small PMO to support the programme of delivery.
• Leading the establishment of the change prioritisation approach and mechanisms to refine the portfolio to reflect strategy and funding opportunities reacting quickly to changing agendas.
• Leading the change governance ensuring that decisions are escalated to the appropriate level and reporting is clear and complete.
• Leading and managing a team of project managers ensuring they are developed and that minimum standards are adhered to.
• Responsible for transparent project budget management across the various stages of delivery

The role will work with the Executive Leadership Team and Senior Leadership Team across the organisation to ensure effective mechanisms are in place to monitor change delivery across the organisation whether it is delivered through a project or through the operational leadership in other directorates.

Key knowledge / skills for the role

Essential

Project Delivery & Implementation including:

• Developing a methodology and governance for managing change within MMO (end to end from inception through delivery and implementation).
• Developing business cases to support change initiatives as required ensuring that costs and benefits are complete and realistic.
• Developing and lead a programme of change.
• Developing and maintain senior relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensuring the change programme has an effective engagement and communication plan and complete resource plans for all stages.
• Supporting project managers in creating realistic and costed project delivery plans.
• Developing an approach to implementation which supports the strategic objectives and outcomes, ensures cultural technology change is embedded and is supportable by the business in terms of timing creating in a cohesive implementation plan covering all programmes and initiatives.
• Leading, developing and implementing a range of projects.
• Proactively engaging with leaders and managers across the MMO to ensure they are involved and supporting the change programme.
• Overseeing the transparent prioritisation of initiatives across MMO to support resource decisions.
• Overseeing the delivery of work plans.

Finance

• Managing budgets according to MMO Scheme of Delegations.
• Working with the finance directorate to support financial bidding and planning for project delivery.

Programme Management Office & Governance

• Developing and managing a governance framework to support all the various MMO projects and programmes.
• Creating of standard templates to use as part of the lifecycle for change.
• Reporting on change in its widest sense to the key governance forums.
• Managing all documentation associated with all projects and programmes.
• Defining the roles and responsibilities associated with this part of the Planning and Change Directorate.
• Ensuring that feedback from all projects is captured and incorporated into the MMO change methodology moving forward.

Leadership / People Management

• Since team members have a range of experience leadership and hands on delivery guidance will be critical to success.  
• Managing personal performance of team members through scheduled performance reviews and regular 1:1s ensuring personal aspirations are discussed and supported as far as possible.
• Empowering your team members to deliver ensuring that are equipped and skilled to carry out their duties well.
• Working collaboratively with other senior managers to share best practice and ensure consistent standards by providing feedback on project delivery products.
• Working with the rest of the directorate leadership team to promote the ongoing delivery and the directorate service offering.
• Ensure organisational priorities are communicated and understood by your team and empower them to cascade this to project teams.
• Provide opportunities to develop resilience and support succession planning.
• Ensure that the MMO values and code of conduct are embedded in your daily activity and you provide feedback to others.

Desirable

• Impacting policy initiatives in a timely and efficient manner.
• Creating a Change Gateway and Prioritisation mechanisms including.
• Accountable for the creation, establishment, and management of a change gateway for MMO.
• Embedding the gateway ensuring that it becomes the route into MMO for all change.
• Developing a change impacting and prioritisation methodology.
• Ensuring that the potential initiative log is kept current and that all change has a director sponsor.
• Ensuring that potential initiatives are periodically prioritised according to the methodology to support input into spending reviews and to allow initiatives to be taken forward in priority order as funding becomes available.
• Knowledge of operating in a range of sectors including the public sector.

Key experience for the role:

Essential

• Experience of complex project and change management at a senior levels.
• Experience of developing a change delivery framework and all that that entails.
• Experience of managing competing and changing priorities and making robust, impartial and evidence based decisions aligned to the organisations goals and strategies.
• Experiences leader with ability to engage, influence and operate at a senior level as well as delivery level with a wide range of internal/external stakeholders.
• Extensive leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate at all levels and experience in leading a professional and diverse team.
• Experience of managing up to Executive and Board level, including contributing to wider business issues as part of a Senior Management Team.
• Strong communication skills consulting with a wide range of people, in appropriate media.
• Good analytical skills, to produce business focused resolutions linked to change delivery.

Desirable

• Familiarity with various delivery methodologies for change including as appropriate Agile, Lean, Six Sigma, total quality etc.
• Understanding of the MMO business and the industries we support and assure.
• Managing projects involving Government Digital Services (GDS).

Qualifications for the role

Essential

Project / Programme Management qualification (for example PMP APM or PRINCE 2 or Agile) or a willingness to get them if they have lapsed.

Competencies for the role

The following five competencies have been identified as relevant to this role and should be demonstrated at Grade 6 level.

• Changing and Improving (lead Competency if required)
• Delivering Value for Money
• Collaborating and Partnering
• Making effective decisions
• Leading and Communicating

Candidates that are invited for interview will be asked to demonstrate and provide an example of each of these competencies in the interview.

A full explanation of each competency including behavioural indicators, can be found in the Marine Management Organisation competency framework here.

Please refer to Job Description

Project / Programme Management qualification ( for example PMP APM or PRINCE 2 or Agile) or a willingness to get them if they have lapsed

Alongside your salary of £61,619, Marine Management Organisation contributes
£17,191 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

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Job contact :

• Name : Jenny Stewart
• Email : jenny.stewart@marinemanagement.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : defra-recruitment-enquiries@gov.sscl.com