Grade and Salary range: Grade 8, £47,389 – £58,225
FTE and working pattern: Full Time (1FTE), Open ended (flexible working on request).
Organisation Name: Global Project Management Office (University Governance & Operations)
About our School/Directorate and Team: Heriot‑Watt University is a leading UK university recognised for world‑class teaching and impactful, industry‑relevant research, with a strong reputation for innovation and enterprise. The University operates across five campuses in the UK, Dubai and Malaysia, offering specialist programmes in science, engineering, design, business and languages, and is Scotland’s most international university by student cohort.
Established in 2022, the Global Project Management Office (GPMO) provides a centralised, professional project management capability to deliver strategically significant initiatives aligned to the University’s priorities. Based at the Edinburgh campus within the Strategic Planning, Performance & Projects directorate, the team leads a complex portfolio of transformational change, requiring strong leadership, stakeholder management and governance assurance.
Purpose of the Role
The Project Manager is responsible for the successful end-to-end delivery of one or more complex change initiatives, from early concept, business case development and governance approval through to delivery, transition into business-as-usual and benefits realisation. The role operates with a significant degree of autonomy, applying established good practice while adapting approaches to suit context, risk and organisational maturity.
Projects may involve technology, process, organisational or infrastructure change and require close collaboration across academic, professional services and external partners.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
1. Select, tailor and apply appropriate project life cycle approaches, exercising professional judgement to respond to uncertainty, complexity and risk
2. Establish, operate and maintain effective project governance and reporting arrangements, ensuring clear accountability, robust decision-making and timely escalation in line with organisational standards
3. Lead the development, approval and ongoing refinement of the project business case, ensuring continued alignment with strategic objectives, affordability and value for money
4. Produce, baseline and maintain an integrated project management plan, incorporating scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, risks, issues, communications and benefits
5. Actively manage delivery performance against agreed baselines, using data and insight to forecast outcomes, manage tolerances and recommend corrective action
6. Take responsibility for project financial management, including estimation, budgeting, forecasting, cost control and financial reporting, within agreed delegations
7. Identify, assess and manage risks, issues, dependencies and assumptions proactively, implementing agreed response strategies and escalating emerging threats or opportunities
8. Secure, lead and coordinate multi-disciplinary project teams, applying appropriate leadership styles to motivate performance, build capability and maintain momentum. Potential line management of staff
9. Manage internal and external resources and suppliers as required, including contributing to procurement, contract management and performance oversight
10. Design and deliver structured stakeholder engagement and communication activities, influencing effectively at all levels and managing expectations in complex or contested environments
11. Plan and manage transition activities to ensure that project outputs are successfully embedded into business-as-usual operations, minimising disruption and enabling adoption
12. Define, monitor and report on benefits realisation, supporting benefit owners to understand, track and optimise the value delivered by the change initiative
13. Ensure that sustainability, equality, ethical and compliance considerations are embedded into decision-making and delivery practices
14. Capture, share and apply lessons learned to support continuous improvement of project delivery capability and organisational learning
Education, Qualifications and Experience
Essential
15. Degree (or equivalent professional qualification or demonstrable experience) in a relevant discipline
16. Experience delivering change in higher education/academic sector
17. Substantial experience delivering complex projects (technology, process, organisational or infrastructure change) across the full project life cycle, with evidence of operating at a competent to proficient professional level
18. Strong applied knowledge of project governance, integrated planning, risk and issue management, financial management and benefits realisation
19. Demonstrable experience of leading and coordinating multi-disciplinary teams, including matrix-managed resources
20. Ability to exercise sound professional judgement, anticipate issues and make informed decisions within a defined governance framework
21. Highly effective stakeholder engagement, communication and influencing skills, including experience working with senior stakeholders
22. Strong analytical and problem-solving capability, with confidence using data to inform decisions and recommendations
Desirable
23. Recognised project management qualification (e.g. APM PMQ, PRINCE2 Practitioner or equivalent)
24. Experience of digital, systems-enabled or transformation-led change initiatives.
25. Understanding of portfolio, programme or PMO environments and how projects contribute to strategic outcomes
26. Active commitment to continuing professional development and professional standards
Additional Information
This job description outlines the principal accountabilities and expectations of the role and reflects the requirement to operate with professional autonomy and judgement appropriate to Grade 8. The role holder may be required to undertake other appropriate duties commensurate with the grade and organisational priorities. Personal objectives (Forward Job Plan) will set out specific tasks and objectives, including those supporting career development.