HQ Job Description (JD)
Band 9
Group Family: Generic - Projects and Programmes
Job Description - Project Lead
Document Ref.
HQ-JES-2965 Project Lead v2.0
Document Type
Management
Version
2.0
Classification
Official
Date of Issue
1 November 2021
Status
Baselined
Produced by
Job Evaluation Assurance and Support Team
Authorised by
Reward Team
JD Evidence
HQ-JES-2965 Project Lead v2.0
Job Description
Job Title
Project Lead
Directorate
Generic
Band
9
Overview of the job
The Project Lead is responsible for developing and influencing the strategic direction
for the key project area, alongside the initiation, leadership and implementation of
the project plan and key milestones. This is a strategic role that will involve
influencing internal and external stakeholders to secure buy in to the project and
ensure ambitions and benefits are realised. The Project Lead will be establishing,
managing and implementing a range of key deliverables. The post holder will need
to work flexibly to adapt to the changing landscape whilst ensuring the project
remains a high priority across the organisation, despite competing demands. The
Project Lead will be responsible and accountable for the effective delivery of the
project, task managing and holding regular checkpoint meetings with multiple
workstream leads. The Project Lead will be contributing to effective delivery across
the programme due to the range of dependencies on structures and policies.
The need to ensure the rapid pace of change is maintained means the Project lead
needs to be innovative and flexible in the way he/she provides project leadership
and management. The role needs to ensure that all processes are lean, fit for
purpose and applied pragmatically ensuring that systems provide a balance between
facilitating decision making and applying suitable governance arrangements.
This role requires an experienced Project lead who has managed high profile,
sensitive and mission critical Projects for a minimum of five years.
The post holder will have a practitioner level understanding of applying Managing
Successful Projects (MSP) and PRINCE2 principles as well as a working knowledge of
Management of Risk (MoR).
Summary
Responsible for the development, implementation and management of appropriate
governance structures and reporting arrangements to ensure that the Project is de-
risked and delivers its commitments within time, cost and quality.
The Project Lead works with senior stakeholders from within HMPPS and MoJ to
design, agree and operate suitable governance arrangements. The Project Lead is
responsible for ensuring that the project undertakes suitable external scrutiny at key
points.
The Project lead leads a small team to deliver effective management and specialist
support to facilitate the smooth running of the project.
The Project lead has responsibility for the co-ordination of the key work streams in
the project covering, specification drafting, development of tender documentation,
coordination and management of data collection of required services and TUPE
information, liaison with HR on staffing and contract management issues, overseeing
Project communications with staff and unions, overseeing the work of HMPPS
finance in relation to the project.
This is a specialist role and the post holder has responsibility for, and must be able to
develop, define and oversee the running of the activities listed below even though
many will be delegated to members of the team with the particular expertise to
deliver the required activity.
HQ-JES-2965 Project Lead v2.0
Responsibilities,
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities
Activities and Duties
and duties:
• To be responsible for the overall definition and conduct of the project.
• Lead the creation of the Outline Business Case (OBC) to ensure that business
options, savings/costs, the configuration of services, method of service delivery
and implementation timescales are fully defined.
• Personally manage the senior project stakeholders at director and deputy
director level to ensure risks are mitigated and plans are integrated and on
track.
• Work with a broad range of stakeholders to define and establish appropriate
governance arrangements for the Project so that decisions are made by the
right people at the right level and are auditable. Review and revise as
appropriate as the project progresses.
• Lead on the definition, implementation and management of appropriate project
delivery arrangements providing an effective balance between control and
support.
• Prepare and present reports to Project Board and other Project/PUC
Programme meetings. Produce the key reports such as Project Update Reports
and Project Finance reports, the content of which is derived from the input of
others such as work stream leads and self. These reports and any supplemental
information required form the basis of regular reports to NOMC, MoJ
Transforming Justice Committee and Cabinet Office Major Projects Authority
(MPA).
• Working with professional procurement and commercial colleagues to ensure all
procurement and contracting activities are carried out on time and deliver
effective contracts that support operations but also deliver value for money.
• Provide strong leadership skills.
• Oversee the definition and initiation stages of the Project and the specific
project objectives including assurance and approval arrangements underpinning
benefits realisation.
• Ensure that the project has a schedule of formal Project Board and Checkpoint
meetings with effective secretariat facilities provided. In addition, organise,
chair, facilitate and support any stakeholder and working group meetings as well
as ad-hoc meetings and workshops.
• Provide timely contributions to responses to Parliamentary and Ministerial
questions relating to the project.
• Manage Project resources and prioritise work within delegated limits to deliver
the necessary outputs.
• Manage the acquisition of resources for the project.
• Escalate issues to the Programme Board and other governance bodies where
these are outside own remit to resolve or where there are conflicting issues or
matters which could affect delivery of the project.
• Ensure stakeholders are kept informed routinely and at key milestones as
appropriate. Manage the development and implementation of stakeholder
strategy and management plans. Ensure communication plans and tools deal
with the management of the difficult and sensitive messages to Staff (unions re:
competition and in/out of scope arrangements).
• Ensure action owners are reminded of outstanding actions from Boards /
sub-committees / working groups.
• Develop and implement appropriate terms of reference for formal meetings
(e.g. Project Board, Checkpoint) and advice on the function of these meetings
and the appropriateness of any requested agenda items. Ensure the smooth
running of the meetings through negotiating with those intending to submit
items on the appropriateness of the agenda item and the most appropriate
date/time for submission.
• Oversee appropriate archiving and retrieval arrangements for Project Board and
papers, agendas and minutes.
• Oversee planning with key work stream representatives and suppliers in relation
to the activities required to be delivered by the project to produce a detailed
and integrated work plan for the overall project.
• Identify and monitor the critical path, reporting on delivery against agreed
milestones and the implications of any changes. Escalate forecast slippage
HQ-JES-2965 Project Lead v2.0
beyond agreed tolerances and propose remedial action in response, amending
the project plan as appropriate. Discuss the viability of contingency plans with
work stream leads and the SRO.
• Responsible for ensuring the effective coordination of input to and maintenance
and management of risks and issues logs for the project, ensuring risks and
issues are fully articulated and evaluated and have an identified responsible
owner; escalate those that cannot be managed or contained within the Project.
• Ensures changes to timelines, costs or outputs are fully assessed before they are
applied.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not
intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable
alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant
adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall
be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.
Behaviours
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
Strengths
It is advised strengths are chosen locally, recommended 4-8.
Ability
• Working knowledge of business case development and approval.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience of building, influencing and
maintaining strategic partnerships with other government departments,
agencies, suppliers and other senior level stakeholders.
• Excellent written communication skills to produce comprehensive reports and
briefings for Directors within HMPPS and MoJ.
• Excellent understanding of MS Office products and particularly in the use of MS
Word, MS Excel and MS Project.
Experience
• Significant experience of managing large and complex change projects and/ or
programmes.
• Experience of operating at senior level providing briefing and reporting
arrangements in a variety of roles across a number of projects/programmes.
• Comprehensive knowledge and hands on experience of project delivery
techniques and management of major projects or programmes.
• Experience of building and managing a multi-functional team and getting the
most out of it in a senior, dynamic and complex environment.
• Excellent written communication skills to produce comprehensive reports and
briefings for Directors within HMPPS and MoJ.
Technical
• Recognised project delivery qualifications, ISEB accreditation, Practitioner or
Advanced Practitioner in MSP, Prince2, MoR.
Minimum Eligibility
Please do not alter this box
• All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post.
• All external candidates are subject to 6 months’ probation. Internal candidates are
subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within
HMPPS.
• All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or
organisation which HMPPS consider to be racist.
HQ-JES-2965 Project Lead v2.0
Hours of Work
Leave Blank
(Unsocial Hours)
Allowances
To be used by the JES Team only
HQ-JES-2965 Project Lead v2.0
Success Profile
Strengths
Behaviours
It is advised strengths
Ability
Experience
Technical
are chosen locally,
recommended 4-8
Managing a Quality Service
Working knowledge of business
Significant experience of
Recognised project delivery
case development and
managing large and complex
qualifications, ISEB accreditation,
approval.
change projects and/ or
Practitioner or Advanced
programmes.
Practitioner in MSP, Prince2, MoR.
Delivering at Pace
Excellent interpersonal skills
Experience of operating at senior
and experience of building,
level providing briefing and
influencing and maintaining
reporting arrangements in a
strategic partnerships with
variety of roles across a number
other government
of projects/programmes.
departments, agencies,
suppliers and other senior level
stakeholders.
Leadership
Excellent written
Comprehensive knowledge and
communication skills to
hands on experience of project
produce comprehensive reports delivery techniques and
and briefings for Directors
management of major projects or
within HMPPS and MoJ.
programmes
Communicating and Influencing
Excellent understanding of MS
Experience of building and
Office products and particularly
managing a multi-functional team
in the use of MS Word, MS
and getting the most out of it in a
Excel and MS Project.
senior, dynamic and complex
environment.
Working Together
Excellent written communication
skills to produce comprehensive
reports and briefings for
Directors within HMPPS and MoJ.
Changing and Improving
HQ-JES-2965 Project Lead v2.0