Job title: Project Manager Location: Birmingham Inside IR35 Contract Start Date: ASAP End date: 31/01/2027 Hours per week: 40 (8-hour day) Qualification required for this role: Proven experience managing Service Management projects, from procurement through to transition within CNI. Role Purpose The Project Manager will support the Transition Manager in delivering two strategic initiatives: 1. Supporting the transition of service management operations from an incumbent supplier to a new service provider, ensuring business continuity and operational stability. 2. Assisting in driving service management maturity improvement, embedding best practices and optimising service delivery in alignment with strategic objectives. Working under the leadership of the Transition Manager, this role is responsible for coordinating and managing project activities, tracking progress, managing dependencies, and ensuring that key milestones are achieved on time, within scope, and within budget. The Project Manager will handle the day-to-day delivery aspects of the program, ensuring that project governance, risk management, and stakeholder communications are executed effectively. Key Responsibilities Project Support and Coordination: Support the Transition Manager by coordinating all project-related activities across both the Service Management Transition and Maturity Improvement initiatives. Assist in developing and maintaining detailed project plans, including timelines, milestones, deliverables, and resource allocation. Monitor project performance and ensure progress is aligned with the overall program schedule and objectives. Manage project documentation, ensuring that all project activities are clearly tracked and recorded according to governance requirements. Operational Delivery and Execution: Coordinate the execution of the service transition plan, ensuring that project activities are carried out effectively and according to schedule. Track dependencies between the service transition and maturity improvement workstreams, ensuring smooth integration and coordination of tasks. Manage day-to-day operations of the project, ensuring tasks are completed according to established timelines and quality standards. Risk, Issue, and Change Management: Proactively identify project risks and issues, escalating them to the Transition Manager as necessary. Support the development and implementation of risk mitigation strategies. Manage project change requests, ensuring that any proposed changes are properly documented and evaluated for impact on project objectives. Stakeholder Engagement and Communication: Act as the primary point of contact for operational project communications and updates. Assist the Transition Manager in preparing regular reports and presentations for senior leadership, project boards, and other stakeholders. Maintain regular communication with internal teams, external suppliers, and relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment and transparency. Coordinate meetings, workshops, and project briefings, ensuring that all stakeholders are informed of project progress and developments. Governance, Compliance, and Reporting: Ensure that all project activities comply with governance frameworks, legal obligations, and quality assurance standards. Prepare project status reports, ensuring timely and accurate updates on project progress, risks, issues, and resource requirements. Maintain project registers, including risk, issue, change, and action logs. Resource, Budget, and Scheduling Support: Assist in monitoring project budgets and ensuring accurate reporting of financial performance. Support the Transition Manager with resource management and scheduling to ensure that appropriate resources are available for project delivery. Track project expenditure against forecasts and report any variances. Key Skills and Competencies Strong experience in supporting and managing large-scale IT projects within complex, regulated environments, in the public sector or critical national infrastructure. Proven experience managing Service Management projects, from procurement through to transition. Solid understanding of project management methodologies (e.g., PRINCE2 Practitioner, PMP, Agile). Knowledge of ITIL service management frameworks, particularly service transition and continual service improvement. Strong organisational and coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships across diverse teams. Analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to escalate issues appropriately and suggest viable solutions. Ability to work collaboratively under the leadership of a senior manager while demonstrating initiative and independence when required. Qualifications and Experience Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business Management, or a related field (or equivalent relevant experience). Project management certification (PRINCE2 Practitioner, PMP, or Agile certification mandatory). ITIL Foundation certification (desirable). Proven experience supporting IT service transitions and service management maturity improvement projects. Experience working within a UK government organisation, public sector, or critical national infrastructure environment is required. Company information At First Recruitment Group we understand just how important it is to secure the right people. That is why our Recruitment Consultants always take the time to understand requirements in detail and offer sound advice to both clients and candidates. We actively recruit at all levels and this is a superb opportunity for a Project Manager looking for new employment. As part of putting people first, we strive to be an equal opportunities employer and we are always looking to increase the diversity of our workforce, working closely with our clients to ensure everyone is included. ADZN1_UKTJ