Senior Project Manager

12 Month Contract With A Local Authority

Role Purpose

Cardiff Council will commence implementation of its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution in April 2028. This transformational programme will modernise core corporate systems and deliver significant improvements across Finance, HR, Payroll and Procurement services.

The Senior Project Manager will lead and deliver the ICT projects within the ERP Programme, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget and to agreed quality standards. The role will provide strategic oversight, operational leadership, and robust governance to support successful implementation.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage, develop, lead and motivate a project management team delivering ICT workstreams within the ERP Programme.

• Foster a high-performance culture focused on collaboration, accountability and delivery.

• Ensure projects are delivered within agreed timescales, scope and budget.

• Allocate resources effectively and manage performance across project teams.

• Establish and maintain robust project governance arrangements aligned to Council frameworks.

• Ensure decisions are taken appropriately and in line with organisational delegations of authority.

• Provide clear, accurate and timely reporting to the Programme Board, Programme Manager and Chief Officers.

• Deliver high-quality briefings, highlight reports, business cases, and decision papers.

• Ensure compliance with audit, procurement, financial and risk management standards.

• Develop, monitor and maintain detailed project plans identifying:

  • Critical path activities

  • Dependencies and milestones

  • Resource requirements

  • Budget forecasts

• Manage delivery against agreed baselines using recognised project management methodologies (e.g., PRINCE2, Agile, MSP or equivalent).

• Coordinate cross-functional ICT and service teams to deliver integrated outcomes.

• Oversee supplier and third-party delivery performance where applicable.

• Build and maintain effective relationships with:

  • Programme sponsors

  • Senior leadership teams

  • Service managers

  • ICT colleagues

  • External suppliers

• Develop stakeholder engagement plans to ensure buy-in and shared ownership.

• Provide clear and proactive communication to support programme success.

• Identify, assess and manage project risks, maintaining comprehensive risk registers.

• Ensure stakeholders understand and actively manage the programme risk portfolio.

• Escalate risks and issues appropriately through governance structures.

• Lead collaborative problem-solving to overcome barriers to delivery.

• Manage change control processes to protect scope, time and budget integrity.

Requirements

• Significant senior project management experience delivering complex ICT or digital transformation programmes.

• Proven experience delivering large-scale ERP implementations or comparable enterprise systems.

• Experience managing multi-disciplinary project teams.

• Strong governance, reporting and stakeholder management experience at senior leadership level.

• Demonstrable experience managing budgets, resources, risks and suppliers.

• Excellent leadership and people management skills.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.

• Advanced planning and scheduling capability.

• Strong communication and presentation skills.

• Knowledge of public sector governance and accountability frameworks.

• Understanding of ICT infrastructure, systems integration and data migration principles.

• PRINCE2 Practitioner, MSP, APM PMQ or equivalent.

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.

• Evidence of continued professional development.

Additional Information

• 36 Working Hours Per Week
• Bi-Weekly Payments