Description
We are Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, a non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales.
We have an opportunity for a PMO Manager to join our Major Projects team in the Delivery Directorate.
The water sector is entering a new chapter. The government has set out a bold new direction, bringing together expertise from across the sector to deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment. We are collaborating with fellow regulators to respond to recommendations in The Independent Water Commission Report, the Welsh Government’s response to the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Water Governance in Wales, and the Government’s White Paper, A new vision for water.
Ofwat is working with the government and other regulators to help create a new body for England, bringing together our strengths with those of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Environment Agency and Natural England. We are also continuing to work with the Welsh Government to support decisions on the future arrangements for Wales.
While these changes take shape, our mission remains the same: to hold water companies to account, drive performance, and ensure the sector delivers real value for customers, communities, and the environment. If you’re passionate about making a difference, this is a unique moment to join us and help shape the future of water, and together we can continue to make a positive impact.
Job description
We have an excellent opportunity for a PMO Manager to support our growing Major Projects Team at Senior Associate level. This is a new role within the Major Water Infrastructure Programme Management Office (MWIP PMO) team that supports both the Major Project team and RAPID team in the regulatory oversight of the overall Major Water Infrastructure programme. You will play a key role in not only delivering Ofwat's strategy, but also in the development of our approach to the delivery of the Programme.
You will be working with the team to ensure the effective, efficient and smooth functioning of MWIP and the Major Projects team. This role will sit within the Major Projects team and will also support wider PMO activity working closer with Ofwat’s central PMO team.
The Major Projects team has a wide remit, working with the industry on some of the largest and most complex major water infrastructure projects the sector has seen in over thirty years, ranging between several hundred million pounds to several billion pounds. Our aim is to ensure companies are developing and delivering them in a timely and efficient manner, while protecting customers and the environment.
The Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) is a dynamic partnership between Ofwat, the Environment Agency (EA), and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI). RAPID was created to facilitate the development and funding of large-scale strategic water supply options by water companies.
Key deliverables:
- Manage assigned PMO services - governance and assurance (including contract management), planning and controls, and/or risk and performance, ensuring agreed standards, inputs, outputs, timetables and escalation routes are followed.
- Translate programme-wide frameworks and direction from programme leadership into practical processes, templates, guidance and delivery routines.
- Contribute to the reporting and control cycles, producing clear programme information to support senior leadership, governance forums and delivery of the Major Projects and MWIP plans.
- Support budget administration, including appropriate financial transactions and tracking.
- Build constructive relationships with Major Projects, RAPID, corporate teams, partner regulators, government departments, advisers, delivery partners and water companies.
- Manage Associates (as required), share knowledge and contribute to a high-performing and inclusive PMO team.
Person specification
- Demonstrable experience of working within PMOs within complex programme and project delivery environments, possibly within large infrastructure projects and/or large capital programmes, water sector supply chain organisation, consultancy, regulators, Government, or in another similarly relevant position.
- Proven experience of administering project and/or programme governance and controls, including arrangements for senior boards, committees or working groups.
- Fully qualified, or working towards a relevant professional qualification or membership, for example PRINCE2, MSP, P3O or APM.
- Experience managing programme risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies, changes and mitigating actions, with the ability to identify and escalate emerging delivery concerns.
- Experience of framework or contract management, supplier governance, budget management, or commercial administration within a controlled environment.
- Good analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret evidence to support planning, prioritisation, resource management and decision making.
- Basic knowledge of data governance within a programme and experience of using Microsoft Power Platforms (e.g. Power BI and SharePoint lists).
- Strong stakeholder-management skills and the ability to influence and collaborate across organisational boundaries.
- Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills, including communicating complex issues to non-specialist audiences.
Benefits
- Excellent employer pension contributions of nearly 29%.
- 25 days’ annual leave (increasing to 30 with each year of service) plus bank holidays and an extra 2.5 days of privilege leave.
- Access to exclusive discounts on a variety of goods and services, including retail outlets, theatre tickets, holidays, insurance, and a gym membership.
- Flexible working arrangements that suit your lifestyle.
- Fees paid for membership of relevant professional bodies.
- Up to 3 volunteering days per year.
- Recognition vouchers scheme.
- Generous shared parental leave and pay.
- Enhanced sick pay.
- Regular development opportunities.
- Health and wellbeing initiatives.
- Cycle-to-work scheme.
- Season ticket loan for home-to-office travel.
- Free eye tests and contribution to lenses/spectacles for VDU users.