Description:
Our projects often involve process, technology and people, for example introducing new systems or services, improving current ones or withdrawing old systems. You will be working with senior leaders and frontline managers and staff, across a range of teams to deliver in a dynamic and busy environment. Candidates will be individually responsible for supporting and managing the delivery of up to three projects across different parts of the Pearson business.
The GQ PMO Project Management team
We are a small team of project managers from diverse backgrounds. We are a friendly and open group, and as you would expect of change professionals, we place a lot of emphasis upon learning and improvement. GQ PMO Project Managers have a great deal of autonomy and self-direction. Help, support and advice is always available when needed.
The GQ PMO Project Managers have three simple core objectives that all managers are guided by:
- Add value by delivering projects, improving situations that achieve a positive outcome for Pearson customers and the business (this can include highlighting issues, making recommendations for changes).
- Keep studying and learning about better ways of achieving objective 1
- Apply that learning in practice and evaluate the outcomes and improve as necessary (return to 2).
Key Accountabilities
- Manage and support a number of high-profile projects, meeting the contract requirements for Project Management and control.
- Implementation: Accountable for the successful implementation of new business products and services, through the Product Life Cycle process, upholding the agreed timelines, budget and quality standards.
- Collaborate with business owners and SMEs on the management of stakeholder expectations through the change & innovation project lifecycle.
- Able to conduct scoping/study exercises that understand actual performance and turn these into meaningful action to resolve.
- Provide Project Management expertise, as the centre of excellence for Project Management skills in the Qualifications business.
- Coordinate project teams comprised of a business owner, work stream leads, business analysts, and subject matter experts.
- Maintain visibility of risks across Pearson Qualification transformational projects.
- Ensure that changes to scope are managed, and risks and issues are resolved.
- Provide ongoing visibility to Directors (and all Pearson Qualification teams) and international teams of a portfolio of projects (including risks and failures).
- Collaborate and coordinate with other internal teams and suppliers to ensure implementation transitions to BAU Delivery efficiently.
- Ensure major new and reformed qualifications within the Pearson qualification portfolio are successfully implemented and delivered to customers.
- Develop and maintain a deep understanding of all end-to-end processes across all qualification types both in the UK and internationally.
- Build relationships with key colleagues, and operations, technology and delivery teams.
- Empower people in the division (and Pearson more widely) to achieve success.
- Ensure better understanding of our customers’ needs and issues through effective project management.
- Represent Pearson with Customers and at External events as needed.
- Represent Pearson qualifications on Project Management and change control for ISO accreditation as needed.
- Remove cost from the business, by creating efficiencies.
- Accurately and diligently maintain all required project management documentation (appropriate to the type of project undertaken).
Skills And Qualifications
The ideal candidate should be curious, inquisitive, open and willing to learn new approaches. You should be a self-starter with the capability to work independently with minimal goal setting. You will be resilient, tenacious and have the ability to manage and organise your workload effectively. As a personable individual, you will be confident in your approach to managing stakeholders at senior level and will have good presentation skills.
Candidates will ideally be educated to degree level or equivalent and will have or be willing to undertake a professional qualification in Project Management.