Project Manager, Joint Thames Strategies Programme (London East)

Job Title: Project Manager, Joint Thames Strategies Programme
Responsible to: TEP Senior leadership
Responsible for: n/a
Based at: 2 days minimum at the TEP Office at University College London (WC1H)
and remaining time remote
Salary: Starting salary £32,000 – £38,000 depending on experience. Including
annual increments and pension contributions.

Description

We are looking for a highly motivated, well-organised and enthusiastic Project Manager to join
us at the Thames Estuary Partnership (TEP) to review and refresh the Joint Thames Strategies (JTS) in collaboration with our Partner
network and stakeholders across the tidal Thames. The Joint Thames Strategies represents the
first time that environmental and town planning policy for the Thames Estuary will be
coordinated from Surrey to the sea.

The purpose of this exciting and timely role is to project manage TEP’s objectives within the
Joint Thames Strategies Programme, ensuring alignment with the Environment Agency’s Thames Estuary
2100 flood risk policies. There are currently three JTS which will be reviewed and
refreshed through a collaborative, partnership approach. TEP will lead on the review of one
JTS: Thames Strategy East. TEP will also lead on the scoping and development of a further two
JTS where none currently exist.

TEP are currently recruiting for 2 Project Managers for the JTS Programme. One to lead the
refresh of one existing JTS, Thames Strategy East, and one to lead on the creation of a new JTS
in central London. This application is for a Project Manager to Lead on the refresh of the
existing Strategy – Thames Strategy East. Applicants are welcome to apply for both positions.
Please make this clear in your application. Note that regular travel within the strategy area
is essential.

Each JTS are Supplementary Planning Guidance documents within
The London Plan. They were established to support and enable a coordinated approach to
planning along and across the river, recognising that in characteristic stretches of the tidal
Thames, neighbouring Councils often share similar challenges and opportunities. Once JTS are in
place and adopted, councils can use them to ensure new development delivers Thames Estuary 2100
outcomes, such as defence raising and riverside improvements and wider benefits such as
improving the public realm and enhancing the environment. By investing in the refresh of the
three existing- and creation of two new JTS now, the cost of flood defence and climate
adaptation works can be minimised, ensuring healthy and climate resilient riverside communities
and environments into the future, as well as capturing the unique character of local areas.

The programme is being delivered by the newly formed Thames Strategy Partnership, jointly led
by The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Council, and the three JTS organisations, Thames
Landscape Strategy – Weybridge to Kew; Thames Strategy – Kew to Chelsea; and Thames Estuary
Partnership – Chelsea to the sea. The project will also be delivered in collaboration with the
City of London to help share learning and support Central Councils to develop a new JTS in this
area. Scoping of a similar approach will also take place below Gravesend, across Essex and Kent
to the tidal limit at Shoeburyness and Sheerness.

We are excited to receive applications from motivated individuals who are eager to grow with
us. This role offers excellent long-term development and growth opportunities, providing a
platform for you to expand your skills, advance your career, and make a meaningful impact.

Main Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Project Management

• Project manage and deliver the refresh of Thames Strategy East.
• Lead on project initiation and planning tasks, co-developing the Project Initiation
  Documents and key performance indicators for project outcomes and benefits, outputs, risk,
  cost, and timelines.
• Working within the TEP Monday.com project management platform
  with the JTS Project and TEP Team.
• Ensure delivery of the project strategy, deliverables, and detailed milestones, using a
  coherent project management framework, ensuring that outcomes are delivered on time and to
  budget.
• Contribute to the evolution and improvement of TEP’s Project Management framework and
  systems.
• Monitor, control, and evaluate progress against agreed performance targets, measuring the
  effectiveness of interventions, identifying, and managing risk, assumptions, issues, and
  dependencies.
• Support the Programme Team on updating and reporting to the Project Board, key
  stakeholders, and funders.
• Work closely with other TEP staff and support them in their roles and projects as
  necessary.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communications

• Engage, manage, and develop relationships with partners/stakeholders/clients across the
  public, private, and third sectors to enable participatory project planning and execution.
• Work with the TEP Programme Director and Communications Director to create and deliver a
  Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Plan.
• Lead on to the project’s publicity and marketing campaigns.
• Represent the project and TEP at meetings, conferences, and events.

Contract Management

• Support Senior staff on contract procurement and help manage relationships and work with
  sub- contractors to ensure timely and high-quality delivery of outputs.

Financial Management

• Work with the Finance Manager for effective budgeting, monitoring and financial
  performance, ensuring funding is spent on time and as agreed with the funder and partners.

Business Development

• Work closely with Senior and Executive staff to support and input into TEP business
  development and day-to-day operations, as necessary.
• Some weekend and out of hours work is required for both TEP and JTS events. Time in lieu
  can be awarded.

Best practice and Integrity

• Ensure professional best practice and compliance with relevant regulations, systems, and
  procedures.

Further information

• A project overview can be found on the project website: www.jtsrefresh.com with the
  existing three JTS documents available for download on www.jtsrefresh.com/documents.

Requirements

Essential:

• Educated to a degree level or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline
• A minimum of three years demonstrable experience combining environmental, social, and
  economic disciplines
• Have an understanding of environmental and town planning policy and processes in the UK
• A minimum of three years demonstrable experience in project management of complex, large
  scale projects
• Highly developed project management skills, and a good understanding of project management
  lifecycles, processes, practices, and governance requirements
• Experience of financial management, and financial processes, including a proven track
  record of managing budgets to control costs
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, able to work with colleagues and project partners across
  dispersed geographical locations
• Exemplary customer service skills, and the ability to build and maintain professional
  relationships
• A highly organised self-starter with good attention to detail
• Excellent problem solving and influencing skills, able to work confidently with senior
  leaders
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills including public presentation,
  facilitation, and training experience
• Self-reliant IT skills, in particular Microsoft Office programmes and competent in MS
  Project
• A willingness to travel in each location.
• A willingness to work occasionally on weekends or evenings
• A willingness to learn about, engage with and support our efforts to become a more diverse,
  inclusive, and equitable organisation
• An enthusiastic, flexible, and positive approach

Desirable:

• Hold or be working towards a recognised Project Management Qualification and demonstrate
  evidence of ongoing Continual Professional Development in your career
• Ability to successfully deliver multiple projects to performance targets of scope, quality,
  outcomes, cost, time, and risk
• Knowledge of the challenges associated with constantly changing horizons
• Experience of managing complex relationships and developing participatory and cooperative
  practises with diverse partners/stakeholders/clients
• Knowledge and experience of working on urban or rural estuarine and/or coastal management
• Knowledge of climate and flood risk adaptation in tidal and riverside/coastal environments
• Experience of working with local government and public sector organisations, understanding
  their processes, capacity constraints and priorities

Benefits

TEP is a dynamic organisation covering a wide range of themes that interact with, influence and
challenge the Thames and its communities. Our aim is to enable an integrated approach to
management and development of the Thames between Chelsea Bridge to the tidal limit at
Shoeburyness, Essex and Sheerness, Kent. Our projects are co-designed with partners to find
solutions to challenges voiced by our stakeholders and based on environmental, social and
economic drivers in combination. This may be to fill a gap knowledge or co-create and pilot
innovative solutions to process and practice. We have 5000 stakeholders in our network and work
with and across all sectors. We create engaging events such as webinars, conferences, walks and
talks, boat trips and communications including a successful podcast with international reach.
We are part of a national network of Coastal and Estuary Partnerships via the Coastal
Partnerships Network which is currently led by TEP’s Technical Director.

TEP is registered charity hosted by University College London and as such there are a range of
benefits we enjoy as University Associate staff. Some of these include a central London office
near Russell Square and Euston, access to scientific journals online, and numerous events and
lectures of interest across disciplines. There is the potential to deliver work relevant
university lectures and take part in active research projects. TEP staff enjoy 28 days plus
bank holidays, in addition to UCL closure days over Easter and Christmas. We enjoy hybrid
working with 2-3 days in the office and the rest working from home. Office days can be agreed
to fit with our collaborative work and your lifestyle.

Take a look at our website to learn a bit more about the work we do at the Thames Estuary
Partnership https://www.thamesestuarypartnership.org 

This job post will close on 27 October 23:59. Interviews will be held in two stages. The first
stage will be an online interview. The second will be in person at the TEP Office in London. It
is expected that the interviews will take place between 4 and 22 November. However, we will
review applications on a rolling basis and the position may be awarded in advance of the
closing date.

Please send your CV with a covering letter to [email protected]