PMO Manager, SEO, 12 Month FTC, Liverpool/Newport

The PMO Manager will define and maintain the project management standards and processes needed to optimise the business outcomes of the Charity Commission’s Futures Programme. This includes implementing and sharing best practices, and developing and applying project procedures, tools, and techniques to standardise methodologies and achieve efficiencies. The PMO Manager provides expert guidance, support, and insight on projects, acting as the source of all project information and metrics.

The PMO Manager will be responsible for defining and developing the project management machinery needed to ensure projects are delivered to time, cost and quality and to provide appropriate data and analysis for senior stakeholder assurance throughout the project lifecycle.

In addition, the postholder will be responsible for driving process improvement and fostering innovation within project management practices. The PMO Manager will lead initiatives to streamline workflows, introduce automation, and embed best practices that enhance efficiency, agility, and value delivery. By championing continuous improvement and leveraging data-driven insights, this role ensures the PMO evolves as a strategic enabler of organizational growth and innovation.

Key Responsibilities

Standards & Governance

• Design and implement PMO standards, processes, and templates that drive consistency and quality across the business change lifecycle
• Ensure compliance with organizational governance while allowing flexibility for business specific needs.
• Establishes and implements protocols for changing project or programme scope, and updates configuration documents as required.

Portfolio Management

• Oversee the portfolio of projects ensuring prioritization aligns with the requirements of the Strategic Change Board.
• Evaluate and monitor project resource allocation, dependencies, and capacity planning to provide the programme’s governance structure with independent assurance on the delivery of objectives and anticipated quality standards.

Risk Management:

• Establishes project processes and standards for managing risks and issues. Provides assurance to the programme governance structure on the effectiveness of risk and issue management arrangements.

Delivery Assurance

• Provide assurance on project health through stage-gate reviews, risk assessments, and quality checks.
• Support escalation management and issue resolution.

Process Improvement

• Identify inefficiencies in project delivery processes and implement improvements to enhance speed, quality, and cost-effectiveness.
• Introduce automation and digital tools to streamline reporting and governance.
• Drive adoption of best practices and continuous improvement initiatives across the embedded PMO and delivery teams.
• Benchmark performance and implement lessons learned to improve future delivery.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership providing accurate and honest perspectives of the progress being made against each project.
• Facilitate communication between delivery teams, business stakeholders, and the central PMO.

Capability Building

• Coach and mentor project managers and business teams on delivery best practices.
• Promote continuous improvement and adoption of modern delivery approaches (Agile, hybrid).

Reporting & Insights

• Produce accurate, timely dashboards and reports on portfolio performance, risks, and financials.
• Use data analytics to identify trends and recommend improvements.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

To apply for this post, you must complete an online application with the following:

• A blind CV setting out your Job History/Full Qualifications/Previous skill and experiences.
• A Personal Statement (maximum 750 words) demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria for the role outlined on the Job Description.

We will assess your CV and Personal Statement against the Essential criteria for the role.

We will assess you against strengths and the following Behaviours at interview:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Interview Arrangements

Interviews will be taking place via MS Teams

The sift is due to take place on the 18/11/2026

Interviews will be taking place on 01/12/2026

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

At the interview, the panel can then probe further and ask applicants to provide further specific examples that show how they best demonstrate their skills.

We reserve the right to raise the score required at any stage of the process to manage numbers.

Behaviours:

The distinguishing Behaviours (the required skills, knowledge, and behaviours) for this role are set out in the Civil Service Behaviours Framework 2018 (Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) and should be referred to when making this application.

You are required, under the Behaviours approach, to describe how you have dealt with a specific situation.

You must give evidence of your knowledge, skills, and behaviours and how you have applied this, such as what you did or said and how you interacted with other people.

When you are giving your examples, do not spend too many words on description and background information. Avoid using general or unspecific statements. Instead say what the situation was, what you did, what your thought process was and what was the result.

This post is full time however those applicants who do or wish to work an alternative working pattern are welcome to apply. The preferred working pattern may or may not be available. You should discuss this with the vacancy holder.

Reasonable Adjustment:

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled persons, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via Charitycommissionrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Reserve Lists:

If we have more successful candidates than available vacancies, we will hold a 12-month reserve list as standard.

During that time, we may use the list to fill the same, or similar roles with closely matching essential criteria, without further testing of merit. Any appointments from the Reserve list will be made in strict merit order.

Applying:

We recognise everyone as an individual, accepting people for who they are and treating everyone fairly.

All applications for these vacancies must be made online. There are limited exceptions to this. Paper applications will only be considered if you have a disability that will prevent you from applying online. If this is the case, please email Charitycommissionrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Once you have submitted your application it cannot be amended; only submit your application when you have completely finished and answered all the relevant questions.

Please note that late applications will not be accepted.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.