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Project Manager - Physics and Astronomy - 98738 - Grade 8

Employer
University of Birmingham
Location
United Kingdom
Salary
£42,149 to £56,587
Closing date
Dec 13, 2021
Position Details

Physics and Astronomy

Tyseley Energy Park, Hay Mills, Birmingham, B25 8DW

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £42,149 to £50,296, with potential progression once in post to £56,587

Grade 8

Full time

Fixed term contract until 30th June 2023

Closing date - 13th December 2021

This post will be part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund

Job Summary

The River Cole and Tyseley Energy Park project will deliver a programme of blue and green infrastructure improvements in the Tyseley area of the River Cole Valley. The activities will focus on habitat enhancements to rehabilitate an underutilised urban, green space area to create a more accessible and connected green corridor in East Birmingham that in the longer term will be managed and enhanced by the local community.

The project supports delivery of the East Birmingham Inclusive Growth Strategy, Cole Valley Catchment Landscape Vision Project and aligns with GBSLEP Sustainable Urban Development Strategy which identified the River Cole as presenting several challenges that this project addresses; the need to manage and develop sites to improve the quality of the public realm, amenity value and water quality improvements, and innovative design solutions to enable optimum, affordable solutions.

The project activities focus on an area currently known as the Lost World, running alongside the River Cole by Tyseley Energy Park, between the A45 and Grand Union Canal and over into Ackers Adventure. Other activities will take place in adjacent areas of green space in the River Cole Valley, downstream towards Bordesley Green.

As Manager for the project, the post holder will be responsible for day-to-day operational management of the project and the successful delivery of capital interventions. The task will necessitate co-ordinating and managing the efforts of project delivery partners and strategic partners involved in all aspects of project delivery and decision making.

The Project Manager will be responsible for ensuring that all ERDF requirements for reporting and auditing are met for the duration of the project and will also be responsible to the Project

Director for reporting progress on the projects, and for alerting senior management to any major potential threats to project delivery. The Project Manager will be required to ensure that all aspects of project delivery are completed in line with University policies.

Main Duties

Shaping and Implementing strategic plans and leading project management of the project

Be responsible for delivery of the project to successful conclusion. Duties include:
  • Make major contributions to and shape the strategic direction of the project as a senior manager involved in the delivery of the project, and through active participation on the Project Management Board
  • Create and maintain an overall Project Management Plan for the whole project using well established project management principles and practices.
  • Using a highly developed knowledge of project and technology management principles and practice, to distribute and delegate tasks to the diverse and extended project team through intermediary management in a timely manner to ensure successful delivery of the project
  • Plan, organise and maintain a regular schedule of project review meetings ensuring all relevant parties maintain an adequate level of attendance
  • Deploy high level leadership skills and set appropriate quality standards to keep the project on track and to keep the extended team aligned with the strategic objectives of the project
  • Establish effective networking relationships with managers at an appropriate level on other projects and corporate services, influencing University leaders to ensure all necessary resources are available and fit for purpose in delivering the project
  • Constantly evaluate project activities and make recommendations to the academic lead of Project Director on potential changes to the project plans to ensure the aims of the project are addressed during the delivery of the project and implement improvement solutions

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and Dissemination of Project Activity
  • Develop a comprehensive evaluation strategy for the project, which is in line with the proposal and ERDF requirements
  • Ensure that all required measurement and evaluation information is gathered by all project partners in a timely fashion
  • Establish and implement reporting procedures which meet the requirements of the funder (MHCLG), and ensure all necessary data is gathered in a timely and efficient manner
  • Receive, referee and peer review project data on a regular basis to ensure that the project stays on course for successful delivery, and provide early visibility of deviations from the project plan
  • Referee, edit and deliver reports to ERDF in line with the agreed plan, and regularly ensure that MHCLG are satisfied with the reports and the data provided to them
  • Ensure that project participants are all appraised of the information reported to ERDF, and of any feedback received
  • Provide reports and verbal presentations to the Project Management and Strategic Management Boards to ensure that all members are aware of key points of progress and any issues which need senior management intervention

Financial Management and Reporting
  • Ensure records are maintained of match funded contributions, planned expenditure profiles, and cash flow to ensure that the full project value can be recovered from ERDF
  • Ensure that suitable records of all eligible costs are maintained by the University of Birmingham and project partners
  • Provide leadership and expertise to colleagues and project delivery partners regarding the maintenance of accurate records of expenditure and eligible costs
  • Communicate and where appropriate determine and delegate budgets to key task managers
  • Ensure appropriate monitoring, control and audit of all project expenditure within the University and project partners
  • Review project partner expenditure against profile expenditure before reimbursing project costs
  • Approve expenditure in line with delegations and the project budget, escalating decisions on any novel contentious issues to the Project Director
  • Provide financial reports to ERDF and to the Project Management Board at least quarterly, and more frequently if expenditure materially deviates from the plan in the proposal

Risk Management
  • Use own professional expertise to create a project risk register, building on the register produced during project start up and the preparation of the bid
  • Determine need to acquire additional independent professional expertise to evaluate risks and/or mitigation options
  • Ensure the project risk register is maintained and updated throughout the life of the project
  • Regularly update the Project Director on the status of the risk register
  • Communicate the risk register with all key task leaders both within and outside the University, influencing senior management to ensure risk mitigation and issues resolution plans are in place and implemented as required
  • Establish, lead and promote a culture throughout the project team of providing an early warning to the management team of potential risks
  • Deploy appropriate resources across the project team to mitigate risks as they emerge using own experience to determine when this approach is appropriate

Management of Project Staff
  • Co-ordinate and prioritise day-to-day workload across the project team to ensure that key deliverables are met in a timely manner
  • Liaise with the appropriate contacts across project partners to resolve any staff related issues which may emerge during the lifetime of the project

Person Specification

Essential

Considerable project management experience in high technology or research oriented environment, particularly having evidence of successful delivery of projects
  • Formal Project Management qualifications such as APMP, Prince 2 or MSP
  • Experience of managing large financial budgets along with experience of budget planning and forecasting
  • Significant experience of setting up and managing project record systems so that they meet the needs of the team, the customer, and any audit requirements
  • Ability to interpret complex guidelines, rules and regulations. Experience of working to reporting structures and producing audit trails
  • Experience of running projects with significant numbers of staff and motivating staff across a wide range of disciplines to deliver to deadlines
  • Excellent team-working and communication skills being able to keep the team fully appraised of key issues, and also comfortable in briefing and influencing senior management
  • Proven ability to meet targets, milestones and contracted outputs and work to deadlines
  • Competent IT user- Microsoft packages, email, internet, and project management tools

Desirable

  • Degree level in a subject relevant to EPS.
  • Successful delivery of projects for regional or national government and involving match funding contributions from partners
  • Experience of working with higher education and commercial sectors

Informal enquiries can be made to Emily Prestwood - e.prestwood@bham.ac.uk

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We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

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