Strategic PMO Project Manager

Reporting to the Strategic PMO, this role can be remotely based in Spain but may require in-person attendance from time to time to support project progress and outcomes.

The project manager is the individual responsible for ensuring project delivery. The individual leads and manages the project team, with authority and responsibility from the project sponsor, to run the project on a day-to-day basis.

The project manager has an important role in between the project and the relevant business area and stakeholders collaborating with senior management to define project goals, develop strategic plans and implement solutions that drive the strategic objectives. This is important for communicating and encouraging transformation and change with the delivery of new capabilities from the project.

The role is responsible for applying project Excellence guidance and best practices to maximize the optimisation and efficiency of project delivery and the mitigation of the risks identified. It’s responsible for ensuring business readiness to exploit the new capabilities provided as crucial to the project success and benefits realization.

The readiness of the business to exploit the new capability is crucial to success. Without this state of readiness in the business, there are likely to be disruptions to benefits realization.

Main responsibilities are:

• Establishing project milestones and outcomes according to the strategic objectives
• Planning project lifecycle involving deadlines, milestones, and processes and reporting status.
• Developing or monitoring budgets and project execution
• Identify, quantify & report and resolve any potential risk impacting project delivery
• Manage a wide set of stakeholders through expertise and influence (personal gravitas)

The project manager, operating within agreed reporting structures, is responsible for:

• Designing and applying appropriate project management standards to assigned projects
• Managing the production of the required deliverables
• Planning and monitoring all assigned projects
• Preparing and maintaining project, milestone and exception plans as required
• Defining governance (as needed), supporting, and administering any steering groups, working committees, forums, or stakeholder groups
• Supporting project status communication in the broader organisation
• Managing project risks, including the development of mitigation and contingency plans
• Liaison with program/product management (if the project is part of a more extensive programme or product initiative and related projects to ensure that work is neither overlooked nor duplicated
• Monitoring overall progress and use of resources, initiating corrective action where necessary
• Applying change control processes
• Reporting through agreed lines on project progress through key highlight reports and end-state assessments
• Liaison with appointed project assurance representatives to ensure the overall direction and integrity of the project
• Maintaining an awareness of potential interdependencies with other projects and their impact.
• Identifying and obtaining support and advice required for the management, planning and control of the project
• Managing general project administration, including maintaining a documented audit trail of decisions, minutes, and pertinent project materials.

Skills:

• Apply robust project management approach to the specific requirements of the project
• Establish good working relationship with Project Sponsor or Owner.
• Early escalation of issues and/or risks early with mitigation options.
• Direct, manage and motivate a project team (where applicable)
• Develop and maintain an agreed project plan and detailed stage/milestone plans
• Understand and apply business case and risk management processes
• Tailor expert knowledge to meet specific circumstances
• Plan and manage the deployment of physical and financial resources to meet project milestones
• Build and sustain effective communications with other roles involved in the project
• Apply quality management principles and processes
• Strong and clear communication both written and oral
• Advanced MS Office skills in controlling, reporting and general management of projects

Experience:

• Tangible and evidential experience in delivering (leading and directing) cross functional projects is a core requirement.
• Driving Results – ability to direct, influence and control stakeholders and teams to achieve planned milestones. To stop timescale drift and to tightly manage additional demand in a pragmatic and engaging way
• Mature Self-starter attitude with strong self-governance
• Effective communication - Ability to clearly and crispy articulate status and outcomes of assigned projects
• Comfort with uncertainty that not all known variables are quantified at project commencement.
• Cost control to review budgets, manage expenses and negotiate costs throughout a project to avoid going over budget.
• Prioritization - strong ability to prioritize personal tasks as well as others’ tasks within a project.
• Problem-solving ability to find solutions and overcome challenges that may impact a project.
• Data analysis to quantify performance and project results as well as analyze financial information such as budgets, expenditures, and return-on-investment.
• Developed Self-starter attitude and strong self-governance
• Time management ability to manage own time and completion of project planning and execution tasks on time, but it also involves the ability to schedule and manage others’ time
• Experience with project management methodologies and software proficiency
• Adaptability to successfully navigate and respond to change. It may include learning new processes or tools and re-prioritizing work.
• Self-awareness
• Established people leadership skills including empathy with other in the project to understand and address frustrations and concerns.

Qualifications:

• Certification in Project Management (PMP) is desirable
• Strong competency in MS Office tools required