Project Manager

Full Job Description

In 2025, Outcomes First Group were officially certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the sixth year running.

Job Title: Project Manager
Location: North West England - Hybrid working 2 days office based
Hours: Monday–Friday 9am-5.30pm
Salary: Up to £60,000 per annum (dependent on experience)
Contract: Permanent | Full Time
UK applicants only | No sponsorship

JOB PURPOSE: 

We are seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead the successful delivery of strategic business change initiatives across a growing, multi-site organisation undergoing significant transformation.

The project portfolio is diverse, spanning school and operational change initiatives, regional systems implementations, and the delivery of key technology and business transformation programmes. While the role sits within the UK Transformation function, many projects will require collaboration across the wider Group and with international stakeholders.

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly capable Project Manager who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is comfortable managing complexity, ambiguity, and change. Beyond delivering projects, you will play an important role in shaping, improving, and embedding project delivery best practice as the organisation continues to strengthen its transformation capability.

Working as part of a team of Project Managers and Business Analysts, you will typically lead multiple concurrent projects, balancing strategic priorities with effective day-to-day delivery.

The ideal candidate will bring a broad transformation skillset, combining strong project management expertise with experience in business analysis, change management, and technology-enabled transformation. You will be equally comfortable engaging senior stakeholders, defining solutions, managing delivery, and supporting the successful adoption of change.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Project & Transformation Delivery

Lead end-to-end delivery of strategic business change and transformation projects, typically managing multiple projects concurrently.

Deliver projects ranging from local operational change to regional systems implementations and broader business-wide transformation.

Develop and manage project plans, budgets, resources, timelines, risks and dependencies.

Operate autonomously within a fast-paced and evolving transformation environment.

Business Analysis & Change

Plan and facilitate workshops to establish requirements, challenge assumptions and define what needs to be in place for successful delivery.

Work with Business Analysts, operational teams and stakeholders to translate business requirements into clear project outcomes.

Develop and implement change and adoption plans, supporting stakeholders through transition and embedding sustainable change.

Identify opportunities to improve business processes and ways of working.

Project Capability & Governance

Help design, develop and embed best-practice project processes, governance and ways of working.

Maintain appropriate project governance including RAID logs, business cases, status reporting and decision-making frameworks.

Contribute to the continued development and maturity of the organisation's project and transformation capability.

Stakeholder Engagement

Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across the UK business and wider Group.

Lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders without direct authority.

Confidently question and challenge requirements, priorities and assumptions where necessary to support successful project outcomes.

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS:

Essential

• Significant, demonstrable experience delivering end-to-end business change or transformation projects, with several years operating independently as an established Project Manager.
• Experience managing multiple projects and competing priorities within a broader transformation portfolio.
• Experience delivering business-wide and/or multi-site change programmes.
• Strong senior stakeholder management and influencing capability.
• Strong workshop facilitation, requirements gathering and problem-solving capability.
• Strong understanding of project governance, including risk, budget, resource, timelines, dependencies and reporting.
• Ability to work autonomously and adapt quickly within a fast-paced environment.

Desirable

• Experience within regulated, education or complex multi-site organisations.
• Formal Project Management, Business Analysis or Change Management qualification.
• Experience delivering systems or technology-enabled change, with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences

Why Join Us?

You’ll be joining a growing organisation where you can make a real impact as part of a collaborative and supportive team, contributing to meaningful work across our services.

Outcomes First Group is the UK’s largest independent provider of high-quality special needs education, operating across England, Scotland, and Wales. 

Our divisional brands include Acorn Education, Options Autism, Blenheim Schools, and Momenta Connect.

By joining our central teams, you’ll help shape strategy, provide expert support, and drive continuous improvement across a growing organisation renowned for quality, impact, and innovation. We value collaboration, professionalism, and creativity, offering the opportunity to influence change at scale while staying true to our core values of care, aspiration, and inclusion.

Benefits

• Life Assurance

• Pension scheme with flexible contribution options

• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – mental and physical health support

• Family Growth Support, including enhanced maternity and paternity leave

• Flexible benefits via Vista (Cycle to Work, Electric Car Scheme, discounts, critical illness cover, and more)

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS check.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of suitable applications is received. Outcomes First Group is committed to a fair, thorough, and efficient recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. While we aim to keep applicants informed, we do not accept liability for any loss of earnings or costs incurred due to delays or changes in compliance processes. All stages are subject to safeguarding checks and statutory requirements, which may affect timescales.