The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 2,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice, and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for benefit of the environment and economy.
The role of the Scientific Project Manager (SPM) is to provide scientific project management:
* To aid with the delivery of projects and alleviate the project leader from the day-to-day management tasks within a project. To ensure, as far as reasonably possible, that a project is delivered on schedule, on budget and to customer specification.
* To support the lead scientist to ensure successful management of the portfolio, support customer engagement activities and aid strategy development.
Both posts will be permanent running from an individually agreed start date from January 2025.
1. Scientific project management of research and surveillance projects
Use of recognised project management methodologies and techniques to support and manage the day to day running of projects, allowing the scientific lead to devote their time to scientific research and to ensure project delivery and control.
Key contacts include: Project leaders, task leaders, project team members (including project support), heads of department, work group leaders, lead scientists, CAPS, network procurement, sub-contractors/collaborators, customers (e.g. policy leads, devolved administrations, funding sponsors).
Duties can include:
* Prepare and maintain project proposals and plans.
* Monitor progress of deliverables and tasks.
* Point of contact for managerial aspects of projects (e.g. for project team, collaborators and customer).
* Liaise with project team/collaborators/customers on project progress/management activities to ensure effective communication on the project.
* Meeting arrangement and minute taking.
* Identification of risks, issues and actions from within meetings and during project progress, ensuring they are recorded, reviewed and updated appropriately.
* Over the financial year - monitoring of budget spend and forecasting; keeping the project leader updated on the situation. Supporting the project leader in budget planning for subsequent financial years.
* Responsibility for the management, review and justification of sub-contracts, including the organisation of contractual responsibilities and costings in association with procurement.
* Co-ordinate preparation and contribute to reports submitted to the customer (e.g. annual and final reports).
* Prepare and deliver regular reports and other quarterly highlight reports to provide updates on scientific project management to the customer (including budget summary, deliverable progress, any risks/issues).
* Set up, review and maintain project documentation and the shared network/ SharePoint Online area to ISO9001:2008 standards.
* Prepare and present projects for internal and external audit alongside the project leader, addressing any non-conformities or recommendations.
* Contribute to all aspects of successful project delivery as required.
* Produce and maintain action, risk and issue logs to monitor project and review regularly to ensure potential risks are identified, managed and escalated to the appropriate level.
* Responsibility for ad hoc issues, address quickly, troubleshooting in a pro-active manner to seek resolution and investigate potential solutions or improvements.
* Take action points forward to senior level (where necessary) to allow key project decisions to be made in the absence of the project leader.
* Incorporate lessons learned from projects into future work and share knowledge with the team.
* Develop and maintain contacts within the Agency and other Government Agencies.
* Prepare and plan tenders and proposals (Defra and external funding) with the project leader, ensuring that the Agency project management process is followed.
* Develop scientific knowledge in subject area to aid full participation in project (e.g., attending workshops and presentations on project/disease related topics).
2. Scientific project management to science portfolio
Provide scientific project management support to the lead scientist(s) for their portfolios.
Key contacts include: Lead scientists and approved deputies, heads of department, work group leaders, science delivery leads (for different areas within the portfolio), admin team leaders, CAPS, portfolio support, relationship managers, customers (e.g. policy leads, devolved administrations, funding sponsors), partners.
Duties can include:
* Maintaining the portfolio governance structure, key contacts, and roles and responsibilities documentation.
* Setting up and management of portfolio SharePoint site, and other agreed knowledge sharing sites.
* Supporting the lead scientist as required in the development and review of the portfolio strategy.
* Supporting the lead scientist as required in the development and management of the strategy implementation plan.
* For strategic areas of work - supporting project leaders in preparing proposals, ensuring that the project management process is followed.
* Organisation and minuting of internal portfolio management meetings and external customer meetings (e.g. Defra Science Day, contract meetings).
* Identification of actions from within meetings and other portfolio activities, ensuring they are recorded, reviewed and updated appropriately.
* Setting up and management of portfolio risk and issue register, to ensure risks/issues are identified, managed and escalated as appropriate. Lead on incident investigations as required.
* Capturing of lessons learned and sharing good practice within and across the portfolios (continuous improvement).
* Collation of science highlights information for lead scientist to then select suitable returns.
* Partnership working – support in organising science meetings with partners.
3. Scientific project management to the NEEG
Key contacts: the NEEG; including head of NEEG, NEEG business manager, analytical team leader, analytical epidemiologists, head of field epidemiology, field epidemiology team leader, field epidemiologist, risk analysts, data scientists, SPMs.
* To provide scientific project management support to the NEEG during a disease outbreak (as required).
* To perform BAU tasks (as required) to ensure preparedness and capability for such an event. Therefore, being ready and prepared to step into the SPM role in an outbreak.
4. SSP departmental and work group tasks
Key contacts: Head of department, workgroup leader, SPM and admin team members.
Duties to include:
* Attendance at Departmental team brief (monthly), and in person team meetings (usually quarterly at Weybridge).
* Attendance at Scientific Project Manager meetings (monthly), including chairing meetings on a rota basis.
* Presentations at Department/Workgroup meetings to share knowledge and expertise.
* Functional management of staff and mentoring/coaching of staff as required.
* Monitoring of shared team mailboxes as required.
5. Training and development
Everyone in APHA is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join the Directorate, you will be welcomed into your new team through an induction programme that will provide you with helpful information on the civil service, our work and our policies. Your line manager will also work with you to establish your priorities for the year, developing a performance, learning and development plan tailored to you and your role.
In return for your dedication, we will support your ongoing personal development through appropriate training. Inclusion, support and the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA. Our benefits include generous annual leave of 25 days (rising one day per year up to 30 days after 5 years), flexible working, a contributory pension, staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme.
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