Project Manager (Audit Modernisation) 18 month FTC

Are you an experienced project manager who thrives on making a difference and is passionate about delivering transformational and change projects? Do you have an interest in ensuring public services are run properly for the people of Scotland? If so, we can offer you the chance to take an exciting new step in your career with the opportunity to deliver Audit Scotland’s Audit Modernisation Project which will transform how deliver our financial and performance audits of organisations across Scotland’s public sector, including the Scottish Government, NHS bodies, councils, and colleges.

Overall purpose of the role

We are in the process of transforming how we deliver our financial and performance audits, including identifying and implementing appropriate software and tools to support this. This is an 18 - month fixed term contract to manage the business case development and see through the main procurement phase of the project. The aim is that our audit approaches are clearly defined, risk-based, and make the best use of technology and data to ensure compliance and quality, automating processes where appropriate. A key part of the project will be reviewing our audit processes and building the requirements for the software and tools we need to deliver our audits efficiently and effectively. The project will also help to support and develop the skills and knowledge of our staff through improvements to related training and guidance. This is a key project within Audit Scotland’s Corporate Plan 2023-28.

You will be responsible for the delivery and project management of the Audit Modernisation Project (AMP), including managing interdependencies between the different workstreams and other corporate projects and activities. This will involve working with a range of teams within the Innovation and Quality business group and other stakeholders, including audit professionals, governance boards, the Executive Team, Audit Scotland Board, and the Communications and Digital Services teams. You will provide project management support to all relevant stakeholders, assuming responsibility for the delivery of project milestones. You will also be responsible for coordinating external assurance activities and working with the Scottish Government procurement team and other professionals.

The project is being led by our Innovation and Quality (I&Q) business group, working across the organisation. I&Q comprises four functions: professional support and learning; quality; digital audit; and organisational improvement. I&Q ensures that the quality of audit work across Audit Scotland is outstanding, innovative and at the forefront of the profession, and helps fulfil the vision and strategic objectives of the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission.

What you will be doing

As the principal project manager, you will be responsible for:

• leading the development and maintenance of project documents, including the scope and plans, budgets, project initiation documents, stakeholder and communications plans, RAID log etc and all aspects of project reporting. Your work on project documentation will support Audit Scotland to develop an organisational project management framework.
• escalating critical path issues and project risks to the SRO.
• leading the development of relevant business cases and procurement strategies for any cloud-based solution(s) that might be required to support the delivery of our audits.
• leading discussions with procurement and legal experts when required and leading and coordinating market engagement activities
• leading research, information and data gathering activities (including business analysis and requirements gathering), testing systems, and developing guidance and training plans as appropriate.
• leading, managing and coordinating the multidisciplinary project team and related governance board meetings. This includes managing and coordinating the activities of senior management.
• leading and coordinating technical assurance reviews including, developing and agreeing plans with the external assurance team and delivering any action required on recommendations.
• working closely with other project teams/managers across the organisation to ensure interdependencies are identified and managed effectively

Knowledge and experience

You will be an experienced and professionally qualified project/programme manager with a background in delivering full life-cycle transformation projects, including implementing specialist software that requires cultural and behavioural change.

You will be proficient in the use of a range of project management methodologies, such as Agile and PRINCE2, and know how to deploy these in a manner that is appropriate and proportionate.

You will have:

• consistently and successfully applied your experience and knowledge to resolve more complex and high-risk issues on projects.
• experience of dealing with and managing a range of different professionals and stakeholders at all levels of an organisation.
• frequently communicated more complex matters in an influential and persuasive manner to individuals at the highest level in an organisation.
• a proven track record in applying change management principles in your project management approach and can share with others your experience and knowledge from previous projects of similar scale and complexity.
• experience in leading and managing projects which involve cultural and behavioural change.
• experience in the leading the development of business cases and procurement strategies.
• experience of building strong relationships and can draw upon a deep pool of knowledge in providing a high-quality service either autonomously or collaboratively.
• experience of leading and delivering projects with a number of workstreams and interdependencies with other projects.
• experience of leading, planning for, and being subject to assurance processes such as gateway reviews and audits and in implementing recommendations.
• You may have worked in the public, private or third sectors.

Person specification - specific knowledge and experience

Essential:

• You are professionally qualified in APM-PRINCE2/Agile Practitioner or similar with extensive experience in programme and project management, including complex or high-risk projects, such as those involving transformation/ change management and software procurement and implementation (S&I)
• You have experience of leading the development of business cases and procurement strategies and related documentation (S&I).
• You have a demonstrable track record of delivering innovative solutions within similar projects to a tight scope, timescale and within budget and can demonstrate your experience with respect to the overall planning, managing interdependencies and delivery of service introduction and transition. (S&I)
• You have skills and experience that gives an expert perspective on project risk management and the ability to respond promptly and effectively to any critical path issues which may cause delay (S/I)
• You build effective relationships and networks at pace and can leverage those relationships to optimise project delivery (S&I)
• You have experience of leading, managing and supporting a multidisciplinary team and working with internal and external stakeholders at all levels, including procurement, legal and IT experts (S&I)
• You are an effective communicator and are skilled at presenting complex information in a balanced, influential, and persuasive manner with accuracy, clarity and conciseness (S&I)

Desirable:

• You have experience of Business Process Modelling and/or Lean Six Sigma or equivalent (S&I)
• You have experience of the public sector, including knowledge of procurement and assurance frameworks (S&I)
• You have experience of designing and implementing methodologies in an audit or other financial services setting (S&I)

*S = Shortlisting criteria I = Interview criteria A = Assessment / Exercise

Interested?

Next Steps: Click apply to submit an application.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 7 July at midnight.

Interviews will be scheduled for Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 July 2024.

Audit Scotland

Our vision is that public money is well spent to meet the needs of Scotland's people.

To achieve this, we support the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission to provide clear, independent and objective assurance on how effectively public money is being managed and spent. Our work covers about £57bn of public spending, almost 300 public sector accounts, and the services and projects that affect all people and communities in Scotland.

As well as what we do, how we do it is integral to delivering our vision and critical to our wellbeing and our organisational success. We put our organisational values of equality, independence, innovation, integrity and respect at the heart of everything we do.

We employ around 340 staff in a wide variety of roles, working from our main offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and through a network of regional offices across Scotland.

There has never been a more interesting or important time to join us. We offer a rewarding place to work, a supportive and open culture and a wide range of professional development opportunities. Benefits include 42 days of annual leave including public holidays, an attractive local government pension scheme with 19.4% employer contributions, personal development allowances and flexible working hours. We’ve also been named one of the top 25 workplaces in Scotland and the UK’s tenth best accountancy workplace in the 2023 Best Companies awards.

Diversity and Inclusion

We value the unique perspective a diverse workforce brings to what we do. Therefore, we’re keen to increase representation in our workforce and support progression of minority ethnic groups. We are also a proud disability confident employer.

Reasonable Adjustments

Audit Scotland’s recruitment process may include various stages and activities including application forms, online assessments, and interviews, to assess whether you meet the requirements of the role.

As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to providing inclusive and accessible recruitment where everyone is supported to perform at their best.

When applying for a job with Audit Scotland, you will be asked in the application form if you need an adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process. Please include the reason you require an adjustment and details of what adjustment/s might help.

Some examples of adjustments that have been given to candidates include changing the time, location or format of interviews and providing additional time in any assessments and interviews. This is not an exhaustive list, and we will consider any adjustments that you might need.

As part of our commitment to equality and diversity, our equality network groups would be delighted to offer an insight into Audit Scotland’s culture of inclusivity. If you consider yourself to have a visible or hidden disability and wish to hear more about life at Audit Scotland or wish to speak with someone about the possibility of any adjustments, please contact Careers@audit-scotland.gov.uk or call 0131 625 1500 for further information and a member of the HR team will be in touch.

How we work

We employ around 340 staff in a wide variety of roles. They work flexibly at home and in the office as well as from audit sites across Scotland. This isn’t your typical work from home or work from office type job. We’re flexible about working patterns and we’ve transformed how we deliver high-quality public audit. We support you to work in the ways that achieve the best results for you, your team and the business, including your physical location and how you manage your hours. Put simply, we trust you to do your job, and want you to have the ability to have a rewarding work-life balance and best support your individual circumstances, be that childcare, adult carer responsibilities or managing disabilities.

We welcome applications from across the UK. Some travel to our offices or client sites will be necessary at times, but you don’t need to live in Scotland to work for us.

Other conditions

Audit Scotland is committed to ensuring that:

• We minimise our impact on the environment in accordance with Government policy affecting public sector organisations.
• We uphold the principles of equality, fairness & diversity.
• We all work within a safe environment and adhere to good standards of health & safety.
• All information is protected and managed appropriately.
• We maintain independence and political neutrality.