Project Manager

Location

Priority locations - Birmingham, Bristol, Warrington and London*. Additional locations - Belfast, Gartcosh, Normanton (Calder), Crawley, Leicester. *For London based roles your contractual place of work will be Stratford. However, as that site will not be operational until early 2025 in the interim period you will be required to carry out your contractual duties from Vauxhall, or such other reasonable location, on a temporary basis. For the avoidance of doubt as your contractual place of work is Stratford, the move from any temporary place of work will not give rise to any entitlement to payments for travel time or costs under the Relocation and Excess Travel Policy.

About The Job

Job summary

In the NCA we are passionate about our mission to protect the public from serious and organised crime. This mission has never been more important as serious and organised crime is changing and growing fast. We also work with partners at senior levels in law enforcement, Government, private and third sectors and overseas to set the strategic direction, to drive and plan effective delivery of the response, and ensure we understand the impact of UK and international activity to reduce the threats.

We are invested in a multi-year transformation programme which is currently on the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), and working with our partners, is at the heart of transforming our collective impact against these criminals.

This is a unique opportunity to help deliver our transformation ambitions, as we are looking for skilled, motivated and experienced Project Delivery professionals to join our team. You could be posted to a range of exciting and challenging agency priorities, including Digital and Technology Infrastructure Transformation; Operational Capability Transformation and Enhancements; and Estates Transformation.

The NCA also implements projects and programmes aimed at responding directly to the key Serious and Organised Crime threats to the UK, protecting the public by demonstrably degrading those threats using all law enforcement and partner powers and capabilities. These include: drugs, firearms, organised immigration crime, modern slavery and human trafficking, child sexual abuse and exploitation, cyber-crime and economic crime.

Working in our project delivery profession you will get a great insight into the whole organisation and how it operates as a leader for wider law enforcement, it's a fantastic opportunity to bring your skills to help deliver our mission to lead the fight against serious and organised crime whilst being a key part of an innovative, inclusive and vibrant team.

Job Description

We are looking for effective project management professionals who have proven experience of managing multi-disciplinary project teams to deliver change across medium complexity projects. You'll be instrumental in ensuring delivery of the agreed business case benefits and outcomes, ensuring appropriate Benefits Realisation Strategy is in place, and monitor longer term delivery of benefits against the business case.

Your responsibilities will encompass the day-to-day management and leadership of the project and the project team. Providing effective leadership and management controls. Set project controls. Design the project structure and organisation appropriate to stage. Set appropriate delivery methodologies while managing effective transition between project phases You will be responsible for driving and overseeing the delivery of projects including budget creation to ensure the objectives are clearly defined and achieved within the agreed time, cost and quality constraints and have a key role in project governance and working with stakeholders, to ensure the agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefits to be realised.

Moreover, you'll be a driving force in fostering a culture of efficiency, effectiveness, and ambition within the directorate and beyond, challenging conventional thinking, and stimulating innovative solutions.

Would you like to learn more about the role?

If you would like to find out more about the role and the application process, we will be holding virtual open evenings via MS Teams on Tuesday 9th July 2024 17:30 - 18:30.

This event is by invitation only. If you would like to receive an invite please click through to the link below - you will be asked for your name and email address.

Click here to attend information session.

Please ensure you register your interest no later that 5pm on Monday 8th July 2024. You will not be able to complete this form after this date and time.

Please see our Privacy Notice within the Important information document attached to this advert for details on how your data is handled.

• To be considered, you will need to successfully complete SC Enhanced clearance before commencing the role.***
  
  
  

Person specification

Key Responsibilities Of The Role

This role is aligned to the Civil Service Project Capability Framework (PDCF) Project Manager 2 - Project Delivery Capability Framework . The list below may be further shaped and adjusted depending on business needs and team resources/skills

• Delivery - Create and lead the project to deliver the agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints.
• Project Management - Day-to-day management and leadership of the project and the project team. Provide effective leadership and management controls. Set project controls. Design the project structure and organisation appropriate to stage. Set appropriate delivery methodologies. Manage effective transition between project phases.
• Project Performance & Controls - Cascade vision and translate into delivery objectives for the team. Develop and maintain Project Plan. Identify and set appropriate Project Controls. Manage performance and report progress to sponsors. Performance managing cross-functional teams and suppliers to deliver to time cost and performance
• Supply Chain Management – Knowledge and experience of securing contracts and management of them. Experience of dealing with poor contractor performance.
• Business Case - Develop and draft the business case, with input from specialists as necessary.
• Budget - Develop the budget and track delivery within budget.
• Resources - Identify skill requirements; and deploy and develop resources. Manage medium sized team.
• Benefits Realisation - Deliver the agreed business case benefits and outcomes. Ensure appropriate Benefits Realisation Strategy is in place, and monitor longer term delivery of benefits against the business case.
• Stakeholder Management - Identify and manage stakeholder relationships and need for senior level support. Manage internal and external relationships as appropriate.
• Risks & Issues - Identify and monitor project risks and issues. Develop mitigating actions and escalate as appropriate. Identify and work with related projects to manage inter-dependencies.
• Governance - Support effective governance and decision making. Provide reporting and engage in mechanisms that hold you, as Project Manager, to account for delivery.
• Assurance - Engage with assurance reviews and support action on recommendations. Organise assurance processes such as gateway reviews, as required.
• Change Management - Ensure effective Change Management processes are in place to agree and document changes to deliverables as agreed with stakeholders.
• Guidance & Support -Provide support, guidance and coaching for the project team. Show commitment to personal development. Promote effective individual and team performance.
• Contribution to the Profession – commit to personal development, provide support, guidance and coaching to the team, promoting effective individual and team performance.
  
  
  

Desirable Criteria

• Relevant Project Management qualification as aligned to Project Manager 3 requirements on PCDF.
  
  
  

In the event of a tie-break at interview, the panel will progress the candidate with the highest score in the leading technical criteria to determine merit order. If the leading technical criteria scores are still tied, the panel will then assess desirable criteria to determine merit order. If scores are still tied following the review of desirable criteria, then the panel will revert to sift scores to determine merit order.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Leadership
  
  
  

Technical Skills

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

• Hands on experience of leading the project management and performance of medium complexity projects, using a range of Project Management tools to deliver successful outcomes.
• Knowledge and experience of contract management, including contractor performance management.
• Substantial experience working with stakeholders at all levels of seniority and delivering cross-agency initiatives within Project Delivery.
• A proven team leader with strong communication skills and the ability to motivate high performing teams aligned to organisational values.
  
  
  

We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:

• Hands on experience of leading the project management and performance of medium complexity projects, using a range of Project Management tools to deliver successful outcomes.
• Knowledge and experience of contract management, including contractor performance management.
  
  
  

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,675, National Crime Agency contributes £16,652 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

All officers in the NCA are members of the UK Civil Service. You will be eligible for:

• Civil Service pension scheme
• 26 days annual leave rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service
• If qualifying criteria is met new joiners to the NCA from UK Police Forces or UKIC will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for Annual Leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day).
• Training and development opportunities
• Special leave
• Flexible working and family friendly policies
• Cycle to work scheme
• Blue Light scheme
  
  
  

For further details on benefits please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/benefits-and-support

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

If you wish to apply for this vacancy, you must submit your application by 23:55 on Sunday 14th July 2024.

Sift Process

You will be asked to complete a CV as part of the application process. Your CV should set out your career history including training and qualifications, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure that each entry of your career history also has a few sentences outlining a description and the key elements of that role, and that you provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years. Please ensure the dates of any accreditations you are relying on are entered onto the CV.

• CV – Your CV will be used for reference only, and will not be scored as part of the recruitment process.
• Personal Statement – 500 word statement addressing what your motivation was to apply for the role.
• 2 x Technical / Experience skills, as outlined in the person specification above, via a 250 word Statement of Suitability per criteria.
  
  
  

For further application guidance please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/applying-and-onboarding

Once submitted your application will be acknowledged by the Government Recruitment Service.

Please note depending on the volume of applications a Longlist at sift may be conducted on following criteria :

• Hands on experience of leading the project management and performance of medium complexity projects, using a range of Project Management tools to deliver successful outcomes.
  
  
  

Candidates must pass this criteria for their application to be progressed.

A panel will then assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the Entry Criteria section.

Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Sift results are expected to be released w/c Monday 5th August 2024.

Interview Details

You will then be asked to attend an interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence.

There will be 1 round of interviews where candidates will be assessed the Behaviour and Technical criteria, as it is outlined in the Person Specification above. There will also be a presentation on a pre-defined topic, further information will be shared with candidates who are successful at sift.

Interviews will take place from the end of August 2024 into September 2024 - interviews will take place via Microsoft Teams. Please be advised that the type of interview (eg. virtual/face-to-face) may be subject to change and successful candidates will be notified of this prior to attending. However the interview is conducted, the interview criteria will remain as detailed within this advert.

The above sift and interview dates are an indicative timeline.

Should you be successful at sift but cannot attend on the interview date(s) listed the recruitment team cannot guarantee an alternative date. Please contact the recruitment team.

Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.

Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Any instances of plagiarism including copying of examples/answers from internet sources will result in a withdrawal of your application. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.

Interview Outcome

Candidates will be alerted of the outcome of their interview via their CS Jobs Portal. We will be retaining a candidate pool of successful applicants to draw from as vacancies arise for up to 12 months.

If your application is successful and we are unable to offer you a post immediately, you will be invited to join our reserve list. If over the next 12 months we are able to offer you a position, we will contact you as soon as possible.

Once we make you an offer you will then go through our vetting and pre-employment checks processes.

All Appointments will be made in location merit order.

Multi-Location

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

Please be aware that you can be posted to any location that you put in your preferences. If you would only like to be posted to one location, please confirm one location only. If you are posted to a location that you have requested and you do not accept that location, you may not be offered another role.

Please note, only advertised location can be offered. Notes populated in a free text box will not be taken into consideration.

Near Miss

If you are not found appointable at the advertised grade you may be offered the lower grade role if you are considered to meet the skills, experience and behaviours for the lower level. The benchmark for appointing to the lower grade is set at the start of each campaign. All offers will be made in merit.

If you are found appointable at the higher grade but there are no positions available you may be offered an appointment at the lower grade.

Hybrid Working

Here at the NCA we have a hybrid working arrangement in place enabling officers to work a proportion of their role remotely. Eligibility and the degree of home working will vary depending on the requirements of the role. Further details can be discussed at offer stage.

Reasonable Adjustment

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. As part of our application process you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process that you may need. If you have a disability or long-term condition (a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities , we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Inclusion and Accessibility

We are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we are committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process. For details of the available group please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/benefits-and-support

In order to monitor the effectiveness of the National Crime Agency’s Diversity & Inclusion strategy, the NCA require certain personal details about you on submission of your application. Please note that this will be treated in confidence and will not impact your application. You will be asked to complete an E-consent survey asking for permission to share this data with the NCA to be used for statistical/monitoring purposes only, refusal of consent to share the information will not impact your application.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Additional Information

• The NCA is a 24/7 organisation, and working patterns must support business requirements. Some roles may require you to respond at short notice or outside of core hours.
• Individuals will be required to undertake and pass a substance misuse test as part of pre-employment checks.
• Successful candidates may be required to undertake a medical. If required, the medical will take place in either London or Warrington. Unfortunately, travel costs will not be reimbursed.
• If you are an internal candidate who has passed interview but is undergoing an internal investigation or have a written warning in place preventing a post move you may not be able to be posted until this investigation is concluded or restriction lifted. You will remain on the reserve list for a max of 12 months
• This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
  
  
  

Vetting Requirements Sc

All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years.

Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

If you require SC clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements.

Checks will be made against:

• Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
• Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
• Security Services records
  
  
  

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

We encourage all candidates to visit the NCA careers page for further information please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers

If you have any specific queries about the role that are not covered please contact:

ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) . See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality Requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
  
  
  

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window) .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

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 : NCA Recruitment Team - GRS
• Email : ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
  
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
  
  
  

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint in relation to any stage of the recruitment and selection process please email Central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk . please ensure that you refer to the campaign reference number. If you remain dissatisfied following the outcome of your complaint you have the right to contact the Civil Service Commission to pursue it further.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/