Project Manager

Project Manager | Welwyn Garden City | Hybrid (2 days office depending on project requirements)

 

About Us

Our teams are putting the world’s retailers online using the cloud, robotics, AI, and IoT. We provide services to partner clients globally via our innovative advanced robotics technology, known as the Ocado Smart Platform ("OSP"), this drives our highly automated, multi-million pound Customer Fulfilment Centres (CFCs). In our CFCs - together with the proprietary software applications - we operate a world-class online grocery business that automates the single pick of products, ready for your online delivery.

About the role 

Working alongside our Engineering and Product teams, this role will play a pivotal role in guiding and supporting the Technology mission in successfully delivering critical and essential projects. You’ll be working with others around the Ocado Group business to find great solutions which support the continued growth of our International clients. In this role, you will be a go-to person for the projects you lead, with great expertise, problem solving and knowledge sharing. 

What you will be doing

Leading and Influencing

• Create a strong sense of purpose and mission for the project team
• Champion business requirements and communicate these in a compelling way to the project team
• Make effective, strategic decisions, with a clear rationale and using appropriate tools for the scenario
• Role models behaviours and applies Ocado Technology principles in day to day work
• Lead stakeholders at all levels across the business
• Promote the craft of Project Management throughout Ocado Technology, and share best practice with colleagues

 

Planning, Tracking & Delivery

• Define requirements and scope of project by collaborating with our Engineering and Product teams
• Develop, communicate and maintain a clear approach to managing any project, including highlighting critical path, key dependencies and milestone dates
• Responsible for forecasting, monitoring and tracking budget and resource usage
• Provide governance to all assigned projects to ensure timely and quality delivery
• Drive project teams to achieve milestones and project goals
• Organise and execute orderly project closures and handovers
• Apply domain knowledge and technical concepts/ methodologies to project delivery

 

Stakeholder Management

• Bring together relevant stakeholders for collaboration and decision making by critically assessing stakeholder influence over the project and business (using appropriate tools to support this)
• Provide regular, concise and relevant reporting for stakeholders to build a common understanding of project requirements and progress
• Influence negative stakeholders and take them to a positive position
• Lead negotiations with internal and third party stakeholders in order to reach commercially viable solutions per the project and business requirement

Facilitation

• Engage teams and individuals to collaborate in a productive and supportive environment to produce  idea formation and innovation
• Lead and facilitate inclusive meetings to drive consensus and decision
• Form and share ideas on how to improve project and process efficiency
• Distribute project information and outcomes, and follow up on actions

 

Risk and Issue Management

• Use a variety of appropriate methods to seek, identify, log and track project risks and issues throughout the project lifecycle
• Quantify and qualify project risk against business impact and take appropriate decisions
• Lead risk and issue mitigation planning and implement strategies in line with project tolerances
• React to risk and issues as they arise and lead appropriate, timely, project response

We’d love to talk to you if you have...

• Experience of managing high risk, high complexity product development projects and life cycles in a fast paced environment - bringing new products to market - from Problem Definition through to Benefits Realisation
• Experience managing project budgets as well as an appreciation of other related metrics such as cost of ownership of products
• Experience in vendor selection and long term engagement for the delivery of services and products
• Experience in giving effective presentations to senior stakeholders with different agendas and providing compelling evidence to guide stakeholders to the correct decision or consensus
• Strong understanding and experience of leading projects, using various project management  methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, etc) within a structured stage-gated development process.
• Strong experience of working with and managing a broad spectrum of internal and external stakeholders

Bonus points if you also have…

• Evidenced experience or improving project management capability and outcomes in a team or business
• Project management expertise with a recognised Project Management qualification/accreditation (PRINCE2, APM PMQ, AgilePM, etc) 
• Experience relating to automation hardware and / or software development
• Experience in understanding requirements trade-offs and applying the appropriate analysis tools in order to make decisions and manage variations and consult stakeholders as appropriate to gain resolution
• Must have very good negotiation skills with the ability to listen, comprehend, consider and assimilate others points of view with their own beliefs and visions
• Strong problem solving skills, able to demonstrate the ability to “ think out of the box” and apply creativity in solving project related problems to mutually agreeable solutions

What we offer you...

Our employee benefits are designed for you, we care about people and we’ve ensured we have a wealth of benefits that focus on your well-being. We regularly review our benefits to ensure we are supporting our employees appropriately. Currently, we offer technically stretching work, a competitive salary and;

• A Work from Home policy that sees you in the office typically 40% of your time (depending on project requirements)
• 30 days ‘working from anywhere’ policy 
• Wellbeing support through Apps and an Employee Assistance Programme
• 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after 5 years service (plus optional holiday purchase)
• Pension scheme (various options available including employer contribution matching up to 7%)
• Private Medical Insurance
• 22 weeks paid maternity leave and 6 weeks paid paternity leave (once relevant service requirements complete) 
• Train Ticket loan (interest-free)
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Free shuttle bus to and from Welwyn Garden City Train Station to the Welwyn Garden City offices
• Opportunity to participate in Share save and Buy as You Earn share schemes
• 15% discount on Ocado.com and free delivery for all employees
• Income Protection (can be up to 50% of salary for 3 years) and Life Assurance (3 x annual salary)

 

We also have regular divisional socials, sports clubs not to mention the Ocado Technology Academy for a packed schedule of courses, conferences and events. If you think you have what it takes to make a difference, please submit your application below.

 

Be bold, be unique, be brilliant, be you. We are looking for individuality and we value diversity. We are an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to treating all applicants and employees fairly and equally. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment process and supportive work environment. 

If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application.

 

We are thrilled to welcome applicants from across the world. Whilst we are able to offer visa sponsorship, please note that we are only able to cover costs relating to the Certificate of Sponsorship and the Immigration Skills Charge only. For all employment offers made for UK roles, it is expected that you will be based in the UK in commutable distance, ready for your first day of work, so please keep this in mind. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

Due to the energising nature of Ocado's business, vacancy close dates, when stated, are indicative and may be subject to change so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. If you have applied and been rejected for this role in the last 6 months, or applied and been rejected for a role with a similar skill set, we will not re-evaluate you for this position. After 6 months, we will treat your application as a new one. All benefits information is subject to change and the terms of the individual arrangements. Please assume you have been unsuccessful if you haven’t heard from us within 4 weeks.