National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
Project Delivery Capability Leader
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About the Role
Role Purpose
“Owns the project management profession, project delivery standards, and direct delivery of strategic projects”
Lead the Quantum & Timing Project Delivery capability, ensuring the Business Unit has the project management expertise, delivery frameworks, professional standards and leadership required to successfully deliver its portfolio of projects and strategic initiatives.
Provide leadership for the BU Project Management community, acting as the professional head of project management within the Business Unit and the primary interface with any Enterprise PMO and senior leadership.
Alongside capability leadership responsibilities, remain accountable for the successful delivery of a portfolio of complex, strategically important projects.
Key Responsibilities
Project Delivery Leadership
- Lead and deliver complex projects, ensuring delivery against agreed scope, schedule, budget, quality and benefits.
- Provide project leadership on strategically important initiatives with significant BU, technical or commercial impact.
- Ensure effective project governance, risk management, stakeholder engagement and reporting throughout the project lifecycle.
- Support project recovery activities where projects require additional leadership or intervention. Provide expert project leadership, assurance and coaching to project teams undertaking complex or high-risk delivery activities.
- Act as a senior escalation point for project delivery issues and challenges.
Capability Leadership
- Lead and develop the Project Delivery capability across the Business Unit.
- Create and maintain a strong, high-performing project management community, fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
- Define project management capability priorities and professional development requirements to support current and future Business Unit delivery needs.
- Promote a culture of delivery excellence, professional development and accountability.
Project Management Capability Oversight
- Maintain visibility of project management capability requirements across the Business Unit.
- Provide recommendations on Project Manager deployment and assignment to projects.
- Identify project management capability gaps, development needs and succession risks.
- Work with Business Unit leadership to inform recruitment and resourcing decisions for project delivery professionals.
- Escalate project delivery capability risks impacting strategic projects.
Standards, Methods and Governance
- Champion adoption of enterprise project management standards, methodologies, tools and best practice where applicable.
- Champion the use of proportionate project management methodologies to achieve consistent assurance activities and reporting standards across all projects.
- Review and report project health, assurance findings and delivery performance to identify improvement opportunities.
- Support implementation of new project management processes, tools and reporting approaches.
- Drive lessons learned and continuous improvement activities across the delivery community.
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Enterprise PMO Engagement
- Act as the primary Business Unit interface with the Enterprise PMO.
- Represent Business Unit interests in organisational project management forums and communities of practice.
- Ensure effective alignment between local delivery requirements and enterprise-wide project management standards.
Leadership & People Management
- Act as the professional lead for Project Managers within the Business Unit, providing coaching, mentoring and technical leadership.
- Provide line management, coaching and professional leadership to Project Managers and other delivery professionals.
- Set objectives, manage performance and support career development.
- Establish professional development pathways, mentoring and learning opportunities for Project Managers.
- Foster an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing team culture.
Strategic Contribution
- Provide project delivery expertise and insight to Business Unit planning, bidding and investment decisions.
- Provide senior leadership with insight into project delivery risks, project performance and project management capability.
- Contribute a project delivery perspective to future operating models and strategic delivery approaches.
- Build strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
About You
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Essential
- Significant experience leading diverse and complex project portfolios.
- Demonstrable expertise in project management methodologies, resourcing, governance and controls.
- Experience leading, developing and coaching project management professionals.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including engagement with senior leaders.
- Strong commercial, risk management and decision-making capability.
- Excellent communication and leadership skills.
Desirable
- Experience in science, technology, research, engineering, innovation or regulated environments.
- Experience working within matrix organisations.
- Experience supporting organisational project management maturity initiatives.
- Experience of delivering government-funded projects.
- Professional project management qualification (e.g. APM, PRINCE2, MSP, PMP).
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We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance.
Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical
About Us
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world-leading centre of excellence that provides cutting-edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK. Find out more about what it is like working here - The measure of us - Overview
NPL and DSIT have strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria. Applications from women, disabled and black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in particular are encouraged. All disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.
At NPL, we believe our success is a result of the diversity and talent of our people. We strive to nurture and respect individuals to ensure everyone feels valued by treating everyone on the basis of their own individual merits and abilities regardless of their own or perceived identity, as part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we ensure we’re creating an environment where all our colleagues feel supported and welcome. More about this on our Diversity & Inclusion page.
We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees. Flexible working and social activities are embedded in our culture to create a positive work-life balance, along with a broad range of rewards, benefits and recognition. Our values are at the heart of what we do, and they shape the way we interact, develop our people and celebrate success. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we’re always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss, please contact us.
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