Delivery Lead

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Salary: Salary in the region of £49,000 per annum.

Closing Date: 20 October 2023

The Role

We have reimagined the way we deliver our University IT Services, building a world-class IT department responsive to the needs of our global community. We’re growing significantly and we’ve created new opportunities and made changes to how we work. Our people have been at the centre of this change, with a particular focus on development and opportunities to learn new skills.

The Delivery Lead will play a crucial role in coordinating the work of the NUIT Technology Operations directorate, to ensure effective delivery of initiatives and efficient communication with stakeholders.

The successful candidate will be responsible for delivery of a significant portfolio of IT (Information Technology) initiatives consisting of small projects, major changes, and enhancements. You will work closely with colleagues across NUIT and in particular, Technology Operations Teams and the Project Management Office.

The University is an exciting and dynamic place to work, dedicated to world-leading education and research. Benefits include excellent pension; flexible working options; a minimum of 37 days holiday (including public holidays); discounted travel for the Metro and local bus services; and discounts for national retailers. You can find out more on our benefits web page.

We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment and we would be happy to discuss arrangements for flexible and/or blended working.

Informal enquiries may be made to Andy Grossett, Director of Technology Operations, at andy.grossett@ncl.ac.uk.
 

Key Accountabilities

• Plan and track activities, ensuring tasks are assigned, progress is monitored, and milestones are achieved according to the plan, budget, and appropriate quality standards
• Assist in resource allocation by coordinating with Technology Operations Managers, ensuring that people with appropriate skills are assigned to tasks and maintain records of resource allocation in appropriate systems
• Provide guidance, support, and motivation to delivery teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment
• Act as a primary point of contact for stakeholders, facilitate communication, manage expectations, and ensure alignment between the initiative’s objectives and stakeholder needs, to ensure buy-in to change
• Identify, assess, and manage risks and issues as they affect initiatives within the delivery portfolio and develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans where required
• Maintain documentation, including plans, requirements, meeting minutes, and progress reports, ensuring they are up to date and accessible to relevant stakeholders
• Prepare regular status reports and communicate updates to stakeholders, providing accurate and timely information on initiative progress, risks, and issues, escalating areas of concern where required and reporting into appropriate governance bodies, to ensure clear and consistent messaging and to generate trust in the ability of the team to deliver
• Manage commercial relationships including leading and/or supporting the procurement process, to secure value for money, delivery assurance, fulfilment of contractual obligations, and quality of output
• Support business readiness by ensuring that:
  • Deliverables meet defined standards and requirements
  • “Transition to Service” processes are followed
  • Appropriate change management processes are in place and followed
  • All required testing and training are planned and carried out
  • An appropriate communication plan is in place and followed
  • Post go-live reviews are completed.
• Support business case development on matters such as work breakdown, task estimation, resource availability and general best practice
• Foster collaboration across NUIT colleagues and stakeholders, promoting effective communication, coordination, and knowledge sharing
• Identify opportunities for improvement and contribute to the development of best practices including (but not exclusively) coordination of initiatives and resources, and sharing lessons learned
• Any other reasonable duties that fall within the scope of the post, as allocated by the line manager

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Excellent planning and prioritisation skills e.g., simultaneously balancing several large and complex IT initiatives
• Significant IT industry experience, including key IT concepts, technologies, and processes to facilitate effective communication and coordination and ensure a clear understanding of requirements
• A solid understanding of the typical project lifecycle in an IT context, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure
• Experience with one or more project management methodologies (for example, PMI, PMBOK, PRINCE2 or agile)
• Knowledge of project planning tools with evidence of practical application is highly desirable
• Effective influencing and negotiation skills in an environment where resources may not be in direct control of this role; including ability to lead and motivate virtual teams
• Demonstrated ability to quantify resource requirements and measure and communicate proposed benefits and risks 
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with proven ability in logical and conceptual thinking
• Highly customer-focussed and service orientated, with the ability to develop and manage relationships with customers and suppliers effectively
• Ability to work under pressure and with a fair degree of autonomy, whilst also contributing to and supporting team working
• A solid technical background with evidence of infrastructure and application delivery with the ability to understand technical risk and dependencies

Attributes and Behaviour

• Forward planning over near, mid, and long term
• Ability to coordinate cross-functional teams toward task completion
• Tracks progress and dependencies across multiple workstreams
• Balances delivery across the triple constraints of time, cost, and quality
• Respected influencer and team player 
• Commercially adept
• Benefits focussed
• Able to work well with others 
• Strong communications skills
• Strong meeting facilitation skills
• A solid technical background giving confidence to cut through the technical jargon to articulate the business functionality and need

Qualifications

• A degree in information systems, business administration, or an equivalent qualification or experience
   

Newcastle University is committed to being a fully inclusive Global University which actively recruits, supports and retains staff from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, as well as being open to flexible working practices.

The University holds a silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. The University also holds the HR Excellence in Research award for our work to support the career development of our researchers and is a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe