Industry: Higher Education

Location: On-campus presence preferred 2-3 days per week (Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday). Remote flexibility may be discussed for the right candidate.

Job Overview: We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Programme Level Microsoft Project Planner to manage and oversee a complex, multi-workstream, multi-dimensional plan that spans across multiple lower-level plans (approximately 10-12 plan owners). This role will involve driving clear dependency management, ensuring visibility of critical paths, and establishing well-defined planning assumptions and risks. The successful candidate will also be responsible for creating top-down planning guidance, ensuring effective change control, and providing support for the movement of milestone dates.

The ideal candidate will have a deep expertise in Microsoft Project, excellent planning and risk management skills, and the ability to work with multiple stakeholders to drive successful project outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

Programme Plan Creation and Management: Design, build, and maintain a comprehensive programme-level plan that integrates multiple lower-level plans (10-12) across diverse workstreams and dimensions.

Dependency Management: Ensure clear identification and management of dependencies across the entire programme, facilitating smooth execution and proactive issue resolution.

Critical Path Visibility: Provide clear visibility of the critical path across all workstreams to ensure that potential bottlenecks and delays are identified early.

Planning Assumptions & Risks: Establish and maintain well-documented assumptions and risks within the programme plan to proactively mitigate potential challenges.

Top-Down Planning Guidance & Best Practice: Develop and communicate clear planning guidance and best practices to plan owners, ensuring consistent and effective planning across all levels.

Baseline Management & Change Control: Oversee the baselining of plans and the movement of milestone dates. Ensure that appropriate change control processes are followed when milestone dates need to be adjusted.

Automated Reporting: Drive the use of automated tools and processes to collate and report on the progress of the various workstream plans, minimizing manual intervention and improving efficiency.

Stakeholder Management & Reporting: Work closely with project and programme managers to provide regular updates and insights on project health, critical paths, risks, and issues.

Skills & Experience:

Advanced Microsoft Project Expertise: Significant experience in creating, managing, and maintaining large-scale programme-level plans using Microsoft Project, including multi-workstream, multi-dimensional planning.

Project and Programme Management: Demonstrable experience in managing complex, multi-dimensional programmes with a clear understanding of programme management principles and techniques.

Dependency and Critical Path Management: Strong ability to identify and manage dependencies across multiple workstreams, with a clear understanding of the critical path and its impact on programme delivery.

Risk & Assumption Management: Experience in identifying, documenting, and managing risks and assumptions across complex projects, with the ability to provide clear mitigation strategies.

Change Control & Baseline Management: Proven experience in managing change control processes, including the tracking and movement of milestone dates while ensuring baseline integrity.

Communication & Stakeholder Management: Excellent communication skills with the ability to provide clear and actionable guidance to plan owners and stakeholders at various levels.

Automated Reporting Tools: Familiarity with automated reporting and dashboard tools to streamline the collation of project data and improve reporting efficiency.

Preferred Qualifications:

Microsoft Project Certification: Relevant certifications in Microsoft Project or Programme Management methodologies (e.g., PMP, Prince2) are advantageous.

Industry Experience: Previous experience in managing complex, multi-workstream projects within [specific industry, if applicable].