Project Planner

Ofgem exists to ensure safe, secure and sustainable energy supply to British households. Project management and delivery is central to Ofgem's work: ensuring change is undertaken efficiently and effectively to deliver on Ofgem’s regulatory and statutory obligations. You'll be working at the interface between government policy and private sector investment, where you can make things happen.

Your work will play a part in helping us protect energy consumers and make a successful transition to a net zero future.

As a Project Planner, you could support one large programme of work or move between several projects relating to work that impacts both retail energy suppliers and consumers; schemes to advance decarbonisation; or organisational improvement activities that enable Ofgem to have an even greater impact.

Regardless of which team you join, you will work with stakeholders to ensure all aspects of the project are defined, providing clarity on key milestones to define what, when and how deliverables will be organised to ensure the outcomes of a project can be achieved, with the resources available. You will need to be comfortable challenging and testing project assumptions to ensure that plans are realistic and achievable, and you will provide expert advice on planning processes throughout the lifecycle of the project.

You’ll also engage with the wider Project Management and Delivery profession to share best practice and promote continuous improvement.

As a professions-based organisation, we are serious about offering you professional development, training, and support. You can also expect an excellent benefits package, a great working environment with hybrid working, and a shared sense of purpose.

It’s important that we are reflective of the consumers and communities that we serve, so we welcome candidates from all backgrounds, and especially those from underrepresented groups. While this is a full-time role, we will happily accommodate flexible working patterns and job shares.

Purpose

The role of the Project Planner is to work with stakeholders to ensure all aspects of the project are defined. The planner provides clarity on key milestones to define what, when and how activities will be organised to ensure the outcomes of a project can be achieved, with the resources available. They lead on all aspects of project planning, which will include the development, updating and monitoring of plans and schedules. They identify tasks, activities, interdependencies and outputs for the project and work with the project team to track and monitor progress against the plan throughout the life of the project.

• Champion & validate use of PMO tools and broader change processes across Ofgem.
• Support other interrelated activities, deliverables and outputs as required.
• Ofgem’s Delivery and Schemes Directorate is at the heart of Ofgem’s enduring priority to deliver Environmental and Social Schemes for government to support vulnerable consumers and advance decarbonisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Delivery and leadership – Lead on planning activity and work with the project to support delivery of the business case benefits and outcomes. Support capability building and the use of best practice in planning and reporting. Provide expert advice for team members and project community.
• Project planning – Challenge and test project assumptions to ensure that plans are realistic and achievable – adjusting where required, seeking the appropriate engagement and approvals to maintain successful outcomes. Develop of breakdown structures, quality criteria, product descriptions and monitoring strategy. Support the project manager to identify options to optimise delivery through resource smoothing, resource levelling and rescheduling of activities.
• Stakeholder management – Ensure that stakeholder responsibilities and needs are understood and addressed in reporting arrangements. Develops peer networks across the organisation. Work with senior stakeholders where required.
• Project performance and controls – Monitor and analyse information, reporting progress, slippage and highlighting areas of risk and opportunity.
• Guidance and support – Provide expert advice on planning processes throughout the lifecycle of the project.

Additional Responsibilities

• Actively engage with the wider profession to ensure sharing of best practice and promote continuous improvement.
• Respond to ad-hoc requests as directed.

The essential criteria for this role is:

• (lead) Experience in developing delivery plans, including clear and transparent work objectives, milestones, and success metrics
• (lead) Relevant qualifications, for example one or more of the following:
  • PRINCE2 Practitioner
  • Agile Project Management Practitioner
  • APM Project Management Qualification
  • APM Practitioner Qualification
  • APMG International Project Planning and Control Practitioner
  • PMI Project Management Professional
• Solid expertise/capability in Transformation/Change Management practices
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation and influencing skills at senior levels
• Ability to work proactively at pace, and build recommendations for a course of action

The desirable criteria for this role is:

• Experience of a range of project management techniques, including agile and waterfall

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Please refer to the Candidate Pack attached for full details.

Job contact :

Name :
Marie Cadenhead
Email :
recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk

Recruitment team :

Email :
recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk