BANGOR UNIVERSITY

OFFICE OF PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

Project Manager

THE POST

Post: Project Manager

Grade: 8
Reports to: Director of the Office of Programme Management

Position summary

The University has established the Office of Programme Management

to ensure that a wide-ranging portfolio of major projects are delivered
successfully and are well-managed from conception to completion.
Your work will initially be centred on the PONTIO project – the
ambitious and exciting development of a world class Arts and
Innovation Centre by the University set in the heart of Bangor -
http://www.pontio.co.uk

There will be a concentration on three key research themes in Pontio

which build on the University’s key strengths in Health, Environment
and Culture. These are: Seeing Ourselves, Sustaining Ourselves,
Sustaining Our Planet.

The overall objective of the role is to identify, lead, facilitate and

manage end to end project delivery, initially in relation to Pontio but
thereafter to other major projects, ensuring that projects are
successfully implemented on time, to agreed quality expectations and
within budget.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Day-to-day management of assigned projects; stand alone or
within programmes, including initiation, implementation and
closure.
• Accountable to the Director of the Office of Programme
Management for the delivery of project objectives in line with
agreed time, cost and quality parameters.
• Support colleagues in identifying, designing and agreeing
approaches for required changes and managing their delivery to
support the realisation of benefits.
• Defining and tracking programme benefits, as appropriate.
• To assume responsibility for the timely development and
completion of project plans and associated documentation in
accordance with the agreed methodology.
• Work with colleagues to define appropriate programme and
project governance frameworks. Use recognised project
management methodologies at appropriate levels to support the
planning and delivery of all aspects of the projects;
• Plan, monitor and control all aspects of a project, proactively
monitoring overall progress and providing regular progress
reports as specified by programme or project governance
frameworks.
• Follow the University's set risk and issue management processes;
monitoring, managing, resolving and escalating as appropriate.
• Maintain overall integrity and coherence of the project, and
develop and maintain the project environment.
• Effective coordination of project work packages and
interdependencies.
• Matrix management of project resources, including staff assigned
or seconded to project teams; provide leadership, motivation and
focus for all those involved and ensure that the project team
draws on the right skills, knowledge and experience.
• Ensure maximum efficiency in the allocation of resources and as
appropriate, manage the budgets, monitoring expenditures /
costs and provide financial reports as necessary.
• Ensure the delivery of new products or services from the projects
meet customer requirements and expectations.
• Manage stakeholder expectations at all times, ensuring
users/customers are appropriately engaged in product design
and change delivery.
• Manage third-party contributions to the project in particular from
external suppliers, dealing with procurement and contractual
matters as required.
• Initiate extra activities and other management interventions
wherever gaps in the project are identified or issue/change
requests arise.
• Challenge the viability of the project at all stages. Continually
review processes and procedures to ensure the most cost
effective and efficient development of the project.
• To support and promote best practice project management
across the University.

Staff Management
• Manage seconded and other staff who might be employed to
support projects or who are managing smaller individual projects.
• Build, lead and matrix manage staff brought together to form
project teams.

Programme and Project Services

 • Contribute to the continued improvement and development of
the University's portfolio, programme and project management
functions, its approaches, tools and methodologies.
• Assist in setting project management standards for the
University.
• Provide an objective assurance role to projects being managed
by other colleagues, as appropriate.
• Carry out project health checks on other corporate projects, as
required.
• Promote and the contribute to developing the department's
services to the University.

General

• Act as a mentor to other members of the team, offering support

and guidance where necessary.
• To undertake other duties as may be necessary, or may be
determined from time to time by the Director of the Office of
Programme Management or his/her nominated representative.
• Keeping up to date on project management developments,
trends and best practice, considering how to make use of new
insights in own role.

Person Specification

Essential

Education

• Educated to degree level or equivalent

• Formal training in project management methods
• PRINCE2 Practitioner.

Experience
• Experience of managing successful multiple high
risk/complex/large scale projects.
• Experience of business process review.
• Experience of managing budgets.

Competencies
• Good oral, written and interpersonal communication skills. The
ability to speak Welsh within the context of the post, or
 demonstrate a willingness to learn Welsh to the required
competency level is essential.
• Project planning skills utilising MS Project or similar tool.
• IT literate (MS Office especially Word, Excel, Visio and Project
and other administrative systems).
• Ability to use initiative to deal with complex situations and
provide creative solutions.
• Able to work on own initiative with minimum supervision.
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritise conflicting demands, to
plan and meet deadlines.
• Able to work collaboratively with stakeholders and build trusting
relationships, in particular with senior staff.
• Able to build stakeholder confidence by assimilating complex
information and concepts rapidly.
• Able to communicate effectively with a range of people and
deliver messages appropriately to the target audience.

Other
• Able to work outside normal office hours when workload and
circumstances demand.

Desirable

• MSP Practioner.
• Specific knowledge and experience of a range of recognised
programme and project
management methodologies.
• An understanding of higher education structures, concepts,
funding and practices.
• Experience of managing a portfolio of corporate programmes
and projects within a structured governance framework.
• Experience of representing an organisation externally.
• Team management experience.
• Membership of relevant professional association.

Qualities

• A positive attitude towards working in partnership to achieve

outcomes.
• Diplomatic, tenacious, able to engage effectively and build trust
with a wide range of people.
• Commitment to user involvement and equal opportunities.
• Flexible, self-motivated and a positive attitude.
 • Personal integrity.

Evidence of Eligibility to work in the U.K.

The University has a legal responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live
and work in the UK.

For positions which require highly specialised skills and qualifications, and there are no
suitable ‘resident’ (i.e European Economic Area (EEA)) applicants, the University will
often be able to obtain a certificate of sponsorship for a suitably qualified applicant who
is not currently eligible to work in the UK.

For vacancies that are not academic, research or highly specialist it is extremely unlikely
that a certificate of sponsorship would be granted. In such cases we will therefore be
unable to consider an application from someone who is not currently eligible to work in
the UK.

The UK Border Agency website www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk has full

details to help you assess whether you would be eligible to apply for one of our
vacancies.

Prior to being permitted to commence employment with the University, you will be
required to produce documentary evidence of permission to work in the United Kingdom.
Acceptable documents are items such as a passport showing you are a British Citizen,
or that you have a right of abode in the United Kingdom; a document showing your
permanent UK National Insurance Number and your full UK Birth Certificate; A
document showing that you are a national of a European Economic Area country or
Switzerland - this must be a national passport or national identity card; A passport or UK
issued national identity card providing evidence of your Visa detailing the Tier for which
your Certificate of Sponsorship covered you e.g. Tier 2, Tier 4, Tier 5 or indeed Tier 1 if
you applied for this yourself. This list is not exhaustive. A full list of acceptable
documentary evidence is available on request. An original document must be seen on
or before your first day of employment.