Deputy Director,? Portfolio and Project Delivery

The DD for Portfolio and Project Delivery is a critical role in DBT’s Project Delivery and Change Directorate, which sits at the heart of the Department in Corporate Services. As a Directorate, we directly deliver some of DBT’s major transformation programmes, we play a critical role in planning, prioritisation, and assurance of wider Departmental transformation and we set standards for excellence in Project Delivery.

The Directorate is made up of almost 100 people across 3 Deputy Directorate areas. Our contributions make DBT a great place to work and enable the Department to deliver on its Economic Growth Mission.

• The role oversees DBT’s Major Projects Portfolio, which has a cumulative value of approximately £35bn.
• The role provides vital scrutiny, assurance and performance reporting to inform decision making at our Investment Committee.
• As Head of the Project Delivery Profession in DBT, the role sets strategies and standards for how we best deliver our transformation programmes and plays an integral role in leading capability development for our Project Delivery Professionals.

This is a crucial time for this role, as we mobilise our planning capability for the upcoming Spending Review and recalibrate our Major Projects Portfolio.

Candidate Information Call

Caragh McKiernan, hiring manager, and Hays, Executive Search Agency, will be hosting a virtual call for any interested applicants to discuss the role and answer any questions. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.

This will be held via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 28th January 2pm – 3pm (UK time). Please follow this teams link to join the call. If you would like to join without your full name being displayed in the meeting, please ensure you access the link on a personal device and select 'Join without signing in'.

• As Deputy Director for Portfolio and Project Delivery, you will be a visible senior leader in the Department, advising our Executive Committee (ExCo), working closely with Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) and Programme Managers, liaising with counterparts across Whitehall and providing a key link into the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA).
• This is a key leadership role in the Department, responsible for cohering and assuring a large and complex portfolio of critical projects and programmes to ensure we can deliver on our strategic priorities. You will provide insight and advice to help inform investment decisions and prioritisation.
• As Head of Project Delivery Profession, you will play a key role in setting standards for Project Delivery in DBT and in defining the strategic vision for the Function. You will be responsible for driving capacity and capability among our community of Project Delivery Professionals.
• As a subject matter expert in Project Delivery, you will be responsible for overseeing all facets of the Function in DBT – ensuring we have robust policies, practices and frameworks in place to both manage our portfolio and deliver our programmes and appropriate recruitment, learning and career development for our cadre of PD professionals.
• A strong, inspiring leader, you will regularly partner with Senior Programme Leaders, acting as a trusted advisor to provide insight and informed challenge throughout the lifecycle of programmes.
• You will lead a team of Project, Programme and Portfolio subject matter experts and be an integral member of the Project Delivery and Change senior leadership team.