Project Management Office (PMO) Manager

National Fire Chiefs Council

Hours
37 hours per week

Length of contract
December 2026

Salary
£42,500 - £45,100 per year

About the Organisation

National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is the professional voice of the UK's fire and rescue services, representing them at a national level to drive improvement, support strong leadership, and coordinate prevention, protection, resilience, and emergency response efforts across the country to keep communities safe. The NFCC works to provide sector-led solutions, collaborate with other organizations, and establish the UK fire and rescue services as world-class.

About the role

We are seeking someone pragmatic, able to manage upwards, and who is happy to work on their own initiative as part of a remote team. A willingness to support colleagues, think creatively, question, and challenge will be essential. This role involves planning, executing, and overseeing one or more projects and a PMO while effectively communicating and managing stakeholder expectations.

This new role will lead the establishment of a redesigned Project Management Office (PMO) to provide proportionate and strategic support, aligned to the delivery approaches of NFCC. By adopting a tiered, integrated, and flexible approach, NFCC can enhance decision-making and support project delivery and assurance across the organisation.  

As an established PMO Manager, you will bring your experience in setting up PMOs and use your knowledge of a diverse range of project management methodologies. You will be enthusiastic about making a difference and are able to bring people with you as you drive change. You will be an excellent communicator with experience in facilitation. Influencing skills and proven experience in managing change are essential. 

This role includes up to 50% of time spent managing organisation-wide priority projects. You will be responsible for managing existing projects to completion and initiating and managing new projects to completion if required. You must ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the required quality criteria.  

Responsibilities

PMO Will:

• Provide project managers with support and guidance in planning, realizing project outcomes, and project delivery.
• Monitor compliance with agreed project management processes and conduct project health checks.
• Deep dive into specific performance issues and provide support and guidance to Project Managers in creating performance improvement plans.
• Support Project Managers across the organisation to ensure project closure activities are undertaken, conduct post-project evaluations, and ensure lessons learned are documented and recorded centrally.
• Ensure all project management methodology is aligned with the Quality Assurance Framework
• Support Project Managers in identifying and logging RAID, working with the Risk and Assurance colleagues to ensure risk is managed and escalated appropriately
• Support the creation of business cases with key stakeholders and project boards for recommendation to Senior Leadership, Business Planning, and Committees.
• Monitor financial forecasts to ensure that projects do not exceed expected costs whilst still maintaining quality and timelines
• Support the production of progress reports for senior leaders, which provide transparency and assurance.

Project Manager:

• Managing your projects in line with the PMO methodology and requirements.
• Preparing quality reporting for the Project Board, Executive Leadership Team, Chiefs Council, Finance and Audit Committee, and Trustees.
• Supporting and managing effective project teams and project stakeholder meetings
• Developing and completing all project documentation and detailed project plans to ensure delivery to budget, scope, and quality standards, taking into account dependencies between projects.
• Supporting the development of stakeholder engagement and communication plans as required.
• Monitoring and updating project plans on a regular basis
• Undertaking robust project monitoring and following change management processes, ensuring that all proposed changes are logged and decisions recorded.
• Identifying, assessing, and assisting in the management of RAID throughout the project, working with the Risk and Assurance Manager.
• Managing project finances in line with the allocated budget

Key outputs, Including Typical Timeframes:

• World Fire Congress Project
• Templates and guidance for PMO
• Standardised process for the Project Management approach
• Monthly support for Project Managers
• Regular Project Health Checks
• Exception reporting monthly/quarterly

Key Relationships

• Project Managers
• Senior Leadership Team
• Executive Leadership Team
• You establish effective relationships across the Governance and Planning Team to support and drive collaboration across the team and wider organisation
• Building and maintaining good working relationships with key stakeholders across the whole organisation and wider membership where required.

Skills, Competencies & Experience

Education, Qualifications & Experience:

• Proven experience in a PMO environment.
• Strong knowledge of successful project and change management methodologies and significant experience in applying them effectively.
• Effective analytical skills, able to review and interpret complex and sometimes conflicting information and data, and translate into reports, scenarios, and specifications, presenting options and recommendations.
• Project Manager qualification (Prince2, APM, MSP, or Agile) and awareness, and the ability to support other methodologies/approaches.
• Line management and leadership experience.
• Strong and effective written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Experience in drafting a wide range of reports with an ability to summarise a complex set of facts, clearly, accurately, and succinctly, to a wide audience.
• Negotiation, persuasion, and motivational skills, able to gain cooperation at all levels. To include an ability to calmly resolve sensitive issues in a professional manner.
• Computer-literate with advanced keyboard skills and experience in the use of Microsoft and other software packages for data analysis and report-writing.
• An ability to identify and understand risks to a project(s).
• An ability to work with a high degree of accuracy.
• Experience working within a SharePoint tenancy 
• Experience with Monday.com
• Experience with automating processes

Behaviours and Values:

• Commitment to NFCC values.
• Ability to work with and engage with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.
• Able to demonstrate high levels of integrity, confidentiality, and reliability.
• Ability to organise your own workload.
• Willingness to lean in and support the wider Governance and Planning Team as required.

Compensation & Benefits

• Wellbeing, reward, recognition, and personal development
• Enhanced allowance
• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Health Care Cashplan
• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme and support

Conditions of employment

• You must have the right to work in the UK

Working locations

• Home-based
• Occasional travel to the UK is required

How to apply

• Please complete the application form. CVs will NOT be accepted for this position.
• If you experience any difficulty completing our application form or have any queries regarding the role, please contact [email protected]. 

Interviews

• Proposed interview dates: 4th - 5th November 2025

Policies

NFCC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults, and will require a DBS check to be completed prior to commencing in post. NFCC is committed to being an inclusive employer. We comply with the Equality Act 2010, and we believe that everyone deserves to work in safe environments that are free from bullying, harassment and discrimination, abuse, and harm, where they feel supported, welcome, and able to thrive. 

NFCC acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard, protect, and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance, and complies with best practice; all staff are expected to share this commitment .

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