AMS PSR

On behalf of UKRI, we are looking for Senior Project Manager's x5 (Inside IR35) for a contract which is up to the end of March 2026 and is also hybrid so does Include occasional visits to either the Swindon or London offices

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the national funding agency investing in science and research in the UK.

You'll be working on the Research & Development Mission Programme (R&D MAP), a major new government initiative led by UKRI. The aim of the programme is to fund targeted research and innovation (R&I) to solve critical national problems, support the Government's Five National Missions, and improve people's lives. 

You will be one of five Senior Project Managers, with one person assigned to each of the five R&I Challenge areas. Your core mission is to rapidly set up and run your specific programme area. 

As a Senior Project Manager, your main responsibilities will be:

• Programme Management & Planning: Take the Challenge Director's vision, develop business cases and turn them into clear objectives and a coordinated delivery action plan. o Share and challenge your plans with the central Hub and the other Programme Leads to ensure alignment. o Lead all planning activities to ensure outputs meet the programme's requirements.
• Strategic Business Cases: Take charge of developing the R&D strategic business cases for your area. o Bring together authors and inputs from the central Hub, Programme Managers, and Challenge Directors across UKRI. 
• Risk and Dependency Management: Chart out all planned activities to spot interdependencies and potential conflicts between workstreams. o Proactively identify and assess risks and issues, and be responsible for taking timely corrective action to mitigate them. o Plan and manage assurance activities for your Challenge area, ensuring they align with other Challenges. 
• Governance and Operating Model: Partner with the Challenge Directors to design and put into place an effective operating model and governance framework that is appropriate for the scale of the investment. o Ensure reporting processes are followed, and accurate, up-to-date reports are provided to the central hub on progress and budget status 
• Support efforts to continually improve the way the programme operates. o Ensure robust documentation and knowledge transfer processes are in place to support continuity and future scaling.
• Resource and Budget Management: Work closely with finance teams to establish the financial management processes for your programme area. 

Essential Skills

• Demonstrable experience leading successful programmes across multiple departments/stakeholders, using recognised project management best practices.
• Strong people management skills, able to build relationships, negotiate, challenge, and influence effectively with people at all levels.
• Adaptability & Problem-Solving: environments, often by applying new ideas where no precedent exists.
• Excellent written, presentation, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact professionally and communicate sensitive information tactfully with diverse groups (including executives).
• Excellent numeracy skills and experience handling budgets and exercising financial control.
• Strong self starter with a proactive approach to all duties

Qualifications

• Qualification in a relevant Programme/Project Management Methodology (e.g., Prince2, MSP, APMPQ).

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, UKRI guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".