Department for Education

Contents

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

Manchester, North West England, M1 2WD : Sheffield, Yorkshire and the Humber, S1 2FJ : City of Westminster, London (region), SW1P 3BT

About the job

Job summary

We are seeking a senior colleague experienced in planning, scheduling and delivering £bn capital programmes, including the forecasting of and delivery to programme budgets. This is a unique and complex role requiring significant expertise and experience in the planning and management of large scale capital programmes.

The Capital Delivery team within the Education Estates Directorate is responsible for delivering several £bn construction programmes, including the School Rebuilding Programme, the Free Schools Programme and the FE Capital Transformation Programme. The team is overseen by Jane Balderstone, Director of Construction and Delivery. The Construction Delivery Programme Management Office sits at the heart of the team ensuring plans are in place and monitored to deliver programmes and that we hit forecast dates and budgets. This role reports to the Deputy Director for the Construction Delivery PMO.

Job description

The specific responsibilities of the role include:

• Programme Management of these building programmes which are in the Government Major Projects Portfolio. This includes scheduling, risk management and benefits realisation and you should have experience of successful delivery in these areas. It also includes reporting and insights.
• Forecasting of the budgets for the programmes, including in year forecasting management. You should have significant experience of forecasting £bn programmes and be able to demonstrate you have delivered to target and improved systems to do this.
• Ensure excellent and proportionate governance is in place to oversee and deliver the programmes.
• Management of a team of 16, including line management of 5 G7s, to deliver your objectives.
• Build excellent relations with internal and external colleagues.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Experience in successful management of large budgets.
• Governance and risk management skills
• Stakeholder management skills

Desirable Skills

• Programme management and forecasting qualifications are desirable but not essential

Desirable criteria will only be assessed at interview, in the event of a tie break situation, to make an informed decision.

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Forecasting of the budgets for the programmes, including in year forecasting management. You should have significant experience of forecasting £bn programmes and be able to demonstrate you have delivered to target and improved systems to do this

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £68,623, Department for Education contributes £19,880 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.

As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK.

You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.

We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours. 

Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.

Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.

As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.

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 : Jane Balderstone
• Email : Jane.balderstone@education.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Resourcing.BUSINESSPARTNERS@education.gov.uk

Further information

The Department for Education’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned via CentralRecruitment.Operations@education.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages