Senior Project Manager

Science and Technology Facilities Council

Salary: Band F S2 £59,461 to £65,407 (dependent on skills and experience)

Hours: Full time 

Contract Type: Open Ended

Location: Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell, Oxfordshire

Closing Date: Friday 1st November 2024

Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business team explore the unknown and turn what they find into work that changes the world around us. Whether it’s sending probes into space or finding new ways to treat cancer, everyone here plays a vital role in making a positive difference to society.

Come and discover how much you can achieve when you’re surrounded by world-leading experts, encouraged to constantly learn and empowered to explore your curiosity.

The RAL Particle Physics Project Office manages many of the UK’s national and international collaborative particle physics experiment construction projects which contribute to fundamental understanding of the universe. As a member of the Project Office you will contribute to these UK projects, our growing portfolio includes DUNE, Hyper-K, CMS, SWIFT-HEP, LHCb and XLZD.

You will work alongside a Principal Investigator and a diverse team to deliver UK contributions, often to international programmes. The projects are a mixture of waterfall and agile to plan, design, construct, deliver and commission technical and scientific components and software. You will ensure reliable planning, informed decision making and accurate and informative reporting. A proactive, rigorous and formal approach to project management is essential as is an analytical approach to project management and financial data.

The main challenge for these roles is the management of the collaborative aspects of the projects and ensuring that formal management methods are adhered to. You will use your technical background and interpretive skills to develop an appropriate understanding of assigned projects and to translate technical or scientific requirements into achievable project plans. Most projects involve a national collaboration of university physics departments and STFC: you must be pragmatic towards the work of others, particularly in the collaborative environment where there is no line-management control of participants.

The Project Office follows closely the approach promoted by the UK Association for Project Management and you will contribute to the development of the office (processes etc) as a member of the team.

About you

A Senior Project Manager who has experience in a particle-physics-like collaborative environment or similar managerial and technical complexity. You will excel in holding responsibility for the successful planning and delivery of projects whilst paying considerable attention towards improving standards, without not undermining the collaborative aspects of how STFC work, you will either hold ChPP or have equal leadership skills.

Some travel will be required in the UK and abroad.

Person Specification

In addition to a CV candidates must submit a separate cover letter which clearly and individually identifies how you meet each of the essential criteria. Applications without this will not be considered.

Essential criteria (Shortlist/Interview):

• Project management qualification equivalent to APM PMQ higher/additional PM qualifications (e.g. ChPP) (S)
• Bachelors degree (or equivalent experience) or higher in a STEM subject (S)
• Professional Membership and/or evidence of shaping your field/industry (S&I)
• Experience of delivering projects as project manager across the full lifecycle in a collaborative environment and taking a leadership role (S&I)
• Up-to-date understanding and evidence of applying formal project management methods, controls, analysis and processes and developing them (S&I)
• Demonstrable enthusiasm for our projects and strong desire to take ownership of delivery of technical aspects (S&I)
• Strong communication and personal skills, good writing style (cover letter), experience of comprehensive reporting and presenting, ability to integrate into a highly collaborative and semi-structured environment and work as part of a team. Pragmatic and flexible approach (S&I)
• Analytical approach (for example in the use of project scheduling and data analytics) (S&I)
• Demonstrable commitment to continuous improvement (projects and personally) and to be challenged (I)

Employee Benefits:

• 30 days holiday (in addition to 10.5 bank holidays and privilege days).
• Flexible working hours.
• An excellent defined average salary pension scheme.
• Employee shopping/travel discounts.
• Excellent learning and development opportunities.

We are committed to sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are invested in creating an environment that is welcoming and supportive of all, to help us achieve the highest possible standards in our work and organisation together. In this regard, we encourage applications from under-represented groups.

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Whatever our role, we have the freedom to explore, learn and connect, as part of a community that loves to share knowledge and support one another.

As one of Europe’s largest research organisations, this is a place where there’s always something new to learn – about the world around us, about your career, but most of all, about yourself.

Join us and discover what’s possible.