Deputy Director, Portfolio and Project Delivery

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

London, Darlington, Salford, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast.

About the job

Job summary

The DD for Portfolio and Project Delivery is a critical role in DBT’s Project Delivery and Change Directorate, which sits at the heart of the Department in Corporate Services. As a Directorate, we directly deliver some of DBT’s major transformation programmes, we play a critical role in planning, prioritisation, and assurance of wider Departmental transformation and we set standards for excellence in Project Delivery.

The Directorate is made up of almost 100 people across 3 Deputy Directorate areas. Our contributions make DBT a great place to work and enable the Department to deliver on its Economic Growth Mission.

The DD for Portfolio and Project Delivery is a senior role in our Directorate, leading a team of approximately 35 project delivery professionals.

• The role oversees DBT’s Major Projects Portfolio, which has a cumulative value of approximately £35bn.
• The role provides vital scrutiny, assurance and performance reporting to inform decision making at our Investment Committee.
• As Head of the Project Delivery Profession in DBT, the role sets strategies and standards for how we best deliver our transformation programmes and plays an integral role in leading capability development for our Project Delivery Professionals.

This is a crucial time for this role, as we mobilise our planning capability for the upcoming Spending Review and recalibrate our Major Projects Portfolio.

Candidate Information Call

Caragh McKiernan, hiring manager, and Hays, Executive Search Agency, will be hosting a virtual call for any interested applicants to discuss the role and answer any questions. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process. 

This will be held via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 28th January 2pm – 3pm (UK time). Please follow this teams link to join the call. If you would like to join without your full name being displayed in the meeting, please ensure you access the link on a personal device and select ‘Join without signing in’.

Job description

• As Deputy Director for Portfolio and Project Delivery, you will be a visible senior leader in the Department, advising our Executive Committee (ExCo), working closely with Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) and Programme Managers, liaising with counterparts across Whitehall and providing a key link into the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA).
• This is a key leadership role in the Department, responsible for cohering and assuring a large and complex portfolio of critical projects and programmes to ensure we can deliver on our strategic priorities. You will provide insight and advice to help inform investment decisions and prioritisation.
• As Head of Project Delivery Profession, you will play a key role in setting standards for Project Delivery in DBT and in defining the strategic vision for the Function. You will be responsible for driving capacity and capability among our community of Project Delivery Professionals.
• As a subject matter expert in Project Delivery, you will be responsible for overseeing all facets of the Function in DBT – ensuring we have robust policies, practices and frameworks in place to both manage our portfolio and deliver our programmes and appropriate recruitment, learning and career development for our cadre of PD professionals.
• A strong, inspiring leader, you will regularly partner with Senior Programme Leaders, acting as a trusted advisor to provide insight and informed challenge throughout the lifecycle of programmes.
• You will lead a team of Project, Programme and Portfolio subject matter experts and be an integral member of the Project Delivery and Change senior leadership team.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

• A proven track record of managing portfolios at scale, using influencing and assurance skills to ensure strategic alignment with organisational priorities. Ability to assess and distil complex information into clear recommendations to facilitate effective decision making.
• A subject matter expert in Project Delivery, well versed in project management principles, methodologies and capability development frameworks, with the ability to evidence how these have been deployed to improve delivery outcomes.
• A proven track record of delivering successfully through others at pace, with the flexibility to respond to emerging challenges, make decisions in an ambiguous operating environment and prioritise the work of the team accordingly.
• Strong communication skills and interpersonal skills. Experience building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and generating and presenting briefings and reports at C-suite level, to challenge and inform decision making.
• An experienced leader, able to inspire and grow high performing teams, manage performance across a matrix structure and foster a working culture that is open and inclusive.
• Qualified in AMP/Prince2/Agile. Accredited at Senior Practitioner level in Project/Programme Management or willing to undertake accreditation. Has undertaken Major Projects Leadership Academy (MPLA) or is willing to do so once in role.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £76,000, Department for Business and Trade contributes £22,017 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Andrew.Timlin@Hays.com
• Email : Andrew.Timlin@Hays.com

Recruitment team

• Email : Andrew.Timlin@Hays.com

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email at SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Civil Service Commission Complaints

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