Lead Project Manager (Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, or Blackpool)

<p>Job Description</p><br>To be considered for an interview, please make sure your application is full in line with the job specs as found below.<br><p>Project Manager (Lead)</p><p>Rate: £550 per day inside IR35</p><p>Clearance Required: BPSS</p><p>Start Date: ASAP</p><p>Location: Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, or Blackpool (travel required)</p><p>(Central Government experience would be advantageous)</p><p>We are seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead delivery across a portfolio of efficiency-focused initiatives. This role requires a strong leader who can operate at pace, manage tight deadlines, and deliver high-quality outcomes within budget while navigating complex stakeholder environments.</p><p>Key Responsibilities</p><ul><li>Lead end-to-end delivery of multiple projects, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives</li><li>Drive delivery at pace while maintaining governance, quality, and budget control</li><li>Manage and resolve stakeholder conflicts, acting as a key mediator between business and technical teams</li><li>Coordinate cross-functional teams to focus on delivery outcomes and milestones</li><li>Challenge existing processes and make informed decisions in ambiguous or fast-moving environments</li><li>Ensure effective planning, roadmap development, and milestone tracking</li><li>Maintain momentum across all workstreams while managing competing priorities</li></ul><p>Key Deliverables</p><ul><li>Successful delivery of efficiency initiatives within agreed timelines and budget</li><li>Clear and consistent reporting to stakeholders</li><li>Maintenance of RAID logs and risk mitigation strategies</li><li>Continuous improvement in delivery processes and team performance</li><li>High-quality outputs aligned with business objectives</li></ul><p>Essential Skills & Experience</p><p>Delivery & Methodologies</p><ul><li>Strong experience with Agile, Waterfall, and Lean methodologies</li><li>Working knowledge of frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, PRINCE2, or SAFe</li><li>Experience facilitating ceremonies and conducting lessons learned reviews</li></ul><p>Risk & Dependency Management</p><ul><li>Proven ability to identify, assess, and mitigate risks early</li><li>Experience managing dependencies across multiple teams using RAID logs</li></ul><p>Stakeholder Management</p><ul><li>Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders</li><li>Strong conflict resolution and negotiation capabilities</li></ul><p>Technical Understanding</p><ul><li>Solid understanding of software development lifecycles (SDLC), APIs, and system architecture</li><li>Ability to identify delivery blockers and support technical teams without hands-on coding</li></ul><p>Planning & Operational Delivery</p><ul><li>Expertise in roadmap planning, milestone setting, and delivery optimisation</li><li>Ability xwzovoh to manage competing priorities and ensure on-time delivery</li></ul><p>Leadership & Team Development</p><ul><li>Experience leading and mentoring high-performing teams</li><li>Ability to foster collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement</li></ul><p>Quality & Data-Driven Decision Making</p><ul><li>Strong focus on quality assurance and governance</li><li>Use of delivery metrics (e.g., burndown charts, defect rates) to inform decisions</li></ul><p>Commercial & Financial Awareness</p><ul><li>Experience managing project budgets, forecasting, and ROI</li><li>Familiarity with vendor management and SLA oversight</li></ul><p>Key Attributes</p><ul><li>Proactive and decisive, with the ability to work under pressure</li><li>Comfortable making decisions with limited information</li><li>Strong problem-solving mindset</li><li>Results-driven with a focus on efficiency and value delivery</li></ul>