Head of Planning and Projects, Institute of Sport

If you are a senior professional with significant experience in planning and projects and you have a strong interest in sport, we would love to hear from you.

At Manchester Metropolitan University, we are committed to developing an outstanding teaching and learning experience for our students, whilst also building a research-rich culture to address some of the biggest challenges facing society today. Sport is an area of academic strength at the University and our Institute of Sport (IoS) has an ambitious vision to use world leading research that drives impact through change in policy and practice, to optimise elite performance and enhance community health.

To support and enable that vision, we have created a new role which presents an exciting opportunity to provide strategic leadership of all planning and project activities of the IoS, which align with the University's strategic priorities.

About the role:

We are seeking an individual with the ability to lead on the planning and delivery of an innovative, ambitious and transformative portfolio of IoS projects and activity. Our ideal candidate will have significant experience working collaboratively with a wide range of both internal and external senior stakeholders, to effectively plan and build effective and productive relationships which deliver high-value outcomes and impact.

Working closely with the Director of the IoS and the Head of Business Engagement & Partnerships (IoS), you will work on new opportunities and will lead IoS planning and projects activity with a range of stakeholders and partners. You will proactively seek new areas of strategic opportunity and will develop proposals, including business cases. To ensure that key benefits and outcomes are achieved, you will design, implement and support effective governance structures for IoS projects and activities. You will have experience of managing complex streams of activity to a high quality, within budget.

In this role, you will work with a wide range of Academic and Professional Services colleagues across the University, so you will need to be comfortable and experienced working in a matrix management structure. Exceptional communication skills and a proven ability to work effectively with all levels of seniority will both be critical. Our ideal candidate will be proactive, enjoy working flexibly and appreciate variety in their work. You will either have either a Project Management Qualification (such as Prince2) or demonstrable equivalent experience.

About you:

You will need to be passionate about sport and be used to working with, and influencing, a wide range of senior stakeholders. You will need to be goal-orientated to ensure that the ambition of the IoS is translated into actions and is achieved. You will be an advocate of good governance and also a team player with strong leadership and project management skills, as well as an attention to detail, to ensure effective delivery of projects and activities.

You will be comfortable leading and managing cross-institutional projects and activities and will have a strong track record of building successful relationships. You will be passionate about service quality and comfortable working in an outcome-orientated environment, with KPIs.

Special Features:

• It may be necessary to work irregular and long hours to cope with peaks of activity. A flexible approach to all aspects of the work will be necessary to meet customer demands.

Principal Accountabilities

To provide strategic direction and support for all planning and project activities of the Institute of

Sport (‘IoS’), which are aligned with the University’s strategic priorities, including:

• planning, governance, accountability and oversight across all IoS projects and activities, ensuring efficient and effective scoping, resource utilisation and financial management;
• proactive management of aggregated risks, issues and interdependencies;
• benefits tracking and realisation; and
• monitoring, reporting and communication of key milestones.

Lead on the development of new IoS-related proposals (including business case production, where appropriate), working with senior University leaders to define the benefits of these proposals and ensuring that staff involved in, or impacted by, the proposals are engaged appropriately prior to and throughout the relevant project/activity.

Work with the Director of the IoS and other senior stakeholders to design, implement and support appropriate and effective governance structures relating to IoS projects and activities, including (but not limited to) Project Boards. Work in a matrix structure across the University, including leading

where appropriate, on projects/activities. Be an active member of the Senior Management Team for the IoS, contributing to decision-making, proactively seeking areas of strategic opportunity and working closely and collaboratively with senior colleagues across Professional Services and the Academy, to embed and deliver an integrated sports vision and proposition across the University.