Senior Project Manager - Data at Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, Remote, 3 Months, £Contract Rate

In the Defra group, we deal with a vast range of issues that profoundly impact on people's lives. We are responsible for England's environment, our countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards. We have developed a set of three strategic objectives covering our policy outcomes and corporate objectives. These objectives help us to deliver our ambitious vision to build our green and healthy future and provide a framework for all the important work we carry out.

Our objectives are:

• To pass on to the next generation a natural environment protected and enhanced for the future. 
• To lead the world in food, farming, and fisheries with a sustainable model of food production. 
• To be an outstanding organisation focused on making a difference, with world class delivery capability.

Job Purpose:

This role sits within the Natural Capital & Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) Programme. The NCEA Programme delivers evidence, tools and guidance on: The extent and condition of terrestrial natural capital assets; The ecosystem services they provide; and The trade-offs involved in realising the natural capital benefits of greatest importance to society. The programme works collaboratively with Defra and wider Arm 's Length Body (ALB) partners to develop and deliver products that support the mobilisation, visualisation and use of environmental data, enabling informed conservation and policy decisions.

This Project Manager role is focused on data generated from the England Ecosystem Survey (EES), the largest environmental monitoring programme undertaken by Natural England. EES collects extensive ecological and environmental data across England 's habitats, landscapes and ecosystems. The role will lead the project management of EES data outputs, including data publication, science assurance and associated business change activities.

The postholder will manage a defined portfolio of interdependent projects and workstreams, ensuring the coordination and management of complex, interdependent milestones, dependencies and delivery schedules.

As a Senior Project Manager - Data, your main responsibilities will be:

• The development, maintenance and coordination of comprehensive project plans that support the successful delivery of EES data outputs.
• The postholder will be responsible for integrating activities across multiple teams, suppliers and stakeholders into a coherent delivery schedule, ensuring that dependencies, critical activities, resource requirements and governance milestones are clearly identified and managed.
• Through effective planning and coordination, the role will provide the structure, visibility and oversight necessary to ensure project deliverables are achieved to agreed timescales, quality standards and programme objectives: Develop and maintain a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and project plan across multiple workstreams, ensuring work packages, dependencies, milestones, ownership and delivery timescales are clearly defined and integrated into a single schedule.
• Ensure project plans remain accurate and up to date, reflecting resource requirements, governance and assurance activities, delivery assumptions and key deliverables.
• Monitor progress against plans, identifying potential slippage and implementing corrective actions to maintain delivery schedules.
• Work closely with technical, scientific and operational teams to ensure planning assumptions remain current and deliverables remain achievable. Provide project boards and programme leadership with clear visibility of delivery forecasts, emerging risks and impacts to planned outputs.
• Promote continuous improvement in project management practices across the workstream, identifying opportunities to strengthen planning, coordination and reporting arrangements.

Essential:

• You will need to demonstrate experience of: managing complex projects involving multiple interdependent workstreams, milestones, stakeholders and delivery dependencies. developing and managing integrated project plans and critical path schedules.
• Strong understanding of dependency management and its application within large, complex programmes.
• Ability to identify delivery risks early and implement effective mitigations to maintain progress against key milestones. coordinating delivery across multidisciplinary teams, suppliers and partner organisations.
• Strong project governance, reporting, budget and contract management experience.
• Project Management qualification (PRINCE2 Practitioner, APM PMQ or equivalent).

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a Disability Confident employer, DEFRA encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent candidates. Applications from candidates who identify as having a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant 

As a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, DEFRA welcome applications from veterans, service leavers, reservists and military spouses or partners. Applications from eligible candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.