Position:Senior AdvisorEPMO

Location:National Office, Wellington

Business Unit:Enterprise Portfolio Management Office

Group:Corporate Solutions

Reporting to:Manager Enterprise Portfolio Management Office

Issue Date:January 2018

Delegated Authority:Nil

Staff Responsibility:Nil

Our Role

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is the lead agency for the social sector. We help the Government to set priorities across the sector, co-ordinate the actions of other social sector agencies and track changes in the social wellbeing of New Zealanders.

The Ministry provides policy advice, and delivers social services and assistance to children and young people, working age people, older people, and families, whānau and communities. We work directly with New Zealanders of all ages to improve their social wellbeing.

We serve over a million people, working out of more than 250 centres around the country. It is likely that every New Zealander will come into contact with the Ministry at some point in their life.

Our work, together with our social sector partners, is essential to achieving a sustainable and prosperous future, where all New Zealanders are able to take responsibility for themselves, be successful in their lives and participate in their communities.

Our Purpose

We help New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independent.

Ko ta mātou he whakamana tangata kia tū haumaru, kia tū kaha, kia tū motuhake.

Our Principles

MSD people: All own what we all do | Take responsibility for what we do | Understand our role in the big picture, who can help us and who we can help | Navigate through ambiguity and the opportunity it brings to create better ways of doing things | Act with integrity, courage and transparency | Celebrate our achievements and those of our clients

PositionDescriptionApprovedBy:

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Deputy Chief Executive, Corporate Solutions
Date: ……/……/……
Group
The Corporate Solutions group is responsible for providing the majority of corporate and shared services within the new MSD corporate operating model. The Corporate Solutions operating model includes embedded corporate services for MSD, shared services and shared governance from MSD to the new Ministry for Children Oranga Tamariki, the Social Policy and Evaluation Research Unit (Superu) and the Social Investment Agency(SIA) and a range of transitional embedded corporate functions to Oranga Tamariki. There may be future opportunities to provide corporate services to other agencies across government.
Corporate Solutions brings together the corporate functions of Human Resources (HR), Finance, Procurement Solutions, Information Technology (IT), Communications, Social Services Accreditation, Ministerial and Executive Services, Claims Resolution, Risk and Assurance, Property and Facilities, Health, Safety and Security (HSS), Legal Services, Information, Privacy, Policy and Practice, Organisational Security Intelligence, Information Security Office and the Enterprise Portfolio Management Office.
It is responsible for leading the development of integrated capability strategies across the whole of MSD and client agencies and for developing a sector-wide view on organisational policies, practices and issues, with a strong business partnership focus on client centric service, sustainability, providing smart solutions and backing the businesses to succeed.
Corporate Solutions provides support services to over 10,000 MSD and other agencies employees across New Zealand. The group has responsibility for an operating budget of around $300 million per annum and employs more than 1175 people.
Business Unit
The environment in which the Ministry operates is becoming more complex and challenging, and at the same time there is an expectation that we continue to deliver high quality services within a decreasing baseline.
An Enterprise Portfolio Management Office (EPMO) lets an organisation look holistically across all projects and programmes and undertake decision-making that can’t be made when programmes or projects are looked at in isolation. MSD’s EPMOwillbe service orientated with functions in three core areas: portfolio functions, delivery support and a programme/project management centre of excellence. Portfolio functions will ensure key information is provided for LT to effectively prioritise, make investment decisions and manage the Ministry’s portfolio of projects. The EPMO will alsobuild project and programme management maturity in MSD,and improve benefit planning, management and reporting.
Purpose of the Position
  • Actively promote programme and project management methods and standards across the Ministry
  • Design project, programme and portfolio management methods to form the Ministry’s project, programme and portfolio management (P3M) framework
  • Provide high quality analysis and advice to key stakeholders to support their decision-making in relation to programmes of work across the Ministry
  • Provide high quality guidance and coaching to senior managers and Ministry’s PMOs on P3M practice and how it is practically applied to their work
  • Deliver efficient and effective programme and project management practice support and training
  • Provide lead support and monitoring for large programmes or projects within the ministry
  • Provide strategic analysis, reporting and overview of the Ministry’s portfolio of projects and programmes and facilitate the development and on-going management of an optimised portfolio
  • Analyse portfolio viability and make recommendations on the mix of projects and programmes
  • Create quality practices and assurance mechanisms for the Ministry’s portfolio and content
  • Provide advice and guidance on the development of business cases and benefit plans

Working Relationships

Internal:

  • EPMO Manager and team
  • PMOs, programme and project managers and teams
  • Strategy and Governance team
  • Ministry’s senior managers and staff
  • Other Corporate groups - IT, Finance, HR and Risk and Assurance

External:

  • Central Agencies and the Office of the Government Chief Digital Officer
  • Other Government agencies
  • EPMO and PMO networks

Key Accountabilities

Key Result Area / Accountabilities
Project, Programme and Portfolio Management (P3M) Framework /
  • Provides thought leadership to the Ministry regarding best practice in project, programme and portfolio management
  • Is accountable for developing guidelines, procedures, standards and templates for the planning and management of projects and programmes across the Ministry and ensuring that users are able to apply them to the required standard
  • Creates resource and prioritisation framework, including the supporting processes
  • Is accountable for refreshing the frameworks and registers annually to inform the planning function, as well as on an ad hoc basis
  • Is accountable for creating standardised methodologies and templates for planning and delivery for Project and Programme Managers

Project, Programme and Portfolio Management (P3M) Planning and Assurance /
  • Is accountable for strategies for the effective planning, monitoring and delivery of the portfolio of projects and programmes in conjunction with business owners and programme managers
  • Contributes to project, programme and portfolio content for the Four Year Plan and annual integrated planning and budgeting processes
  • Analyses portfolio viability and make recommendations on the programme/project mix and provides high quality and informed recommendations to the Leadership Team on projects/programmes to be included/deleted from the portfolio plan
  • Provides strategic overview of all programmes, projects and interdependencies, reporting anomalies or areas of concern to the EPMO Manager.
  • Balances/optimises the portfolio in terms of strategic goal attainment versus delivery capacity/capability and Business as Usual priorities
  • Assess and evaluates Business Cases, Mandates and Variation Requests against best practice and Ministry standards
  • Provides advice on best practice project management and assurance
  • Provides high quality analysis to support the decisions and governance of Programme teams and Senior Managers:
  • feed into the review of appropriateness and deliverability of the portfolio
  • monitor and mitigate the relative business priorities and risk profiles
  • escalate issues as appropriate
  • Evaluates and implements process improvements to advance project workflow and more effective delivery
  • Worksalongside business managers or business change managers to identify additional opportunities for benefits realisation
  • Supports financial management and governance of projects and programmes and works directly with MSD Finance to ensure that robust processes and guides exist
  • Supports Risk and Assurance project and programme assurance activities
  • Conduct quality reviews of portfolio, programme or project documents and deliverables
  • Is accountable for setting up programmes and projects, where assigned

Portfolio Delivery /
  • Defines the parameters for the Ministry’s central master list of projects and programmes, and ensures it is of known timeliness, completeness and accuracy
  • Ensures interdependencies for its projects, programmes and portfolios, are identified including workshop leadership where required
  • Is accountable for the completeness and accuracy of the benefits register, working closely with the organisation and programme-based business change managers to create and promote more effective benefits management planning and monitoring
  • Works alongside business managers or business change managers to identify additional opportunities for benefits realisation
  • Creates portfolio-level plans incorporating the major projects and programmes for the Ministry
  • Is accountable for the tracking process of all projects and programmes. Identify major milestones and ensure that these are reported regularly along with significant risks and issues
  • Is accountable for the change register map, working closely with the organisations’ and programme-based business change managers to create and promote more effective change management planning and monitoring
  • Enables proactive identification and addressing of risks and issues that may impact on the business and recommend appropriate solutions which improve efficiency and effectiveness

Analysis and Reporting /
  • Is accountable for quality and content of strategic level commentary on the portfolio-wide view of the projects and programmes
  • Is accountable for the development of project, programme and portfolio level reports for presentation to Governance Committees and the Leadership Team
  • Creates dashboards and provides senior management level trend analysis and reporting that supports portfolio direction decisions
  • Supports the assessment, configuration and Ministry-wide roll-out of PPM software tool, ensuring it is appropriate to meet the Ministry’s requirements, if required.
  • Creates clear views of business problems and opportunities and establish effective mechanisms to have these problems/opportunities addressed
  • Assess the impact of variation requests for their potential effect on benefits realisation

Coaching and Training /
  • Is accountable for analysis of coaching, training and mentoring needs
  • Is accountable for developing a training framework for staff who are managing projects and programmes based on PRINCE2 and Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) methodologies to ensure successful delivery. This includes in-house induction, training, coaching and support.
  • Delivers in-house training and coaching
  • Advises programme and project delivery teams at mobilisation and throughout the lifecycle of a programme or project, ensuring a common approach is adopted and tailored and good practice is distilled and shared
  • Provides a centre of expertise and develop consistent standards and procedures, including templates, and guidance in their tailoring across a range of programme or project size
  • Perform programme and project fast-track start-up and closure assistance through facilitated workshops
  • Undertake portfolio, programme or project induction
  • Undertake mentoring or coaching of staff, including programme and project sponsors/SROs; set up buddy relationships for new/inexperienced staff
  • Support programme and project ‘rescues’ through hands-on development and delivery of action plans

Relationship Management /
  • Builds and maintains strong working relationships with senior management and MSD PMO Managers to establish their needs and provide integrated solutions on the management of their projects/programmes
  • Is accountable for a customer-focused approach to the delivery of timely, accurate, appropriate information and advice measured by feedback from the service
  • Ensures a highly collaborative approach in dealings across the Ministry but is willing and able to provide ‘tough advice’ where required
  • Builds and maintains strong external relationships with relevant stakeholders such as Central Agencies and Office of the Government Chief Digital Officer
  • Build co-operative relationships and participating willingly in team activities.
  • Participate effectively as team members in wider, diverse and cross- disciplinary teams, which may involve external participants
  • Lead teams towards agreed objectives.

Team Support and Individual Performance /
  • Provides coaching and guidance to the Advisors EPMO in all aspects of the role
  • Takes on project management role, or roles in working groups within Corporate Solutions or in other parts of the Ministry
  • Contributes to development and management of knowledge within the team
  • Actively manages and plans own work programme
  • Provides input as required to the team and/or business unit plan

Technical/Professional Knowledge and Experience
  • Minimum 8 years’ experience in a PMO environment of significant complexity with demonstrated capability regarding framework development and provision of critical analysis and advice on large projects
  • Demonstrated ability to assess projects and programmes for ability to deliver against defined business cases and plans, including the provision of formal analysis
  • Minimum 8 years’ experience in creating formal reporting and doing detailed analytical assessments of multiple projects and programmes to support senior management decision making
  • Demonstrated ability to successfully coach and develop P3M capability in users and less experienced team members
  • Demonstrated experience in project and programme set up, assurance, and capability delivery
  • Minimum 3years’ experience of successfully delivering and managing projects and programmes including: risk, issues, change, budget, resources, schedule, scope, quality, benefits
  • EPMOexperience preferred
  • Management of Portfolios (preferred)
  • Project Management Professional (PMP) and/or PRINCE2 and Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) qualification
  • Maintain professional development requirements of PMP or similar
  • Tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline or equivalent operational experience is desirable
  • Experience in developing and maintaining robust relationships with all parts of the business including Group and Senior Managers, programmes and projects and any third-party service providers
  • A history of achievement in developing and delivery of high quality services
  • Sound working knowledge of the below:
  • P3M frameworks, methods and practices
  • Project and programme management approaches including PRINCE2 or PMP and MSP
  • Organisation Change frameworks
  • Treasury Better Business Case model
  • Treasury Gateway Reviews
  • Effective team building
  • Techniques to support integration of scope, time, cost, quality, risk, communication, and procurement
  • Public sector procurement and contract management processes
  • The Treaty of Waitangi and understanding of its implications for the Ministry in terms of partnership
  • The machinery of Government and Government accountability requirements
  • Understands the political process and the role and place of public service agencies and a commitment to the overall goals and objectives of the New Zealand public service, including partnership with Māori in the context of the Treaty of Waitangi
  • Ability to challenge and provide an overview and scrutiny, ensuring alignment with wider policy and strategic initiatives
  • Demonstrated strong strategy/business planning skills
  • Ability to maintain a focus on delivering outcomes

Attributes/Success Factors

  • Sound analytical skills – clarity of thinking, defines problems well, gathers all necessary information and produces thorough, objective and methodologically sound advice
  • Excellent communication skills – expresses ideas effectively in all medium especially written and oral. Adapts style to intended audience
  • Good relationship management skills – works effectively with all internal and external stakeholders to accomplish organisational goals
  • Excellent interpersonal skills – uses appropriate style and methods to articulate the Ministry’s position and strategy on issues with accuracy and persuasion
  • Results oriented – is motivated, persistent and delivers, takes actions to achieve goals, anticipates and deals with potential issues
  • Demonstrated commitment to developing and maintaining skills and knowledge
  • Proven credibility, integrity and professionalism – demonstrates these characteristics at all times
  • Strong work ethic – shows conscientiousness, drive and determination in all situations
  • Demonstrates a pragmatic, adaptable, open-minded, reflective and forward thinking style, is committed to learning and extending self and continuously seeks opportunities for different and innovative approaches to work

Other Requirements

  • Willing to travel to fulfil job requirements

Senior Advisor EPMO / 1