Project Manager – Funding Workstreams (M1 Grade) (Temporary)
| Posting date: | 13 October 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £62,172 to £73,326 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 26 October 2025 |
| Location: | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 5 days per week |
| Company: | Scottish Funding Council |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: |
Summary
To provide comprehensive programme management expertise to support Funding workstreams across SFC, including strategic projects, engagement in the Scottish budget with respect to universities and colleges, and the planning, detailed design, and implementation of a review of the Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) approach to the funding of college and universities.
Key responsibilities
1. Reporting to the Deputy Director, Strategic Change and working closely with the Deputy Director, Tertiary Education Funding and other senior staff across SFC, direct and monitor the work of the workstreams within the funding review of SFC’s approach to the funding of colleges and universities, developing and monitoring a programme plan with a clear timetable to ensure that identified outcomes and programme benefits are achieved.
2. Work across programme activities to ensure that project interdependencies are identified and actively managed.
3. Ensure strong adherence to programme governance and how this integrates with internal governance within Scottish Funding Council, as well as to external stakeholders.
4. Actively identify and manage problems, risks and issues which may affect the successful delivery of the programmes, initiating or escalating corrective action as appropriate.
5. Work with the Deputy Director, Strategic Change to ensure necessary changes are embedded across the organisation, to enable benefits to be realised.
6. Support the stakeholder engagement in all aspects of communication related to the funding review. This will also include drafting papers/reports, such as for working groups and the SFC Board and committees.
7. Monitor and report progress against all plans at project and programme level and to the relevant programme groups and other external bodies (if appropriate).
8. Maintain awareness of the national policy agenda that influences the successful delivery of the programmes.
9. Ensure programme and project management methodologies are deployed consistently.
10. Develop project management capability of key staff involved in through training and coaching.
Skills, qualifications and experience
Essential
• Extensive programme and project management experience ideally backed by PRINCE2 Practitioner / APMP Practitioner, Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent Project Management methodologies.
• Good knowledge of Programme methodology including Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) and experience of working within a programme structure.
• Extensive experience in organisational change management, ideally with some experience gained in the public sector/educational sector.
• Excellent communication, presentation, interpersonal and influencing skills with an ability to build and maintain strong relationships at all levels.
• Solutions-focused with excellent problem-solving, analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to foster a culture of trust and co-operation, and team working with strong customer and results focus while being politically aware with highly effective networking skills.
• Highly motivated/enthusiastic and driven with high level of personal resilience to remain effective in changing business circumstances.
• Decisive in making well thought-through decisions and ability to work independently and take the initiative.
• Good knowledge and experience of budget management together with sound business case development skills.
• Confident and competent in a range of IT applications including Microsoft Office applications.
Desirable
• An understanding of the Scottish further and higher education landscape and the role of SFC within this.
• Analytical thinker able to interpret information and statistical performance analysis for both internal and external purposes while competent in the use of Visio and MS Project.
Key responsibilities
1. Reporting to the Deputy Director, Strategic Change and working closely with the Deputy Director, Tertiary Education Funding and other senior staff across SFC, direct and monitor the work of the workstreams within the funding review of SFC’s approach to the funding of colleges and universities, developing and monitoring a programme plan with a clear timetable to ensure that identified outcomes and programme benefits are achieved.
2. Work across programme activities to ensure that project interdependencies are identified and actively managed.
3. Ensure strong adherence to programme governance and how this integrates with internal governance within Scottish Funding Council, as well as to external stakeholders.
4. Actively identify and manage problems, risks and issues which may affect the successful delivery of the programmes, initiating or escalating corrective action as appropriate.
5. Work with the Deputy Director, Strategic Change to ensure necessary changes are embedded across the organisation, to enable benefits to be realised.
6. Support the stakeholder engagement in all aspects of communication related to the funding review. This will also include drafting papers/reports, such as for working groups and the SFC Board and committees.
7. Monitor and report progress against all plans at project and programme level and to the relevant programme groups and other external bodies (if appropriate).
8. Maintain awareness of the national policy agenda that influences the successful delivery of the programmes.
9. Ensure programme and project management methodologies are deployed consistently.
10. Develop project management capability of key staff involved in through training and coaching.
Skills, qualifications and experience
Essential
• Extensive programme and project management experience ideally backed by PRINCE2 Practitioner / APMP Practitioner, Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent Project Management methodologies.
• Good knowledge of Programme methodology including Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) and experience of working within a programme structure.
• Extensive experience in organisational change management, ideally with some experience gained in the public sector/educational sector.
• Excellent communication, presentation, interpersonal and influencing skills with an ability to build and maintain strong relationships at all levels.
• Solutions-focused with excellent problem-solving, analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to foster a culture of trust and co-operation, and team working with strong customer and results focus while being politically aware with highly effective networking skills.
• Highly motivated/enthusiastic and driven with high level of personal resilience to remain effective in changing business circumstances.
• Decisive in making well thought-through decisions and ability to work independently and take the initiative.
• Good knowledge and experience of budget management together with sound business case development skills.
• Confident and competent in a range of IT applications including Microsoft Office applications.
Desirable
• An understanding of the Scottish further and higher education landscape and the role of SFC within this.
• Analytical thinker able to interpret information and statistical performance analysis for both internal and external purposes while competent in the use of Visio and MS Project.
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