PMO Consultant

Methods Business and Digital Technology Limited

Methods is a £100M+ IT Services Consultancy who has partnered with a range of central government departments and agencies to transform the way the public sector operates in the UK. Established over 30 years ago and UK-based, we apply our skills in transformation, delivery, and collaboration from across the Methods Group, to create end-to-end business and technical solutions that are people-centred, safe, and designed for the future.

Our human touch sets us apart from other consultancies, system integrators and software houses - with people, technology, and data at the heart of who we are, we believe in creating value and sustainability through everything we do for our clients, staff, communities, and the planet.

We support our clients in the success of their projects while working collaboratively to share skill sets and solve problems. At Methods we have fun while working hard; we are not afraid of making mistakes and learning from them.

Predominantly focused on the public-sector, Methods is now building a significant private sector client portfolio.

Methods was acquired by the Alten Group in early 2022.

Requirements

The role

The PMO (Project or Programme Management Office) Consultant is a predominately client-facing role, responsible for supporting our customers deliver change successfully by establishing effective PMO functions.

The post-holder will usually work as part of a Methods team providing a PMO service, either as a manager or an analyst, depending on the type of programme.

They will need to help establish an effective service either from scratch or assessing and improving an existing function. The role will require applying the right blend of support and control to suit a client environment and undertaking knowledge transfer to help build a sustainable capability so that the service can be transitioned effectively.

They will use their experience in project and programme environments to advise clients on how to optimise their existing approaches and resources, while applying proportionate advice, assurance and reporting to waterfall, agile or blended scenarios.

As part of the P3M (Portfolio, Programme & Project Management) practice, the post-holder will also be responsible for contributing to Communities of Practice, sharing learning, developing reusable collateral and writing case studies.

The ideal candidate will have at least three years’ experience working in programme and project environments. They will have relevant PMO qualifications and experience alongside applied understanding of the different aspects of project management design and delivery.

Successful applicants will ideally have a broad understanding of the UK public services landscape with experience in different sectors. In addition to demonstrable client engagement skills, they will have or be able to build, a good understanding about the challenges faced in public sector delivery and an interest in innovating with new techniques and technology to support the more efficient delivery of improved outcomes.

REQUIREMENTS

The post holder PMO Consultant will:

• Provide PMO expertise and advice to clients as part of PMO design, delivery or assurance.

• Perform the role of a PMO manager or analyst, depending on the complexity/criticality size of the relevant client project/programme, overseeing the processes and standards for optimising project delivery.

• Help clients develop and maintain a view on the overall performance of their portfolio/programme/project

• Support clients in the development of PMO good practice and procedures developing and maintaining all portfolio, programme and project products (eg, Roadmap, Milestone Plan, RAID log, reporting, assurance)

• Support designated project assurance reviews to ensure that project documentation is maintained, completed thoroughly and that the methodology is being appropriately and consistently applied. Report to PMO Manager on the outcomes; monitor any resulting improvement actions.

• Provide regular reporting to client portfolio, programme or project boards on performance including planning status, risk management, project finances, resourcing, change management and benefits.

• Support client and internal project and programme assurance processes and standards including Stage Gate processes to include initial quality check of deliverables to guide project managers as required.

• Maintain all client and internal project/programme templates and artefacts as part of the delivery lifecycle to ensure they remain fit-for-purpose and applicable to support project procedures, tools, and techniques.

• Oversee protocols to change the scope of projects and/or programmes advising on the change management process and ensuring updates to configuration documents as required.

• Where appropriate, facilitate secretariat support for client governance boards, including sharing agendas and capturing and communicating any actions and decisions and help optimise remote working practices.

• Curate an effective and appropriately culture of continuous improvement within client environments

• Feed back experience, knowledge and opinion into the Methods Community of Practice and support the development of delivery and sales collateral, including contributing to writing bids.

• Provide input to the internal Methods Delivery Support and Assurance team to help optimise processes with respect to assurance of client delivery projects.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate:

• A track record in supporting a PMO which contributed to the successful delivery of a complex programme.

• Previous experience establishing PMO functions and delivering PMO service and process improvements.

• Experience in building a successful PMO team

• Skills across a range of PMO delivery capabilities e.g. risk management, reporting, assurance, secretariat.

• The ability to confidently engage and work with stakeholders across the business including internal stakeholders up to C level with experience in providing tailored and pertinent information to them

• The ability to manage a broad range of responsibilities and thrive under pressure.

• Knowledge of different project methodologies

• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft O365 and office products; experience using and exploiting PPM software

• A commitment to continuous professional development

Desirable skills and experience:

• Portfolio, Programme and Project (P3O) Foundation and/or Practitioner

• PRINCE2 project management practitioner or related qualification

• Agile project delivery qualification

• Experience of managing projects using Microsoft Project Online

Benefits

Benefits

Methods is passionate about its people; we want our colleagues to develop the things they are good at and enjoy.

By joining us you can expect:

• Autonomy to develop and grow your skills and experience
• Be part of exciting project work that is making a difference in society
• Strong, inspiring, and thought-provoking leadership
• A supportive and collaborative environment

As well as this we offer:

Development – access to LinkedIn Learning, a management development programme, and training

Wellness – 24/7 confidential employee assistance programme

Flexible Working – including home working and part time

Social – office parties, breakfast Tuesdays, monthly pizza Thursdays, Thirsty Thursdays, and commitment to charitable causes

Time Off – 25 days of annual leave a year, plus bank holidays, with the option to buy 5 extra days each year

Volunteering – 2 paid days per year to volunteer in our local communities or within a charity organisation

Pension – Salary Exchange Scheme with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution

Discretionary Company Bonus – based on company and individual performance

Life Assurance – of 4 times base salary

Private Medical Insurance – which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)

Worldwide Travel Insurance – which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)

Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Pay

Travel – season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme

For a full list of benefits please visit our website (www.methods.co.uk/careers/benefits)

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