Senior Project Manager

Senior Project Manager
£55,620 - £58,692 per annum
2 year Fixed Term

About Us

Newham is a place that is full of potential and brimming with energy and talent. Proud to be one of the youngest and most diverse boroughs anywhere in the UK, 72% of our residents are from ethnically diverse communities, speaking over 220 languages and our population of 351,00 is growing at a rate of 14%, the third highest rate of growth in London.

In recent years we have seen unparalleled levels of investment, growth, and interest in our Borough, but for all our successes, Covid-19 laid bare the endemic inequality that exists in our borough and how now, the Cost-of-Living crisis is exacerbating that. That’s why we are delivering Building a Fairer Newham, focused on economic security, health, equality and the environment, whilst delivering outcomes-focused change in Newham for our residents, communities and businesses. All of this is anchored in our enduring commitment to developing an inclusive economy where all can benefit, driving people powered change, responding to the climate emergency and promoting the health, well-being and happiness of our residents and community. 

We are recruiting two Senior Project Managers for our Homelessness Response programme and Housing Services Improvement Programme which has been initiated to deliver key Manifesto and corporate aims. 

Our Homelessness Response Programme will enable the Council to deliver genuinely high-quality and affordable homes for Newham, deliver our strategy to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, and design new services for our temporary accommodation team. 

Our Housing Services Improvement Programme you will be working within our talented Transformation delivery team, you’ll work closely with colleagues and residents on a high-profile strategic change programme to help deliver improvements to the Housing service to benefit residents. 

About the Role 

The roles take responsibility for directly managing projects within the delivery function, working closely with our Assistant Directors of Improvement and Change, Directors and Heads of Service well as drawing on resources from a wide range of multi-disciplinary teams. Our projects are centred on delivering better outcomes to Newham’s residents and working to ensure the financial sustainability of the council through increasing income and delivering savings.

For the Homelessness Response programme, deliverables include process redesign for our residential supply programme, workforce development and training analysis of HPAS and TA teams, data analysis to inform future supply need, affordability and homelessness prevention initiatives, new ways of working for temporary accommodation to improve standards and engagement with residents, a Council-wide wraparound service that meets the complex needs of residents and achieving the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) accreditation. 

For the Housing Services Improvement Programme you will work on deliverables to improve our standards of service and meet recommendations of the housing regulator which include; 

1. Resident access and experience: Residents access the support they need at a time when they need it, with digital self-service where appropriate to help us deliver efficiently and in an integrated way.

2. Service delivery: Services directly delivered by Council staff or indirectly through commissioned partners are impactful, targeted, and connected.

3. Strategic operations: The Council’s strategy, priority aims, and vision are clear and drive activity and decision-making.

4. Enabling and support: Back-office functions operate as efficiently as possible with consistent processes that mean we operate effectively on a day-to-day basis.

By working to fundamentally transform around these four organisational capabilities, we will not only improve service delivery for our residents and communities but also achieve significant financial efficiencies.

Establish excellent relationships with and ensure senior stakeholders are fully informed throughout the development, design and delivery process, to enhance the service and corporate experience and improve the council’s reputation.

You will work with colleagues and stakeholders to deliver projects that form part of this organisational priority programme to tackle homelessness. You will:  

• Work as part of the Transformation Delivery team leading high profile complex cross-cutting projects as part of our transformation portfolio. 
• Co-ordinate all activity across the specified project and provide support and advice as required. This includes ensuring good PPM governance in combination with gateway reviews, assurance and databases in accordance with corporate requirements and best practice.
• Provide expert project management support to colleagues and partners as required.
• Actively support all aspects of the programme, driving everything forward from project planning to implementation. This role will also directly influence the efficiency and effectiveness of Newham’s offer to vulnerable people and their families, directly contributing to better outcomes for Newham residents.

About You

You will be ambitious for the people Newham and proud to work with and to represent its diverse communities with energy, commitment and creativity. 

We are keen to hear from candidates with experience of successfully projects in complex public sector environments and supporting the delivery of sustainable transformational change. Previous experience of having worked on homelessness or housing needs projects is a bonus.

You will be expected to co-ordinate internal capability and external partnerships for the business to deliver effective change and realisation of projected benefits. The role will oversee all aspects of multiple workstreams, from project development to implementing project activities. Furthermore, it will ensure the programme is progressed to a consistently high standard, within budget, that objectives are met on time, suiting the council’s policies and objectives. 

With a key focus on transformational but iterative change, you will have a proven track record in working with colleagues and residents to transform services that improve outcomes and deliver efficiencies. We are looking for a team member who is:

• Driven to improve public services, and who has a real passion for delivering change at pace in a dynamic environment.
• Able to work with and produce reports for senior stakeholders
• A great self-starter and highly motivated
• Quick to digest and understand complex information
• Keen to listen to and understand diverse voices and perspectives
• Committed to working in a respectful and tolerant way

Your experience should include: 

• Experience of working in local authorities or similar sectors with knowledge of the services that are delivered by departments
• Experience of delivering complex, multi-stakeholder projects
• Extensive experience of risk and issue management
• Success in implementing change to service delivery and achieving savings 
• Experience of Housing and homelessness projects and services.

   Benefits

• Flexible working arrangements including offices in Dockside, Stratford and working from home.
• Generous pension allowance (with employer contributions of up to 8%)
• Access to Newham Rewards employee ben