Senior Operations Project Manager

About this position

The Operations and Capital Project Office oversees capital investment programmes, operational / change projects and facilities for EMBL-EBI.  The Office works closely with external and internal operational teams to manage large capital investment projects and programmes and EMBL leadership by contributing to consultations, external reviews and supporting impact reporting. 

The successful candidate will work closely with EMBL Deputy COO (Head of Admin and Operations for EMBL-EBI) to provide strategic planning, risk and change management, project delivery and transition  to business as usual for multiple EMBL operational projects.

The role will require close liaison with pan-EMBL Operations Management Team and wider administrative teams to ensure ongoing projects are completed in a timely fashion and deliver the planned internal on improvements and changes. 

Your role

Reporting to senior management and possibly external stakeholders, you will contribute to process improvement initiatives as it relates to improving project delivery and ensure that good communication and governance processes are in place. 

The focus will largely be on supporting EMBL-EBI input and implementations of multiple change initiatives, overseeing the wider project planning, coordination and delivery to business as usual.  This will require leading teams that span across one or more business units to meet tight deadlines, so may require the ability to work under pressure and persistence, persuasion and patience to ensure ‘buy-in’ for the objectives, plans and aims of the projects.

Duties and Responsibilities
Every project is different and therefore your duties will change accordingly. Well understood project principles and best practice will be expected to be brought to a variety of operationally focused projects. 

The initial projects forecast for this role include: 

• Business Process analysis: review internal business processes to support modernisation and digitalisation of process and tools for operations. This may initially focus on EMBL-EBI specific processes but would need to be done in coordination with the activity and review  across EMBL.
• Onboarding and online learning portal: working with local and central teams understand the developments required for the onboarding process for new staff and the overarching requirements needed for staff focused online learning portal. This will involve the initial planning, from project objectives, resource needs, user input framework and stakeholder communications through to  development timelines and rollout schedule. 
• EMBL change management project reporting structure: establishing and upgrading administration systems and digital tools and monitoring and tracking performance data to support central operational oversight of the change projects underway. (Dashboards, plans, actions/tasks and responsibility co-ordination). Presenting and writing project briefs and progress reports
• EMBL-EBI operational change projects: Fixed assets management processes and establishment of a database across a number of teams.  Online ‘self service’ expenses payment module and the need to review and upgrade administration systems and tools within the Institute and interfacing with EMBL’s head office functions. Resource usage portal and administration process mapping to support operational gap analysis and a programme of improvement.

You will be expected to line manage the EMBL-EBI based operational project managers, supporting their development and providing advice to the wider project management team on best practice and sharing relevant expertise.

You have

The role will require excellent organisational  and communication skills as you will be managing multiple projects concurrently and working across teams to develop the processes required for complex projects.

The ability to clearly communicate to different audiences, constructively challenge ways of working and get support to change is required.

Building positive relationships throughout the organisation and externally, the successful candidate will be expected to use their experience and business administration knowledge to solve problems and guide development in project management. 

This role will provide comprehensive communication (both verbally and written) to support and engage all key stakeholders in the delivery of the projects. This includes ensuring project progress and milestones are tracked, updates are made, resource allocations reviewed and associated risks and issues are proactively managed. 

You might also have

You will be expected to hold a undergraduate degree in a relevant field and suitable project management qualifications and six to seven years relevant project management experience.

Why join us

EMBL-EBI is a worldwide leader in bioinformatics. We encourage personal and professional development and are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their potential at work.

Surrounded by beautiful South Cambridgeshire countryside, our state-of-the-art Campus provides employees with a relaxed atmosphere where the pursuit of scientific discovery and meaningful work, underpin every role. In addition, our employees have access to a wide range of benefits including:

• 30 days annual leave per year plus 8 bank holidays
• Flexible work arrangements
• Unique pension scheme including 17% employer contribution
• Annual salary review
• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
• Death benefit, long-term care, accident at work and unemployment insurances
• Relocation package including installation grant (if required)
• On-site library and subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria
• Casual dress code
• Free shuttle bus to and from Campus
• Extensive sports and social club activities (run on campus and remotely)
• Family benefits: Onsite nursery, child sick leave, generous parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances
• Benefits for non UK residents: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance

What else you need to know

To apply please submit a covering letter and CV through our online system. 

At EMBL-EBI, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ and individuals from all nationalities. Visa exemptions will be offered to international candidates and details will be discussed during interview. We believe in science without borders and this continues after Brexit.

This role is based in Hinxton, UK and you will be required to relocate once it is safe to do so if you are currently based abroad or not within commuting distance. More info on how we are recruiting in this period is available on our page: Recruitment and Onboarding during Covid19.

This position is limited to a 3 year duration in the first instance.

We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date. 

Interviews are likely to be held on the last week of March 2021. 

Job no.: EBI01772