Lead Project Manager (Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, or Blackpool)

Job Description

To be considered for an interview, please make sure your application is full in line with the job specs as found below.

Project Manager (Lead)

Rate: £550 per day inside IR35

Clearance Required: BPSS

Start Date: ASAP

Location: Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, or Blackpool (travel required)

(Central Government experience would be advantageous)

We are seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead delivery across a portfolio of efficiency-focused initiatives. This role requires a strong leader who can operate at pace, manage tight deadlines, and deliver high-quality outcomes within budget while navigating complex stakeholder environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of multiple projects, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives
• Drive delivery at pace while maintaining governance, quality, and budget control
• Manage and resolve stakeholder conflicts, acting as a key mediator between business and technical teams
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to focus on delivery outcomes and milestones
• Challenge existing processes and make informed decisions in ambiguous or fast-moving environments
• Ensure effective planning, roadmap development, and milestone tracking
• Maintain momentum across all workstreams while managing competing priorities

Key Deliverables

• Successful delivery of efficiency initiatives within agreed timelines and budget
• Clear and consistent reporting to stakeholders
• Maintenance of RAID logs and risk mitigation strategies
• Continuous improvement in delivery processes and team performance
• High-quality outputs aligned with business objectives

Essential Skills & Experience

Delivery & Methodologies

• Strong experience with Agile, Waterfall, and Lean methodologies
• Working knowledge of frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, PRINCE2, or SAFe
• Experience facilitating ceremonies and conducting lessons learned reviews

Risk & Dependency Management

• Proven ability to identify, assess, and mitigate risks early
• Experience managing dependencies across multiple teams using RAID logs

Stakeholder Management

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Strong conflict resolution and negotiation capabilities

Technical Understanding

• Solid understanding of software development lifecycles (SDLC), APIs, and system architecture
• Ability to identify delivery blockers and support technical teams without hands-on coding

Planning & Operational Delivery

• Expertise in roadmap planning, milestone setting, and delivery optimisation
• Ability xwzovoh to manage competing priorities and ensure on-time delivery

Leadership & Team Development

• Experience leading and mentoring high-performing teams
• Ability to foster collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement

Quality & Data-Driven Decision Making

• Strong focus on quality assurance and governance
• Use of delivery metrics (e.g., burndown charts, defect rates) to inform decisions

Commercial & Financial Awareness

• Experience managing project budgets, forecasting, and ROI
• Familiarity with vendor management and SLA oversight

Key Attributes

• Proactive and decisive, with the ability to work under pressure
• Comfortable making decisions with limited information
• Strong problem-solving mindset
• Results-driven with a focus on efficiency and value delivery