• Is a named individual with the ultimate responsibility and accountability for the outcome of the programme or project.
• Is the key decision maker, chairing the Steering Group or Project Board.
• Has ‘ownership’ of the Business Case.
• Is responsible for the realisation of the business benefits arising out of the programme or project.
• Appointing the Project Sponsor, this is the named individual responsible to the Senior Responsible Owner.
• Ensuring that the project is subject to review at appropriate stages within the delivery lifecycle in line with Gateway principles (including completion of a Risk Potential Assessment in consultation with the Project manager at an early stage).
• Signing off the Project Brief and Project Initiation Document or equivalent.
• Agreeing all major plans.
• Authorising any major deviations from the agreed stage plans.
• Signing off the completion of each stage, including the deliverables, and giving approval to start the subsequent stage.
• Communicating information about the Project to the organisation(s) and stakeholder groups as necessary.
• Ensuring that the required resources are available.
• Resolving any conflicts escalated by the Project Board, client, supplier or delivery agent.
• Agreeing the Project tolerances for time, quality and cost.
• Providing overall strategic guidance for the Project.
• The establishment of an effective risk management strategy.
• The establishment of effective quality assurance arrangements.
• Providing advice and direction to the Project manager.
• Resolving deviations from plans or escalating as necessary; and
• Mediating & resolving conflicts between Project Board, end users, suppliers and delivery agents or escalating as necessary.
• Ensuring that appropriate and timely post-programme or project evaluations and reviews are carried out and documented.

The post-holder needs to:

• Take responsibility - including putting things right when they go wrong and ensuring that recognition is given when they go right.
• Have a good understanding of the business issues associated with the project.
• Be a senior reputable figure (a peer) approved by the organisation’s management board and have delegated authority to be the SRO for the programme or project.
• Be active and engaged, not just a figurehead.
• Have sufficient experience and training to carry out SRO responsibilities.

The post-holder must be someone who can:

• Broker relationships with stakeholders within and outside the project.
• Deploy delegated authority to ensure that the project achieves its objectives.
• Provide advice and guidance to project sponsors or managers as necessary.
• Acknowledge their own skills or knowledge gaps and structure the Group, Board and Project Team accordingly.
• Give the time required to perform the role effectively.
• Negotiate well and influence people.
• Be aware of the broader perspective and how it affects the project.
• Represent the interests of the project through effective networking with peers and key stakeholders.
• Be honest and frank about project progress.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The Programme Manager will lead, manage, co-ordinate and participate in the procurement, design and implementation of the following Services:

• The overall responsibility for the successful procurement, initiation, planning, design, execution, monitoring, controlling, administration, and closure of projects or workstreams allocated to them.
• To be responsible for managing and delivering a work portfolio that may contain several strands within a programme, project or workstream.
• To work closely with team members to ensure that all project requirements, deadlines, and schedules are on track, including submitting or reviewing project deliverables, preparing status reports, establishing effective project communication plans, the proper execution of plans, monitoring requirements and standards, and ensuring projects meet time, cost and quality constraints.
• To make sure that the scope and direction of each project is on schedule, in line with agreed parameter’s/budgets, set by the Head of Service/Service Manager.
• To manage the risk profile of the project and provide early warning on all assurance matters.
• To escalate issues appropriately, in accordance with project governance.
• To act as a Senior Responsible Officer / Project Sponsor / Client Advisor / Project Manager on projects.
• To act as the service representative when engaging with other Directorates and Services, Department of Education (DE), Boards of Governors and external suppliers, providing project management advice and enabling the provision of projects required for transformation.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES APPLICABLE TO THE ROLE:

LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENT

The post-holder will be expected to:

• Line Manage employees aligned to Service area;
• Provide professional support and advice to Senior Responsible Officers, Department of Education (DE), the Council for the Catholic Maintained Schools, the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education, the Governing Bodies Association, Boards of Governors and external suppliers.
• Provide non-managerial support, information and training as required for other employees within MaCD services.
• Lead and support employees in the team in the effective and efficient operation of services.
• Promote the corporate vision, values and culture of EA as a single regional organisation, in all processes linked to all projects.
• Provide leadership to their service staff and ensure transformational changes and new structures, strategies, policies and processes for their system/service are implemented while maintaining the high standards of the Authority and any future challenges.
• Ensure that employees, consultants and contractors within each project are provided with clear structure, roles and responsibilities and are supported to work in an integrated way.
• Work closely with Team members to ensure that all requirements, deadlines, and schedules are on track. Responsibilities include submitting agreed deliverables, preparing status reports, and establishing effective communication plans.
• Foster a culture that supports achievement of the authority’s Strategic Plan by role modelling core values and leadership behaviours to staff.
• Act as a mentor to new staff and help them fine-tune their skills and improve their industry knowledge.
• Undertake such training as may be required for his/her own personal and professional development.

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND POLICY INFLUENCE

The post-holder will be expected to:

• Work with the Service Manager / Head of Service to establish, maintain and communicate a clear and compelling strategic direction for the service.
• Contribute to and where appropriate, lead the development and implementation of specific targets relating to the EA corporate plan and MaCD business plan.
• Challenge conventional approaches, harness new approaches and technology and maximise efficiencies.
• Contribute to the development of a comprehensive service development plan.
• Work collaboratively with other Senior Officers and Heads of Service, to ensure that priorities are translated into manageable objectives and communicated to relevant teams within Service as appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with Senior Officers to devise and implement effective systems to monitor, measure, control and report on the work of relevant teams within service to take account of changes in the internal and external environments which may impact on and