Programme Management Office (PMO) Manager

Details

Reference number

471250

Salary

£57,515

National minimum £57,515

London minimum £62,034

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

Grade 7

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

DFT - Aviation, Maritime and Security Group (AMS)

Type of role

Procurement and Contracts Management

Project Delivery

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

Location

About the job

Benefits

Things you need to know

Apply and further information

Location

Birmingham, Leeds, London

About the job

Job summary

Can you engage confidently with senior stakeholders and influence decision-making?

Do you have knowledge of integrated programme controls (cost, schedule, risk, performance) and a good understanding of project management language and best practices?

Are you experienced in project cost management, including budgeting, cost control, financial tracking and reporting?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

DfT is a high-profile department at the heart of UK government. We work with agencies and partners to support the transport network that helps businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest to make journeys better.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. about Civil Service Pensions here

25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday

Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance. in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at DfTc Project Delivery

Job description

Join the Heathrow Expansion PMO and help deliver one of the UK’s most significant infrastructure programmes. As a PMO Manager, you will provide critical insight across planning, cost, risk, and performance, supporting informed decision-making and delivery confidence. Working with government, departmental, and supplier stakeholders, you will drive robust governance, reporting, and assurance processes. This is a fast-paced opportunity to apply your programme delivery expertise to a high-profile project of national importance.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

Champion risk and issue management by developing, implementing and maintaining a reporting framework for the complexity of the Heathrow Expansion Programme

Facilitate the identification, analysis and monitoring of risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies and milestones

Ensure robust budget oversight by managing forecast tracking and monitoring

Prepare high quality governance papers, progress reports and stakeholder updates

For further information on the role, please read the role profile which is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

Experience of working as a project delivery professional in major government programmes (GMPP) or regulated environments which are complex and multi stakeholder.

Ability to engage confidently with senior stakeholders and influence decision-making

Experience within a project environment leading the risk and issues function and in designing reporting and dashboard processes

Knowledge of integrated programme controls (cost, schedule, risk, performance) and a good understanding of project management language and best practices

Experience in project cost management, including budgeting, cost control, financial tracking and reporting, and the ability to produce accurate cost forecasts to support informed decision‑making in a GMPP programme

Experience of contract management

You will ideally hold at least two typical qualification and/or professional memberships eg (but not limited to):

Management of Risk Practitioner (MoR)

Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner (MSP)

PRINCE2 Practitioner

APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ)

PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)

APM Project Professional Qualification (PPQ)

APM Chartered Project Professional (ChPP)

full membership MAPM

Project Leadership Programme (PLP) or equivalent.

Additional Information

The successful candidate must either hold or be willing to work towards the Government Project Delivery Accreditation once in role.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 35 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

DfTc does not offer Visa Sponsorship for this role.

Behaviours

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

Communicating and Influencing

Changing and Improving

Delivering at Pace

Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,515, Department for Transport contributes £16,662 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. about Civil Service Pensions here

25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).

8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.

Access to the staff discount portal.

Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.

Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.

24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.

Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

DfT prioritises investing in our project delivery professionals, because successful projects begin with skilled people. We offer funding for industry recognised qualifications e.g. APM PMQ, PRINCE2, and MSP, alongside leadership programmes. You will have access to targeted technical training, support for project delivery accreditation, and potential funding toward Chartered Project Professional (ChPP). From day one, mentoring, coaching, and the Government Online Skills Tool (GOST) are available to support your learning and development throughout your career in DfT.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies .

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

How to apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV, behaviour statement and personal statement

Stage 2: Interview

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Behaviours – you will be asked to provide a 250-word statement on the following Behaviours: Making Effective Decisions

Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (1000-word count). Please provide evidence of your experience of the following:

Experience of working within one or more GMPP projects, in a policy environment within a PMO.

Experience of designing reporting dashboard processes and those within a project environment who have interacted with the risk and issues function.

Working and delivering within a high-profile and contentious environment, producing high-quality products to tight timescales.

Excellent communication skills, with strong personal impact and ability to produce high quality written material.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Success Profile behaviour element, Making Effective Decisions. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

The sift will take place week commencing 03/08/2026.

Stage 2: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Behaviours – (Communicating and Influencing, Changing and Improving, Delivering at Pace and Making Effective Decisions)

Experience

Strengths

The interviews will take place week commencing 07/09/2026.

This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site .

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change

Further information on the selection process

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can about our reserve lists here.

Appointments for this position will be made in order of merit. If you are successful in the selection process but there are no further available posts for the advertised role, you may be contacted to discuss an offer for a lower graded role (with similar experience and responsibility requirements).

If you are unsuccessful in the selection process, your application may be considered for a lower graded position if your demonstrated skills and experience meet the requirements of the alternative position. Candidates will be considered in order of merit.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour

Threats or acts of violence

Illegal activity or substance misuse

Sexually explicit material

Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle - it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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)

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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : Vanessa Baxter

Email : vanessa.baxter@dft.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here