IT Project Manager

Role summary

This role is responsible for leading the delivery of IT and business change projects within the Freshfields Global Centre in Manchester, supporting the firm’s global technology agenda. Working across Technology Services, Product Teams and Business Relationship Management, the position ensures projects are delivered from initiation through to benefit realisation, using a blend of Agile and Waterfall methodologies. The role focuses on driving value, embedding continuous improvement, and ensuring solutions are sustainable and aligned to business objectives.

With responsibility for stakeholder engagement and multidisciplinary team leadership, the role oversees project planning, governance, financial management, risk and issue tracking, and benefits realisation. By combining strong project management expertise with Agile delivery practices, the position ensures technology change is effectively implemented and delivers measurable outcomes for the business.

Key responsibilities and deliverables

• Apply project and change management skills and expertise on projects to help the business achieve the desired change and expected business benefits; Particular focus on applying Agile techniques to meet the desired outcome

• Be a leader in applying agile delivery techniques and sharing this knowledge across delivery teams

• Responsibilities on specific projects will include:

• Establishing the Scrum Team \ Agile delivery team \ Delivery Teams

• Following best practice project management techniques in a mixed mode of delivery – both waterfall and agile

• Great stakeholder management

• Management of the Project \Scrum \ Product team

• Ensuring clear vision and value of the project is documented and articulated

• Development of Sprint culture to meet the vision and deliver value early, using minimum viable product (MVP)

• Reporting on the sprint velocity, burn rates and value

• Defining and documenting the project approach and plan for delivery, detailing deliverables and measures of success;

• Defining and documenting the benefits of the project (quantitative/qualitative), agreeing benefit owners in the business, setting baselines, measures and tracking mechanisms to realise project benefits;

• Reporting and communicating progress against plan and issues to the project team, sponsors and stakeholders;

• Ensure the project is well communicated and the business change deliverables are agreed with stakeholders

• Delivering products that are sustainable into live service.

Key requirements

Essential

• Experience  of  successfully  delivering  and  supporting  IT  &    business  change  projects  across  global organisations, from initiation through delivery to benefit realisation;

• Experience of delivering projects through numerous delivery techniques

• Experience of delivering in an environment with a focus on Continuous Improvement;

• Experience of developing and maintaining project level schedules, resource plans, budgets and financial forecasts, RAID logs, Change Requests/logs and status reports;

• Experience of project and programme management, leading large, multidisciplinary project teams involving internal and external resources across multiple locations;

• Has worked in one or more of the following areas:

• Information Technology;

• Professional Services;

• Finance;

Essential Technical Skills

• Expert knowledge and practical experience of project, programme and business change management methodologies and tools;

• IT literate across core MS O365 applications, including MS Project online. Proficient in the use of JIRA

Desirable

• Experience of working in professional services / legal sector.

• Experience of Project Management techniques SCRUM / KANBAN / Waterfall /Product Delivery

Desirable Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or similar academic credit.  Relevant professional accreditation - Project Management Advanced level - (PMP / Prince 2 Practitioner / Prince2 Agile / ScrumMaster).

Inclusion

Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered by the firm on the basis of their merit alone and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing.

Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case by case basis and take a number of factors into account (eg the role you are applying for and the circumstances of the offence). You would have the opportunity to discuss the matter with us before we make a decision.