Project Manager (Product Developtment Focus) | Welwyn Garden City | Hybrid (2 days office depending on project requirements)
About Us
Our teams are putting the worlds retailers online using the cloud, robotics, AI, and IoT. We provide services to partner clients globally via our innovative advanced robotics technology, known as the Ocado Smart Platform ("OSP"), this drives our highly automated, multi-million pound Customer Fulfilment Centres (CFCs). In our CFCs - together with the proprietary software applications - we operate a world-class online grocery business that automates the single pick of products, ready for your online delivery.
About the role
Working alongside our Engineering and Product teams, this role will play a pivotal role in guiding and supporting the Technology mission in successfully delivering critical and essential projects. Youll be working with others around the Ocado Group business to find great solutions which support the continued growth of our International clients. In this role, you will be a go-to person for the projects you lead, with great expertise, problem solving and knowledge sharing.
What you will be doing
Leading and Influencing
1. Create a strong sense of purpose and mission for the project team
2. Champion business requirements and communicate these in a compelling way to the project team
3. Make effective, strategic decisions, with a clear rationale and using appropriate tools for the scenario
4. Role models behaviours and applies Ocado Technology principles in day to day work
5. Lead stakeholders at all levels across the business
6. Promote the craft of Project Management throughout Ocado Technology, and share best practice with colleagues
Planning, Tracking & Delivery
7. Define requirements and scope of project by collaborating with our Engineering and Product teams
8. Develop, communicate and maintain a clear approach to managing any project, including highlighting critical path, key dependencies and milestone dates
9. Responsible for forecasting, monitoring and tracking budget and resource usage
10. Provide governance to all assigned projects to ensure timely and quality delivery
11. Drive project teams to achieve milestones and project goals
12. Organise and execute orderly project closures and handovers
13. Apply domain knowledge and technical concepts/ methodologies to project delivery
Stakeholder Management
14. Bring together relevant stakeholders for collaboration and decision making by critically assessing stakeholder influence over the project and business (using appropriate tools to support this)
15. Provide regular, concise and relevant reporting for stakeholders to build a common understanding of project requirements and progress
16. Influence negative stakeholders and take them to a positive position
17. Lead negotiations with internal and third party stakeholders in order to reach commercially viable solutions per the project and business requirement
Facilitation
18. Engage teams and individuals to collaborate in a productive and supportive environment to produce idea formation and innovation
19. Lead and facilitate inclusive meetings to drive consensus and decision
20. Form and share ideas on how to improve project and process efficiency
21. Distribute project information and outcomes, and follow up on actions
Risk and Issue Management
22. Use a variety of appropriate methods to seek, identify, log and track project risks and issues throughout the project lifecycle
23. Quantify and qualify project risk against business impact and take appropriate decisions
24. Lead risk and issue mitigation planning and implement strategies in line with project tolerances
25. React to risk and issues as they arise and lead appropriate, timely, project response
Wed love to talk to you if you have...
26. Experience of managing high risk, high complexity product development projects and life cycles in a fast paced environment - bringing new products to market - from Problem Definition through to Benefits Realisation
27. Experience managing project budgets as well as an appreciation of other related metrics such as cost of ownership of products
28. Experience in vendor selection and long term engagement for the delivery of services and products
29. Experience in giving effective presentations to senior stakeholders with different agendas and providing compelling evidence to guide stakeholders to the correct decision or consensus
30. Strong understanding and experience of leading projects, using various project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, etc) within a structured stage-gated development process.
31. Strong experience of working with and managing a broad spectrum of internal and external stakeholders
Bonus points if you also have
32. Evidenced experience or improving project management capability and outcomes in a team or business
33. Project management expertise with a recognised Project Management qualification/accreditation (PRINCE2, APM PMQ, AgilePM, etc)
34. Experience relating to automation hardware and / or software development
35. Experience in understanding requirements trade-offs and applying the appropriate analysis tools in order to make decisions and manage variations and consult stakeholders as appropriate to gain resolution
36. Must have very good negotiation skills with the ability to listen, comprehend, consider and assimilate others points of view with their own beliefs and visions
37. Strong problem solving skills, able to demonstrate the ability to think out of the box and apply creativity in solving project related problems to mutually agreeable solutions
What we offer you...
Our employee benefits are designed for you, we care about people and weve ensured we have a wealth of benefits that focus on your well-being. We regularly review our benefits to ensure we are supporting our employees appropriately. Currently, we offer technically stretching work, a competitive salary and;
38. A Work from Home policy that sees you in the office typically 40% of your time (depending on project requirements)
39. 30 days working from anywhere policy
40. Wellbeing support through Apps and an Employee Assistance Programme
41. 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after 5 years service (plus optional holiday purchase)
42. Pension scheme (various options available including employer contribution matching up to 7%)
43. Private Medical Insurance
44. 22 weeks paid maternity leave and 6 weeks paid paternity leave (once relevant service requirements complete)
45. Train Ticket loan (interest-free)
46. Cycle to Work Scheme
47. Free shuttle bus to and from Welwyn Garden City Train Station to the Welwyn Garden City offices
48. Opportunity to participate in Share save and Buy as You Earn share schemes
49. 15% discount on Ocado.com and free delivery for all employees
50. Income Protection (can be up to 50% of salary for 3 years) and Life Assurance (3 x annual salary)
We also have regular divisional socials, sports clubs not to mention the Ocado Technology Academy for a packed schedule of courses, conferences and events. If you think you have what it takes to make a difference, please submit your application below.
Be bold, be unique, be brilliant, be you. We are looking for individuality and we value diversity. We are an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to treating all applicants and employees fairly and equally. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment process and supportive work environment.
If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application.
We are thrilled to welcome applicants from across the world. Whilst we are able to offer visa sponsorship, please note that we are only able to cover costs relating to the Certificate of Sponsorship and the Immigration Skills Charge only. For all employment offers made for UK roles, it is expected that you will be based in the UK in commutable distance, ready for your first day of work, so please keep this in mind. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Due to the energising nature of Ocado's business, vacancy close dates, when stated, are indicative and may be subject to change so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. If you have applied and been rejected for this role in the last 6 months, or applied and been rejected for a role with a similar skill set, we will not re-evaluate you for this position. After 6 months, we will treat your application as a new one. All benefits information is subject to change and the terms of the individual arrangements. Please assume you have been unsuccessful if you havent heard from us within 4 weeks.
About Ocado Group
When our journey started, we were all about changing the way people shop for groceries. 20 years later, were developing our own ground breaking technology, opening multiple sites at an accelerating rate and engaging in exciting new business partnerships around the world!
Transforming an industry also means transforming the way we do business. As we continually develop new technologies and customer propositions, were looking for the Everyday Pioneers to lead us into the next stage of our evolution: enhancing our capabilities, inspiring our teams and developing new ways of working.
Changing the way the world shops, for good.
About Ocado Group
When our journey started, we were all about changing the way people shop for groceries. 20 years later, were developing our own ground breaking technology, opening multiple sites at an accelerating rate and engaging in exciting new business partnerships around the world!
Transforming an industry also means transforming the way we do business. As we continually develop new technologies and customer propositions, were looking for the Everyday Pioneers to lead us into the next stage of our evolution: enhancing our capabilities, inspiring our teams and developing new ways of working.
Changing the way the world shops, for good.