Senior Project Manager

Salary: From £51,000 per annum (negotiable based on experience) + comprehensive benefits package

Jisc grade: PRS4 (internal use only)

Job Type: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week

Reports into: Strategic delivery lead

Working style: Hybrid - A blend of working from home and your nominated hub office. We have hubs located in London, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford.

About Jisc:

At Jisc, we're driven by a simple ambition: to use technology to transform education, research and innovation.

For more than 30 years, we've been the digital partner for the UK's education and research sectors, providing world-class networks, innovative digital services and expert guidance that help universities, colleges and research institutions thrive.

Our work supports millions of learners, educators and researchers every day, enabling everything from groundbreaking discoveries and life-changing research to exceptional digital learning experiences. While many people may not realise it, the technology and services we provide help power some of the UK's most important educational and research achievements.

Join Jisc and you'll be part of a purpose-driven organisation where your ideas can have a real impact. Together, we're shaping the future of learning, research and innovation for the benefit of society.

The role:

The role will sit within the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) team, part of the Transformation directorate. The EPMO are responsible for delivering strategic projects across the organisation. We operate an Enterprise Project Management Office which acts as a centre of excellence for all projects and programmes within Jisc.

Jisc is delivering a major transformation programme to introduce In-Year data and statistics reporting across the sector. As a Senior Project Manager, you will lead the delivery of complex, high-impact projects, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.

A key part of the role is building and managing strong stakeholder relationships. You will be confident engaging with senior stakeholders, translating complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes, influencing decision-making, and navigating challenging conversations to drive successful project delivery.

You will also support and mentor colleagues, champion project management best practice, and contribute to the ongoing development of Jisc's delivery capability.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead the planning and delivery of a stakeholder engagement and communications project supporting the in year Student data programme.
• Facilitate workshops to identify and analyse key stakeholder groups, understand communication requirements and define audience-specific messaging.
• Develop and maintain a detailed communications and engagement roadmap covering the next 6-12 months, aligned to programme milestones and delivery objectives.
• Create and coordinate communication and engagement plans for key programme stages, ensuring stakeholders receive timely and effective information.
• Work with programme and sector stakeholders to identify emerging concerns, risks and opportunities and ensure appropriate responses are incorporated into programme delivery.
• Apply project management methodologies and controls to ensure delivery of agreed outcomes within timescales and quality expectations.
• Owning and leading project governance, including proactive risk and issue management, change control, stage gate preparation, benefits tracking, decision logging, and financial oversight, providing clear recommendations to senior stakeholders.

What we are looking for:

• Proven and successful track record of managing successful project delivery
• Proven experience delivering stakeholder engagement, communications or change-focused projects within large, complex programmes.
• Experience facilitating workshops with senior stakeholders and translating outcomes into actionable plans.
• Demonstrable experience creating and executing communication and engagement plans across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Experience operating in complex environments with multiple stakeholder groups and competing priorities.
• Proven track record of managing projects involving both business change and stakeholder engagement.

Don’t meet every single requirement?

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box, so we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements, but if you feel this role is perfect for you. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

Hybrid working:

Specific patterns for working in the office are not mandated, and the frequency of time worked in the office is agreed with your manager. Meeting in person is something we value, so you may need to travel on occasion to any of our hub offices.

Why work for us?

At Jisc, every role is meaningful, and every individual is valued. We foster a culture of continuous learning and personal growth, offering opportunities to develop new skills and make a real impact in education and research. With a strong focus on work-life balance, we embrace flexible working that prioritises outcomes over hours, empowering you to create a rhythm that energises both your professional and personal life.

Our Guiding Principles:

Jisc’s culture is powered by our four guiding principles: putting customers first, driving innovation, creating impact, and championing inclusive collaboration to deliver sustainable outcomes and shape a better future.

Discover the amazing benefits we provide! Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Flexible work pattern, which can adapt to suit your schedules and personal commitments
• 31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) that includes three closure days over Christmas
• Buy up to an additional 5 days leave during the flexible benefits window
• Generous flexible pension schemes
• A range of wellbeing lifestyle benefits including company paid health care cash plan, mental health first aiders and support
• A company culture of continuous learning with access to thousands of LinkedIn Learning courses, and lots of resources and opportunities to support your development
• Allocated allowance of up to £250 to equip your home office
• Financial well-being support including access to preferential loan and savings plans, mortgage advice, will writing tools and support and resources to help you make the most of your money
• A wide range of discounts and cashback from retailers and big-name high-street stores
• Family friendly policies including enhanced parental, maternity and paternity and co-parental leave as well as opportunity for career breaks
• Support your volunteering with up to 3 days volunteer leave

Equity, diversity and inclusion:

Jisc believe our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging.

We work hard to create an equitable experience for our candidates and workforce which embraces all aspects of their identity including race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, trans identities, age, class, disability, neurodivergence, or veteran status.

Application process:

Please let us know how we can best accommodate you throughout the recruitment process. We’re committed to making our process accessible and comfortable for everyone - just tell us what works best for you.

Just so you know, we review CVs as soon as we can and aim to provide an update on your application within 4 weeks of receiving it. However, you may hear from us a lot sooner, so please keep an eye out for our emails or calls!

We’re really looking forward to getting to know the real you. While we encourage the use of AI tools to help you get started on your CV or cover letter, we encourage you to review your application before submitting. Make sure it truly reflects your own voice, experiences, and personality.

If you are currently a Jisc employee, please apply through your Dayforce Employee profile.

We have a thorough background screening process that verifies the details you share with us in your CV and your application. Any inaccurate information supplied during the application stages can lead to a job offer being withdrawn.

Sponsorship:

Jisc has an active sponsor licence to recruit on a Skilled worker visa basis. Candidates wishing to apply who require sponsorship should determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant Home Office criteria. Jisc does not offer any financial re-imbursement towards the applicant costs, such as re-location, skilled worker visa and dependant costs or the immigration health charge.

No agencies please.