Project Support Officer

**Project Support Officer**

**Salary**:Band C £28,498 to £29,922 per annum (dependent on skills and experience).
**Hours**: Full time (37 hours per week) _(We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants)_
**Contract Type**: Open Ended
**Location**:Science and Technology Facilities Council, Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington

Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers, technicians and business support team explore the unknown and turn what they find into work that changes the world around us. Whether it’s sending probes into space or finding new ways to treat cancer, everyone here plays a vital role in making a positive difference to society.

We are currently seeking a Project Support Officer to join the Hartree Centre to deliver projects that help businesses solve their challenges through the adoption of cutting-edge technology. The roles will sit within the Hartree Centre’s Programme Management Office, which provides professional and technical programme management leadership to the Hartree Centre’s wide range of projects.

The Hartree Centre Programme Management Office follow closely the approach promoted by the UK Association for Project Management whilst being tailored for use within a complex collaborative research and innovation environment. You will be expected to help develop these methods and processes as a member of the team in the interests of continuous improvement.

STFC values their employees by offering a benefits package designed to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege holidays, flexible working hours, exceptional average salary pension scheme, social and sporting activities and societies and a subsidised restaurant.

**Core responsibilities include but are not limited to**:

- Supporting the delivery of projects within the Hartree Centre project portfolio, ensuring all agreed deliverables meet or exceed internal and partner expectations
- Identifying requirements for successful project delivery and construct detailed and workable project plans, identifying dependencies and critical paths whilst adhering to agreed delivery dates and resource profiles
- Supporting management of day-to-day operational aspects of the project(s) aiming to deliver all projects on-time, within scope and within budget
- Maintaining appropriate project documentation (including Hartree Project Master Documents, Project Trackers, and other associated project documents as required)
- Following best practices, techniques, and tools for project management and planning, tailoring the delivery methodology as appropriate to the situation
- Working closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient communication plans are adopted
- Ensuring effective risk management is in place for each project, so any project risks to our centre, STFC and external partners can be identified and handled from the beginning, mitigated where required and escalated accordingly
- Handling the resolution of any project problems appropriately and ensuring they raised at a more senior level or with the appropriate stakeholders when a decision is required
- Effectively managing project scope by ensuring any changes to scope are documented and approved
- Contributing to ongoing process improvement activities both within the Hartree PMO, the wider Centre and across STFC or UKRI as required.
- Liaising with stakeholders at all levels both inside and outside the organisation

**Person Specification***
- Current or previous experience of working as a PSO
- Understands and demonstrates the skills needed to work in a project delivery environment, preferably in a computing or scientific field and with good commercial awareness
- Demonstrates a proactive demeanour to problem solving, handling risks, and escalating issues that arise where appropriate
- Demonstrates ability to work as part of a team, and is able to influence a range of stakeholders so that agreed project deliverables are achieved
- Able to absorb technical information and communicate effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences of varying seniority
- Strong ability to think creatively, to seek and accept change and continuous improvement

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Whatever our role, we have the freedom to explore, learn and connect, as part of a community that loves to share knowledge and support one another.

Join us and discover what’s possible

**About The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)**

As one of Europe’s largest research organisations, we ask the biggest questions in the universe to find answers that change the world around us. We seek understanding. We’re proud of the impact we make. And we’re committed to helping build a globally competitive, knowledge-based UK economy. Being part of al