Please note this is a hybrid role based on the successful candidate working at least two days a week in our London office. Remote contracts would not be considered for this role. 

​​Comic Relief reserves the right to close the role early if a large number of applications are received.

PURPOSE OF JOB: 

The  Senior Project Manager (FTC) will play a pivotal role in the success of Comic Relief’s programme of strategic projects. The programme consists of key strategic projects that are designed to best support Comic Relief to meet its strategic priorities and mission / vision. 

As Senior Project Manager (FTC) you will be responsible for ensuring the overarching planning, management and coordination of select Strategic Projects. The role will work with cross-disciplinary teams to ensure planning processes, project governance and reporting is completed at every stage of the project lifecycle. 

The successful candidate will work closely with a range of stakeholders across the organisation, including Fundraising, Partnerships, Funding and Production and strong stakeholder skills are essential for this role. 

As a member of the Progamme Management Team you will also support Comic Relief’s programmatic approach to managing strategic projects. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:  

Strategic Projects 

• Manage select strategic projects across the full project lifecycle, including project briefing, scoping, set up, governance, planning, task management, communication, coordiation and tracking and reporting.  

• Manage procurement processes and any linked consultations, ensuring compliance with Comic Relief’s Procurement Policy as needed in order to progress projects. 

• Work with cross functional stakeholders, project teams and external stakeholders to manage the delivery of Strategic Projects, ensuring they are delivered on time and within budget. 

• Maintain internal focus on Strategic Projects, ensuring momentum on projects and regular communications to all Stakeholders. Establish and deliver an effective Stakeholder Communication Plans. 

• Identify and manage dependencies and risks of varying complexity across projects taking corrective action or highlighting issues for escalation as required  

• Use tracking and reporting tools and briefings/huddles that ensure that the progress of all project activity is communicated. 

• Member of Strategic Project Steering Groups, recording outcomes of meetings, presenting to senior stakeholders and ensuring effective project governance and decision making. 

Programme Management Office (PMO) 

• Support the Head of Programme Management to gain oversight, tracking and reporting of the full suite of strategic projects across the organisation. 

• Work with the Head of Programme Management to identify and manage dependencies and risks of varying complexity across the full programme of strategic projects taking corrective action or highlighting issues for escalation as required. 

• Represent project management best practice and identify and facilitate learning opportunities that create efficient and smart ways of working. 

Person Specification

Essential Criteria: 

• Accredited Project Management qualification  

• Understanding of project management methodologies, including Agile, and experience of working with different approaches to project management 

• Experience of monitoring and evaluation of project performance, including objective setting, developing toolkits, reporting and driving the learning process with stakeholders to achieve ongoing effectiveness 

• Good understanding of project budget development and analysis 

• Ability to understand risks, issues and dependencies of a project and synthesise this information to provide accurate and timely advice to drive decision making 

• Proven track record of managing complex project delivery teams and projects 

• Effective relationship builder with strong stakeholder management and communication skills, and the ability to adapt to different styles and ways of working 

• Experience of leading cross organisational change projects. 

Desirable Criteria  

• Experience influencing and building strong working relationships with senior stakeholders, (edited)  

• Previous experience working for a charity.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Comic Relief we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. 

Why work at Comic Relief 

There are lots of good reasons to join us at Comic Relief. You can read more about our employee benefits, such as our commitment to flexible and hybrid working. We ask staff to come to the office twice a week, normally on agreed team days, so that we can do all those things that are difficult to do online. Our office is based in Whitechapel, London, There are lots of opportunities to develop your skills and experience at Comic Relief, including opportunities to become a Mental Health First Aider or to participate in our Employee Network Groups that focus on making Comic Relief a more inclusive place to work 

Disability Confident employer 

As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we take positive action by providing first-round interviews to candidates who have a registered disability, provided they meet the minimum criteria for the role, as demonstrated on their CV or application scores. We ask that candidates that wish to be considered for this scheme email Recruitment@comicrelief.com to discuss further. Please do not email CV's/cover letters.