Change Manager

Overview

Your principal aim will be to lead strategic initiatives, ensuring people are put at the heart of change, that we involve our staff and stakeholders in our plans, assess any likely impact on them and the wider university and engage them in the change process in a way that helps us make sure that projects are successful and change sticks. This role is about embedding change and project management excellence, both through the projects that you will directly manage and those of the team more indirectly. You will need to be confident in your change and project management capability, work well with people, and have the skills to engage, influence and support your colleagues and senior managers, such that the university can realise its vision.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Head of Strategic Change and your peers to develop excellent business cases for projects, creating the case for change and carrying out business readiness assessments. Ensure an appropriate benefits realisation strategy is put in place and monitor the longer-term delivery of benefits against the agreed business case.
• Support the strategic planning of projects and change initiatives to ensure that there is a coherent, co‑ordinated portfolio of projects and change that will deliver the university’s vision. Identify and manage dependencies and the interfaces between initiatives and manage the collective impact of change on our staff and students.
• Play a critical role in embedding an agreed change management approach and toolkit and promote its use.
• Act as a subject matter expert for project and change management, developing people, processes and the culture necessary to increase the university’s change maturity.
• Carry out change impact assessments (and liaise with colleagues to complete equality impact assessments), identifying and implementing strategies to manage resistance and develop transition plans to successfully embed changes into business‑as‑usual operations.
• Lead stakeholder mapping and engagement to ensure that stakeholder interests are identified and addressed. Develop and implement excellent change communication strategies and plans, deliver presentations and workshops to key stakeholders.
• Work to develop a release communication strategy aligned to area of work/project and the university strategy which constantly seeks to embed a clear change message tailored so that individuals understand the purpose and relevance of the solution and the organisational processes it supports.
• Ensure that the project, readiness or delivery plans maintain focus on the student and staff experience.
• Help to keep activities on track and maintain alignment with the business case and project plan, identify potential barriers to success and work with colleagues in change, training and transition to ensure high levels of adoption.
• Project‑manage the delivery of one or more specific projects throughout the full lifecycle from idea to benefits realisation to ensure the successful delivery of business objectives and benefits.
• Working in collaboration with the stakeholders, develop and implement high‑quality project plans, schedules and budgets to ensure the successful delivery of project outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints.
• Identify, monitor and manage risks and issues within and across projects and enact appropriate mitigating actions. Work with the Project Sponsors and Project Boards to develop and implement mitigating actions.
• Define and implement effective project governance and controls. Provide regular reporting to relevant project and programme boards, highlighting performance against plan and budget, including early warnings of any deviation against these and appropriate strategies to recover.
• Effective line management of either Project Managers or Change Officers.
• Manage a small group of either Project Managers or Change Officers and a Communication Manager developing a high‑performing and positive team that will operate as an effective service, utilising both their reporting expertise and understanding of the university and its strategic aims.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification

We value diversity and recognise the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and are respected. Even if your past experience doesn’t match perfectly with this role’s criteria, your contribution is valuable and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Criteria

• Be proactive, flexible and innovative in the approach to developing and delivering projects and change, appreciating strategic objectives, values and culture of the university (Stage: Application / Interview)
• Able to work effectively with cross‑functional teams, encouraging collaboration and providing mentoring and support to less experienced colleagues to help embed a project and change management culture across the university (Stage: Application / Interview)
• APM (PMQ) Certification, Agile PM Practitioner, APMG Change Management or equivalent project management or change experience (Stage: Application)
• Substantial experience as a Project Manager, managing high‑profile business change projects, and/or programmes, with organisation‑wide impact (Stage: Application / Interview)
• An appreciation of contemporary change management practices, experience of change approaches within complex transformation programmes and an ability to drive organisational change effectively (Stage: Application / Interview)
• Confidence in working within a complex stakeholder landscape, with exceptional interpersonal skills, that enable you to influence and negotiate with both professional service staff and academics from across the organisation (Stage: Application / Interview)
• Be a confident and proven leader of teams, able to drive high performance and create an environment where every individual is able to make a valuable contribution (Stage: Application / Interview)

Further Information

• Grade: 8
• Work arrangement: Full‑time
• Line manager: Head of Strategic Change
• Our website: https://staff.sheffield.ac.uk/spc

What We Offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A range of generous family‑friendly policies, paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies, access to menopause support in the workplace and paid time off and support for fertility treatment.

Our Rights Statement

We are a Disability Confident Leader. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

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