University of the Built Environment
Programme Manager
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JOB DESCRIPTION
Employment status and working hours
Fixed term until October 2030, full time.
Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00, with some flexibility in start/finish times.
Organisation structure
Chief Operating Officer, Strategy & Planning Office.
Your line manager will be Hannah Al-Katib, Director of Strategy & Planning. Day-to-day direction and strategic guidance will be provided by Nick Mount, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Digital Campus), who is also the Digital Campus Programme Sponsor.
Place of work flexibility
Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home*. Flexibility can be discussed based on individual circumstances, but must include a minimum of two to three days each month in the Horizons office in Reading. *Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable – please see the ‘Working from home’ section on our Careers Site for further information.
Background
The Digital Campus programme is a strategic investment that will transform the digital and online teaching, learning and assessment experiences that the University of the Built Environment offers to our students and staff. As a predominantly online higher education provider, our students and staff rely on the educational technologies and learning platforms we provide to support learning and ensure student success.
Over the next five years, the University is delivering an ambitious programme of change to ensure that these reflect the state of the art, deliver best-in-sector student and staff experiences, maximise student outcomes, and provide a Digital Campus that can support the strategic growth and diversification of our educational offer.
High level summary of job role
As the Programme Manager, you will manage all aspects of work required to ensure that the University delivers the Digital Campus programme. You will work in close partnership with, and be directly accountable to, the Associate Pro Vice Chancellor (Digital Campus). You will be motivated by a job well done, focussed on improvement and finding solutions, and comfortable working with significant autonomy.
As a senior member of the Strategy & Planning Office, you will support the development of the University’s maturity in delivering transformation, working closely with the Senior Project Manager and Director of Strategy & Planning to establish and enhance ways of working. Whilst you will be accountable for the delivery of Digital Campus, you will also work collaboratively to support effective planning across the University’s project portfolio, so that dependencies and competing demands are balanced and delivery is effective.
Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities
- Programme management: Oversee and manage component projects to deliver the programme plan, managing change in the context of BAU activities to deliver transformation through phased evolution.
- Technology-led change: Manage projects that centre on significant digital or technology infrastructures to support teaching and learning, ensuring effective collaboration with end users and technical experts to shape solutions, drive adoption and realise benefits for staff and students.
- Project planning: Support the programme sponsor in the development and review of the Digital Campus business case, and develop, monitor and maintain the component project plans and delivery roadmaps so that critical paths are identified, resources are appropriately managed and prioritised, and stakeholders and delivery teams are enabled.
- Project Delivery: Apply the University’s project management framework to lead all stages of Digital Campus projects, ensuring benefits are realised, delivery is on time, within budget, and in line with KPIs and success criteria.
- Governance and reporting: Ensure robust programme governance and due diligence is in place so that decisions are taken appropriately and in line with organisational delegations of authority and programme progress is reported.
- Leadership: Model excellent programme and project management behaviours and provide informal coaching and mentorship to other project team members. Share best practice and support colleagues in developing project management capability.
- Resource Management: Support budget management, direct resource allocation, and maintain supplier relationships to ensure project success is achieve within agreed cost parameters.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Build effective partnerships across stakeholders through collaboration, co-development and effective communication.
- Risk and issue management: Identify, assess and manage project risks, working with stakeholders to ensure full understanding of the risk portfolio and its potential mitigations. Manage issues and problem-solve to overcome barriers to project and programme success.
- Process Improvement: Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of the University’s project management framework, programme governance and broader transformation capability.
- Drive and monitor the delivery of the projects comprising Digital Campus.
- Engage and collaborate with stakeholders in all stages of the project lifecycle.
- Provide reporting updates to senior management, Executive, and the Board of Trustees and, identify and manage critical activities and the resources that they require.
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Other important features of the job role
- Line management responsibilities: None, however you will supervise delivery by Digital Campus team members and will liaise with and inform their line managers as needed.
- Budget responsibility: Yes, this role is responsible for monitoring expenditure within the Digital Campus budget.
- In this role you will liaise with the following: all University departments and teams.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
E = Essential person requirement; D = Desirable person requirement
How the person requirement will be assessed: A = Application; I = Interview; T = Test or other assessment
Please be aware that as part of safer recruitment and onboarding processes, we will seek original documentary evidence of the relevant academic and/or professional qualifications which you include within your job application. This is all part of our comprehensive pre-employment screening which also includes checking your identity, right to work, criminal record history (basic disclosure unless specified otherwise), and three years employment history. This is all part of our commitment to safeguarding our students. Keeping our students safe is a responsibility shared by everyone within the University.
Qualifications and training
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience (E, A).
- Certification in a recognised programme or project management methodology (e.g., MSP, APM, PRINCE2, PMP) (E, A).
Previous experience
- Extensive experience in leading and managing complex strategic and business improvement projects with organisational scope and at significant scale (E, A, I, T).
- Delivering transformation and change with extensive digital/technology components (e.g., systems, platforms, or digital services), and in partnership with technical specialists (E, A, I, T).
- Developing and translating business cases into tangible and achievable project plans, roadmaps and actions that deliver specified outcomes and benefits (E, A, I, T).
- Negotiating the competing demands of stakeholders, including at senior levels, to keep programmes of work on track (E, A, I).
- Managing procurement and supplier relationships in support of projects and programmes of work (E, A, I).
- Working in a higher education or not-for-profit contexts (D, A, I).
- Contributing to the development or organisational capability in change delivery through programme and project management (D, A, I).
- Using digital platforms and tools to work effectively with remote colleagues and teams (D, A, I).
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Behaviours and attitudes
- Alignment to the University’s core values and growth mindset approach, which reflect our culture. Refer to the specific behaviours within the Competency Framework (E, I) – summarised within the careers site.
Skills, knowledge, other requirements
- Demonstrable skill in organising, prioritising and managing complex and diverse programmes of work and their project portfolios (E, A, I, T).
- Advanced digital skills and confidence using Microsoft 365 as well as specialist project management tools (E, A).
- Adaptability and resilience with the ability to manage multiple projects and workstreams at once and address complex challenges in a fast-paced environment (E, A, I).
- A solution focussed mindset that underpins excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities (E, A, I, T).
- The ability to establish personal credibility, foster effective working relationships, and influence stakeholders through clear communication and collaborative leadership across matrix environments (E, A, I).
- Knowledge of effective risk management and governance processes in project contexts (E, A, I).
- High levels of numeracy and analytical skills and the demonstrable ability to deploy them to meet project requirements (E, A, I).
- Situational and business analysis skills to support process development and improvement (E, A, I).
- Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students regardless of your area of work within the University; we want our students to be successful (E, I).
- You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed. The University is regulated by the Office for Students and Ofsted, and we have specific requirements and expectations around safeguarding, Prevent, and anti-harassment and bullying. This is all part of our Competency Framework requirements (E, I).
PAY AND BENEFITS
- Salary: Salary range £55,000 to £60,000 per annum.
- Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days (typically between Christmas and New Year); all per holiday year Full Time Equivalent. Our holiday year runs from 1 August to 31 July. We also have a holiday buy and sell scheme in place. Sometimes the University does not need to close for five days per year and any balance (for example one day), can be used as a paid Wellbeing Day to take time out for your own physical or mental health.
- Pension and life assurance:
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