Learning and Achievement Project Manager

Overview of the role The Project Manager will lead the delivery of strategic education initiatives, including transitioning schools’ payroll systems, ensuring timely, budget-conscious execution aligned with school needs. Operating in a dynamic environment, the role demands strong project management, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills. The postholder will collaborate across local government and education sectors, manage teams, and resolve barriers to progress. Their work will drive service improvement through effective data use, supporting decision-making and organisational change. This role is pivotal in aligning diverse stakeholders and delivering impactful, sustainable outcomes for schools and the council.

Key responsibilities

• To establish consistent governance standards across the projects including defining, and documenting project deliverables, plans, resources, and benefits, facilitating the development of the programme in conjunction with the Education programmes, partnership and strategy manager.
• Working with internal and external stakeholders, taking on board suggestions for improvements and concerns.
• Drafting and maintaining project documents and records as required. For example, project briefs, scoping documents, business cases, project plans, highlight reports, trackers, exception reports and closure reports.
• To coordinate and support cross-functional project teams, supporting timely delivery of outputs and transparent reporting of risks and issues.
• Mapping and managing dependencies and interdependencies ensuring alignment with the service and cross-cutting projects and programmes.
• Maintaining an overview of all projects in the portfolio and across the service and their dependencies on own areas of work; highlighting potential areas of conflict as early as possible and proposing resolutions.
• Support with stakeholder engagement activities as required, including a variety of meetings and forums across the education sector. This might also include developing consultation plans.
• Presenting plans to internal and external stakeholders as required.
• Providing regular, timely and accurate progress updates and assessments of project performance to internal and external stakeholders.
• Monitoring and evaluating the project against agreed deliverables, highlighting variances to the original project plan.
• Undertaking research and stakeholder engagement to identify good practice.
• Preparing briefings and analysis for senior colleagues.
• Drafting, contributing to, and editing briefings, board papers, reports, presentations, and other documents in relation to the programme.
• Informing and engaging colleagues and stakeholders in the programme; acting as a point of contact for queries.
• Ensuring communication about the programme is clear and involves those for whom the project will have an impact.
• Undertaking project tasks/activities as required to support delivery of outputs to time, and quality requirements.
• To work with and support key programme stakeholders, providing project management support and scheduling where required.
• Any additional duties consistent with the grade and level of responsibility of this position, for which the holder possesses the required experience and/or training.

Budget responsibilities (Delete if not required) Monitor the revenue budgets associated with change management processes, and modelling the impact of change decisions. Provide programme support for Capital budgets related to decommissioning of school sites.

Compliance

Ensure adherence to legal, regulatory, and policy requirements under GDPR, Health and Safety, Employee Code of Conduct and in your area of expertise by identifying opportunities and risks, and escalating issues as necessary.

Person specification Your application form needs to demonstrate how you fulfil the role's requirements. It is essential to address the criteria, as this will be used to evaluate your suitability for the position. Essential and desirable criteria Essential: the basic requirements that must be met for someone to be considered for a particular job. These criteria are mandatory and cannot be negotiated. Essential criteria directly impact the core qualifications or skills necessary to perform the job effectively. Desirable: the additional qualities, skills, or qualifications that would be advantageous for a candidate to possess but are not mandatory. Not meeting them does not automatically disqualify someone from consideration for the job. This also allows candidates who do not possess certain desirable criteria the opportunity to explain how their other knowledge, experience and skills relate to these and what they may be in the process of doing or willing to do to achieve these.

Knowledge, experience, and skills Point Criteria description Essential/desirable

• 1 Hold, or have the ability to gain, a recognised project management qualification with some experience of managing and delivering projects in the public sector and engaging effectively with stakeholders at all levels; or bring equivalent relevant experience that demonstrates these capabilities. Essential
• 2 Demonstrated ability to build positive working relationships and influence senior leads within and local authority or other public sector setting. Essential
• 3 Proven ability to engage and collaborate with schools, early years settings, and their communities, with a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges currently facing the education sector. Desirable
• 4 Strong project management skills, including effective planning, time management, and the ability to balance competing priorities while proactively identifying and addressing risks and issues. Demonstrated ability to lead and deliver large, complex projects through others, ensuring outcomes are achieved on time and to a high standard. Essential
• 5 Demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly to a range of audiences. Able to influence, persuade, and build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leaders. Essential
• 6 Strong reasoning and analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex data, concepts, and ideas to support evidence-based decision-making. Essential
• 7 Works flexibly and collaboratively within teams, contributing energy, creativity, and determination. Builds positive relationships with colleagues and senior officers across the organisation. Essential
• 8 Ability to work independently, take initiative, and make informed decisions with minimal supervision. Resilient and adaptable, with a proactive approach to change and continuous improvement. Essential
• 9 Confident in using IT tools effectively and creatively to support project delivery, communication, and innovation. Essential
• 10 Experienced in developing and leading workshops or working groups and engaging stakeholders in meaningful ways to support project goals. Desirable
• 11 Displays an awareness, understanding and commitment to the protection and safeguarding of children and young people and vulnerable adults. Essential