Senior Project Manager – Research & Evaluation (Public Affairs)

Overview

In this Senior Project Manager role, you will lead large-scale research and evaluation programmes (500k+ projects) for public affairs, driving rigorous delivery and client engagement. You’ll coordinate cross-functional teams, ensure timely, on-budget outcomes, and shape fieldwork and sampling strategies. You help clients and partners navigate complex projects while upholding quality, compliance, and continuous improvement. This position offers impact on government decision-making and opportunity to advance social policy research at scale.

Pay / Benefits

• 25 days annual leave
• pension contribution
• income protection
• life assurance
• health & wellbeing benefits
• professional development opportunities

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate large-scale research/evaluation programmes to time and budget, using PM tools ( RAID logs, Gantt charts )
• Act as day-to-day client contact, manage expectations and project scope
• Create and manage project plans, resource allocation, and cross-team collaboration including fieldwork
• Monitor budgets, costs, quotes, and invoicing using internal finance systems
• Support business development through proposal delivery, bid writing, and cost estimation
• Ensure quality and compliance (MRS, ISO, GDPR) and drive continuous process improvements
• Foster continuous improvement with internal Operations and external suppliers to ensure value for money

Key requirements

• Strong PM experience on large-scale research/evaluation studies (500k+)
• Prince2 or equivalent qualification
• Experience with Smartsheet, MS Project or similar PM tools, and MS Office suite
• Proven ability to manage timelines with multiple stakeholders
• Confident in senior client management and leading meetings
• Strong commercial awareness and supplier negotiation
• Bid management experience including ITT responses, bid writing, and costing
• Budgeting, forecasting, and invoicing experience
• Experience coordinating multiple partners/subcontractors
• Excellent organizational skills, detail-oriented, proactive
• Strong problem-solving and risk management abilities
• Clear, confident cross-team communication

• strong communication
• problem-solving
• proactivity
• Smartsheet
• MS Project
• Excel

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