Job Location: Cheshire, UK (Head Office)
Area / Department: Project Management
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £83,000 – 98,000, Depending on experience plus excellent benefit
Closing Date: 16/09/2024
Ref No: 10311
The SKA Observatory is seeking to appoint experienced Senior Project Manager to lead and manage the delivery of the
Computing, Software and Networks for cutting- edge telescopes being built in South Africa and Australia.
The Role
The SKAO Project Management Group holds the project management and control expertise within the Observatory. During Construction, the Senior Project Managers procure and deliver the SKA-Mid and SKA-Low telescope facilities and the enabling computing & software required by leading teams of project managers and wider matrixed delivery teams.
The Senior Project Managers are responsible for delivery of their scope within the agreed budget and schedule, managing change, reviews, risks and issues and performing regular reporting and variance analysis. The Senior Project Manager Computing & Software leads the procurement and delivery of the computing, software and networks for both telescopes, managing a budget of over Euro 100M (20M pa) and engaging with stakeholders in the majority of SKAO’s member countries.
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.
The role reports into the Head of Project Management and directly line manages several project managers.
This is a permanent role and will be based at the SKAO Headquarters at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, UK.
Key Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Duties
• Lead and manage the delivery of the Computing, Software and Networks for SKA-Mid and SKA-Low through to successful completion, complying with relevant legislation, policies and frameworks.
• Actively manage budget, schedule, changes, reviews, risks and issues and perform regular reporting and variance analysis within SKAO’s governance framework
• Where contracts not yet awarded, oversee rigorous tender, evaluation and selection processes, complying with organisational policies to select suppliers which best meet the requirements of the programme and organisation.
• Manage delivery, providing expertise and guidance as well as ensuring that deliverables are met in line with budgetary constraints and overarching objectives
• Manage the identification, analysis and parts of the mitigation of conventional safety, environmental, reputational and financial risks across scope, cost, schedule, resources and impact on wider programme/business goals
• Develop contracts and procedures for delivery teams to use in the management of suppliers and contractors. Oversee the delivery of contractor outputs.
• Lead quality reviews in order to identify, assess and take action to mitigate risks to programme success.
• Liaise with other colleagues, particularly leaders of specialist areas such as Computing & Software, Engineering, Procurement and Assurance, to ensure coordination of effort.
• Influence senior internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment around programme delivery to support strategic objectives.
• Motivate a diverse (matrixed and line managed) team, coach more junior colleagues, set objectives and review performance to ensure staff have the necessary skills and understanding to deliver objectives.
• Regular international travel to the SKAO member countries.
• Build productive relationships with the market and appointed suppliers throughout the execution of the contracts.
• Review and interpret programme and project management related functional policies or processes, develop and recommend changes and provide advice to colleagues to ensure their effective implementation.
• Undertake continuing professional development to maintain the ability to manage their deliveries, according to the evolution of the profession and the evolving needs of the programme itself
Mandatory Knowledge, Skills and Experience
• Degree qualified or equivalent experience supported by a relevant professional project or programme management qualification (e.g. PMI’s PMP or APM’s PPQ or ChPP), with deep understanding of the theoretical principles which apply to project and programme management.
• Substantial experience of managing delivery of complex projects, including in multi-year, multi-disciplinary, multi-national programmes.
This includes:
• Financial and budgetary planning and management skills;
• Managing contingencies, risks and impact;
• Proficient user of appropriate tools;
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience of successfully delivering complex software and/or IT projects in an agile environment
• Experience of contract management either as client or as contractor, including managing performance, changes and problems arising during the execution of contracts
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with distributed, highly specialised project teams and stakeholders, across international and diverse cultural backgrounds.
• A demonstrated record of successful leadership and management of teams, promoting diversity and developing an inclusive, high-performing culture.
• Experience of all aspects of people management including recruitment, capability development and performance management.
Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience
• Post-graduate qualification in management, engineering or physical sciences
• Full membership of a project management or engineering professional body
• Knowledge of international relations and working with Intergovernmental Organisations
• Industry experience and/or a track record in successful collaboration with industry
• Experience in using the NEC4 contract suite
• Experience in using CEMAR, Primavera P6, Confluence, Google Drive and Jira
• Experience in using the Scaled Agile Framework
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.
Our Global HQ is located near the buzzing city of Manchester at the historic Jodrell Bank Observatory, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the Cheshire countryside. It is home to a rapidly expanding international team of more than a hundred, working in a highly collaborative and inclusive way, in coordination with SKAO teams in Australia and South Africa as part of a global astronomy and engineering community.
Being part of Team SKA means contributing to something extraordinary: a uniquely exciting project to advance human knowledge that will last for decades. In return, we offer a diverse multicultural working environment, 30 days annual leave plus public holidays, a generous pension scheme, visa and support with relocation (if applicable), regular social events, a family-friendly environment and much more. Come and join us!
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
