At the SKAO we are coordinating a global effort to deliver one of the largest science facilities on the planet. The SKAO telescopes will be next-generation instruments that will help to answer key questions in astrophysics, drive technological innovation and support human capital development.
More than a dozen partner countries and over a thousand scientists and engineers around the world are already on board, making the SKA project an international collaboration like no other, and one of the most ambitious science and engineering endeavours of the 21st century.
Headquartered in the UK, with telescope sites in Australia and South Africa, the SKAO will be one observatory operating two telescopes, an endeavour spanning three continents. Multinational by design, in early 2021 the SKAO became an intergovernmental organisation, one of only a select handful of science infrastructures to do so worldwide.
Construction activities for the SKAO’s telescopes in Australia and South Africa started in 2021, along with a ramping up of SKAO staff in both countries. It is expected that the transition from the Construction Phase to the Operations Phase will happen around 2028.
SKAO Operations in South Africa will be conducted in partnership with the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO). SKAO Operations in Australia will be conducted in partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The Observatory will also partner closely with a global network of SKA Regional Centres through which astronomers will access science data products and a suite of tools and resources to further analyse the SKA telescopes’ data.
For more information on the SKA project visit https://www.skao.int/
The SKA Observatory offers a competitive salary and a generous pension and benefits package. As an employee of an intergovernmental organisation, an appointee who is not a national of the country in which the role is based may be subject to personal Privileges and Immunities.
An exciting opportunity for a Junior Project Manager interested in delivering facilities to join an international, multicultural organisation and support the development of the largest radio telescope on the planet.
The Role
The SKAO Project Management Group holds the project management and control expertise within the Observatory. During construction, the Project Managers procure and deliver their assigned parts of the SKA-Low Telescope facilities by managing a portfolio of contracts and work packages. The Project Managers form the primary managerial link between SKAO as the client and the selected contractors and are responsible for delivery of their scope within the agreed budget and schedule, managing change, risks and issues, and performing regular reporting and variance analysis.
The Junior Project Manager – Australia Host Country Infrastructure will help manage and support the procurement and delivery of the following facilities for the SKA-Low Telescope:
- Boolardy Accommodation Facility: the BAF is permanent accommodation at the Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, CSIRO’s Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory site where the SKA-Low telescope is being constructed
- Engineering Operations Centre (Geraldton): the EOC provides workshops, offices and technical facilities for the construction and maintenance of the SKA-Low telescope
- Science Processing Centre (Perth): the SPC will be procured as space within a commercial data centre building, which will be populated with the various high performance computing platforms required to process SKA-Low telescope data.
And also help co-ordinate between SKAO and the CSIRO team delivering the following asset:
- Science Operations Centre (Perth): the SOC provides office and telescope operations space for key scientific, administrative and supporting staff.
The Junior Project Manager – Australia Host Country Infrastructure will help co-ordinate efforts across the matrix organisation to drive, advise and support the contractors and partners engaged in the delivery of their assigned contracts. They will help ensure that the deliverables from these contracts and the work of the internal team are integrated into the project level tools and systems. They will work with other project managers, the project control team, engineers, procurement specialists, assurance and operations staff.
This role will be reporting to the Head of Project Management and will work closely with the Project Manager, Host Country Infrastructure.
This role will be a 3-year fixed term appointment and can be based in either Perth or Geraldton, Australia with frequent travel required to suppliers and SKAO sites within Western Australia and occasional travel to SKAO HQ in the UK.
SKAO is committed to providing an inclusive and flexible working environment, meeting the requests of our Colleagues whilst also fulfilling the needs and objectives of the Observatory.
There may be occasions where this role requires the post holder to work across different time zones and, in line with SKAO policy, flexible working hours will be supported in agreement with the line manager.
Key Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Duties
- Deliver assigned work packages for the SKA-Low Telescope, complying with relevant legislation, policies and frameworks.
- Manage the work of a small team, with a number of activities overseen and integrated.
- Utilise established systems to track key project metrics, benefits, budgets, risks and highlight variances/trends in order to manage and control project progress and contribute to effective governance of the project.
- Identify and assess potential safety implications of proposed activities, taking the relevant corrective action or escalating to the relevant manager to ensure a safe and secure working environment for all.
- Manage contracts and work packages through to successful completion, forming a link between SKAO and the contractors. This will include active steps to proactively manage progress against schedule, budget and earned value.
- Contribute to tender, evaluation and selection processes, complying with organisational policies to select suppliers which best meet the resource requirements of the project and organisation.
- Support project quality reviews in order to identify, assess and take action to resolve issues and mitigate risks to project success.
- Adapt project procedures in own area to support continued improvements, performance and efficiency.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of continuous improvements in area of specialism and on wider improvement initiatives to support the quality/performance of project management and delivery of fit for purpose initiatives.
- Communicate and liaise with internal and external stakeholders to help them understand project objectives and progress, and to deliver assigned part of projects and support effective collaboration.
Mandatory Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- University degree in project management, engineering or the built environment, or equivalent experience, supported by relevant professional project management training.
- Practical experience of contributing to the successful delivery of construction projects, typically at least 2 years, which may have been gained in a project support role.
- Knowledge of contract management and procurement processes and procedures.
- Able to monitor, plan and manage an agreed budget and schedule within a defined area, producing reports and analysis.
- Able to provide team leadership for a geographically dispersed team.
- Good oral and written communication skills.
- Flexible team player who is adaptable to change.
Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Membership of recognised national or international project management and/or engineering institutes, or working towards this.
- Knowledge or experience of NEC type of contracts.
- Experience in large-scale infrastructure project delivery.
- Experience in supporting delivery in multi-disciplinary, multi-national projects.
- Industry experience and/or a track record in successful collaboration with industry.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion Statement
SKA Observatory recognises that our diversity is a strength. We aim to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong, and diverse perspectives and ideas thrive. As such, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion are at the core of SKA Observatory’s agenda.
Our aim is to recruit and retain the most talented individuals, regardless of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, nationality or background.
Women have traditionally been under-represented in the fields of science and engineering; SKA Observatory welcomes and encourages female applicants.
Where applicants with a disability need facilities or adjustments to enable them to participate in the recruitment process, these will be provided.
SKA Observatory welcome all candidates, especially those from member countries.
The “How to Apply” information contained within the SKA Observatory recruitment portal provides more detail regarding our application and selection approach.