Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is passionate about providing high-quality services to our communities, residents and businesses. This means we must employ and retain the most talented and dedicated people.
Situated within the heart of the Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Area, Huntingdonshire is a beautiful district that boasts thriving market towns and many attractive villages, each with its own identity. We are an innovative and forward-thinking local authority whose residents are at the heart of our decision-making.
At HDC we want to employ staff who embody our icare values (Inspiring, Collaborative, Accountable, Respectful, Enterprising), all of which support our ultimate purpose of putting our customers first.
The purpose of the role is to act as Senior Project Lead/Senior point of escalation on projects which are aligned to the Programmes of work associated with the reorganisation of Local Government in the region.
The post holder will provide leadership within owned programmes for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), which require input from senior Project Managers and senior members of staff across multiple local authorities, to ensure the programme of work defined for delivery is achievable, managed and aligns to the successful implementation of the reorganisation.
The role will actively engage with the wider LGR programme of works, as well as a range of stakeholders during the course of the transition period and will be required to communicate effectively on project deliverables to ensure they are well understood and received by the recipients of the change and that the project is successfully delivered and benefits realised.
The post holder will be required to apply the agreed in-house project management framework for the projects and governance in order to ensure that projects are defined, governed and managed in a consistent manner across the organisation and with neighbouring Authorities involved in LGR.
As part of the role, there will be a requirement to secure and allocate resources as necessary for project work, working within an allotted budget and monitoring spend for each project, making appropriate adjustments within agreed limits to see a project through to successful conclusion.
The Senior Project Manager will lead the project team throughout the project lifecycle, setting outputs, standards and timescales in line with the in-house project management framework to deliver quality outcomes on time and within budget for LGR.
The post holder will share information proactively, advise project boards, resolve issues and recommend corrective action, ensuring projects are implemented through agreed governance and decision-making processes.
A key deliverable for the role will be to ensure there is a consistent approach across the workstreams for work required by the Council. Set out the project objectives, plan, costs and performance measures to ensure that work is carried out in a timely and effective manner and to meet budgets and deadlines where applicable.
The post holder will line manage as well as matrix manage several staff within the service, ensuring their training, development and welfare needs are catered for and motivation is maintained. Where direct reports are being tasked by other project managers or the PMO, liaise with these to ensure that workloads and tasks allocated to their direct reports are appropriate and manageable.
Lead the successful delivery of projects through effective programme and stakeholder management
Deliver projects aligned to a Programme of work as set out by the Head of Service
Maintain a project plan
Manage multiple resources from across the organisation as well as project managers and project resources from within the team
To be responsible for the management of project risks and issues, ensuring these are recorded accurately and reviewed on a timely basis.
To identify and monitor business benefits; financial and non-financial
Report to management on the benefits tracking
To train Business Analysts and Project Management staff on how to track and manage benefit realisation across projects and programmes.
To deliver individual projects, gathering and completing Business requirements
To lead the required implementation of identified business activities as determined within the projects.
To lead and manage the project team and project board meetings including all associated administrative processes, ensuring that all meetings are organised, accurately recorded and decisions recorded in accordance with departments, corporate and statutory requirements and ensure actions are followed through
Ability to communicate complex concepts to a varied group of stakeholders in a way which is understood by all.
A degree-level qualification or equivalent experience as evidenced by experience of working at a Senior PM level, leading on complex programmes and projects.
Relevant project and/or programme management skills or qualification, for example: Prince2
An offer of employment is conditional upon having the right to work in the UK. HDC does not hold a Sponsorship Licence and is unable to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) or take over sponsorship for any role.
To apply for this position, please complete the application form.
The closing date is 9am 24 July 2026.
However, this is a rolling campaign and we'll be reviewing applications on an ongoing basis and will close the advert early should we receive suitable applications, so please don't delay in applying!
For many of our roles, our hybrid work model enables employees to work remotely while allowing for in-office collaboration opportunities across the district, with an expectation of being in the office at least two days a week. However, please note that some positions may require a more consistent presence in the office due to the nature of the work.
Should you have any additional questions regarding submitting an application, please contact the Recruitment Team at [email protected].
Please note that the official closing date is as above, and will be the correct date. Some third-party websites may have different dates. Please refer to the HDC website for the official closing date to ensure you do not miss out on applying.
As an employer who values diversity of thought, we seek to employ candidates from a range of backgrounds in order to make our organisation more innovative. We are seeking candidates who are looking for their next career opportunity and are supportive employers, enabling our staff to work in an environment that produces high standards of work in an employee-led environment.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our recruitment and along with our values we are committed to creating an inclusive working environment, where diversity is valued and there is equality of opportunity. We therefore welcome applications from all sections of the community and we offer a range of benefits, including flexitime, to encourage a work-life balance.
