Project Management Practice Lead

Job description

Originally named, Great British Nuclear, Great British Energy - Nuclear is an arm's length body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, dedicated to supporting the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies in Great Britain. We play a crucial role in advancing nuclear new build, ensuring the UK's energy security and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Great British Energy - Nuclear focuses on fostering innovation, facilitating investment, and coordinating efforts across the nuclear industry to build a resilient and sustainable energy future. Reporting to the Head of PMO, the PM Practice Lead is GBE-N's authoritative lead for project, programme and portfolio management practice. The role owns the design, implementation and continuous evolution of GBE-N's project delivery framework, ensuring that governance, processes, systems, tools and capability combine to form a coherent enterprise-wide delivery model. Working across functional and delivery teams, the role provides strategic leadership, constructive challenge and guidance, working collaboratively to support consistent, proportionate and effective project delivery. The post holder collaborates with senior leaders and subject matter experts to define standards, tailor government functional requirements to GBE-N's context, and strengthen organisational capability through continual learning and improvement. The role has significant influence over delivery performance, assurance outcomes, risk exposure and organisational maturity. Through close partnership with the PMO and wider business functions, the PM Practice Lead ensures that project management capability remains fit for purpose, scalable and capable of supporting GBE-N's long-term ambitions. Accountabilities & Responsibilities:

• Lead the Process, Systems and People pillar as an enterprise PMO service, translating organisational strategy and portfolio needs into a coherent project management practice and capability roadmap.
• Act as the custodian of GBE-N's Project Management Framework and Integrated Project Controls Framework, establishing standards, policies and governance arrangements that support effective and proportionate project delivery.
• Own and continuously improve the project, programme and portfolio management operating model, ensuring processes, guidance, tools and systems are integrated, controlled and practical for delivery teams.
• Lead the development of project management capability across GBE-N, including professional standards, workforce capability, learning, communities of practice and succession planning.
• Provide functional leadership to the project management community, promoting consistency, resolving priorities and influencing delivery outcomes across organisational boundaries.
• Drive the adoption and continuous improvement of project management practices, providing support, coaching and challenge where required to improve capability and delivery performance.
• Define and monitor measures of project management maturity, capability and effectiveness, providing insight, recommendations and escalation of significant issues to senior leadership.
• Prioritise and oversee improvement initiatives, balancing organisational risk, strategic value, capacity and affordability to deliver maximum benefit.
• Build effective partnerships across PMO, assurance, governance, digital, commercial, finance, people and delivery functions to ensure clear accountabilities and seamless ways of working.
• Represent GBE-N's project management practice with government, industry, professional bodies, partners and suppliers, promoting best practice and protecting organisational interests.
• Support organisational assurance and continuous improvement activities, ensuring frameworks, governance and delivery practices remain effective and fit for purpose.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience required:

• Demonstrable senior leadership experience with organisation-wide accountability for project, programme or portfolio management practice within a large or complex environment.
• Demonstrable experience of designing, implementing and sustaining an integrated project management capability encompassing processes, systems, tools and people across multiple teams or delivery partners.
• Strong knowledge of project delivery frameworks, lifecycle models, standards and governance, with experience of establishing proportionate and practical controls across a complex organisation.
• A strategic understanding of how project management practice integrates with project controls, risk, change, assurance, business cases, benefits, commercial, finance, digital, quality and organisational capability.
• Experience of defining business requirements and priorities for project management systems, data, tools and automation, working effectively with digital and technical specialists.
• Proven ability to lead specialist managers or multidisciplinary teams, set direction, prioritise resources, assure quality and develop sustainable organisational capability.
• Experience of strengthening professional capability through competency frameworks, role design, workforce planning, learning and development, recruitment standards or communities of practice.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder-management skills, with the confidence to work across organisational boundaries, resolve competing priorities and provide constructive, evidence-based challenge at executive and senior programme level.
• Sound judgement and systems thinking, with the ability to make proportionate decisions about standards, tailoring, investment, capacity and sequencing while considering their wider organisational impact.
• A clear understanding of the respective roles of standard-setting, first-line delivery, management oversight and independent assurance.
• Clear and inclusive communication skills, with the ability to explain complex issues, recommendations and trade-offs to executive, government, programme and professional audiences.
• A proven record of leading sustainable organisational change that has improved adoption, reduced duplication or rework, strengthened assurance readiness or enhanced delivery capability.
• Experience of working within a complex, regulated, infrastructure or public-sector environment.

Qualifications

• A relevant degree, professional qualification or equivalent senior experience gained through work, vocational learning or another route.
• Evidence of continuing professional development. Chartered status, APM, PMI or equivalent membership, or progress towards a relevant qualification, would be welcomed but is not essential.

We recognise that candidates may not meet every requirement listed. If your experience is not an exact match but you believe you have the skills, knowledge and potential to succeed in the role, we encourage you to apply. Please complete our short application form to apply for this role. If shortlisted, one of our Talent Attraction Leads will be in touch to discuss the position in more detail. Good luck with your application! At GBE-N, we are committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. We value diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, including underrepresented groups. If you require any support or adjustments to help you with your application, please contact us at , and we will be happy to provide assistance.