Innovation Project Manager

Job summary

The role of a jHub Innovation Project Manager is to run and deliver innovation projects alongside UK Defence users. This is an opportunity to work at the cutting edge of UK Defence innovation alongside industry, academia, partner nations and sometimes wider Gov to accelerate game-changing new technologies, processes or ideas into the hands of end-users.

We work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment where new ideas and innovative approaches are encouraged, and significant autonomy and pro-activity are expected of all staff.

About jHub

jHub is the innovation team for Cyber and Specialist Operations Command. We are a small, friendly team of Military and Civil Servants that are seeking to accelerate innovation to enhance UK Defence's strategic advantage.

We focus on mature solutions and dual use technologies, acting as a broker to find world-class technology and talent and connecting them to UK Defence end-users. By funding and rapidly developing innovation projects, we seek to test, evaluate and develop viable exploitation pathways within the organisation.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

Do you want to make a difference in Defence? Are you passionate about new technologies and the development of new ideas?

This opportunity will enable you to build relationships with end-users and partners across Cyber and Specialist Operations Command and wider UK MOD to source and solve innovation problems and opportunities. You will be able to unpick specific challenges that users face and devise, plan and deliver projects to assess if new technologies and processes can provide the solutions.

If projects are successful, you will work collaboratively to develop the path to sustainable capabilities, if unsuccessful you will translate this into meaningful insights for Defence.

You will be responsible for project delivery and governance and will need to be comfortable liaising with experts across a range of fields including operational, finance, commercial, cyber security, specific technology areas and more.

An Innovation Project Manager will typically lead 3 to 4 projects simultaneously and will actively manage budgets, stakeholders and resources for their projects.

The jHub project portfolio is widespread and includes medical innovation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, support to operations, force protection techniques and other areas in line with Cyber and Specialist Operations Commands core objectives. The successful candidate will run projects in any of these areas and will be comfortable gaining an understanding of new technical subjects.

You will often work with significant autonomy and be expected to identify problems and match these up with the best possible solutions industry or academia has to offer, at pace, whilst ensuring creative options are considered.

Whilst we do not mandate any specific prior technical or military knowledge, and would welcome applications from outside of Defence, a high degree of maturity, adaptability and resilience is critical for the role.

Significant UK, and occasional international, travel is required. There may be scope to line manage small teams depending on the scale of the project.

Person specification

You should be a strategic problem solver with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans. Have a high level of resilience and adaptability in a dynamic environment with the ability to inspire and motivate teams. You will have strong organisational and prioritisation skills and will have excellent communication skills, being able to actively listen and influence your audience.

Identify Innovation Opportunities: Lead on collection of problem statements from across Cyber and Specialist Operations Command and discover innovative solutions from industry. Your networking and research skills will be excellent and you will have a passion for working with UK Defence.

Effective Project Management : Create, design and lead innovation projects to deliver and measure the agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints. Identify and track risks and dependencies. Be able to problem solve, selecting and adapting methodologies for delivery, excellent prioritisation and project management skills.

The role requires an understanding of strategy and processes and you must be able to articulate how projects address key challenges for UK Defence.

Communication: Your written and verbal communication skills will be excellent and will be able to deliver clear and well-structured argument for change. You must be comfortable engaging a diverse range of stakeholders including senior leaders, and be able to write papers, presentations and briefings suitable for a variety of audiences.

Accurately manage project budgets and resource: Track delivery within budget and provide timely forecasts. Manage all project resources effectively to achieve goals. You will be responsible for your project budget and finances (usually around 200k-1M)

Ensure benefits and lessons realisation: Ensure project benefits & lessons are identified, understood, measured and recorded accurately.

Commitment to personal development: The jHub values innovation excellence and all staff are encouraged to further their own personal development through training, inspiration or advice and sharing opportunities with your colleagues where possible.

Essential Experience

• Experience of successfully managing projects in a complex environment.
• You will have excellent communication skills and the ability to evidence where they have used these skills to cohere projects and influence stakeholders.
• You will have a passion for innovation and complex problem solving.
• You will be able to think strategically across technical and professional disciplines, understanding the legal, commercial and technical implications of different options and seeking new ways to accelerate innovation into UK Defence.
• You will be driven and committed to the advancement of your own (and your teams) professional development
• You will have the organisational skills required to ensure that you can deliver projects and tasks on time and to budget.
• Association for Project Management (APM Registered Project Professional), Agile Project Management qualification or equivalent.