Manager, Project Management Office

Who we are

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is Canada’s largest funder of science and engineering. A career at NSERC means supporting the visionaries, explorers and innovators who are searching for the scientific and technical breakthroughs that will advance knowledge, improve the lives of Canadians and transform the world for the better.

Visit our career page at NSERC to learn more about why you should join our agency. 

What you will do 

As the Manager of the Project Management Office, you play a role in bringing research to life and drive your career forward with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

We are looking for a Manager of our Project Management Office to join NSERC and SSHRC’s Common Administrative Services Division. The Manager of our Project Management Office would be someone who shares our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Respect, Creativity and Continuous Learning.

The Manager of our Project Management Office has the mandate to lead the prioritization of NSERC/SSHRC IT enabled projects and support our transformation journey into a more agile project management environment.

Under the direction of the Information and Innovation Services (IIS) leadership, the Manager of our Project Management Office provides project management support to NSERC and SSHRC for the development of project charters and project management plans.  While ensuring that the projects they are assigned are delivered, that schedules and budgets are adhered to, and that stakeholder expectations are met.  

The incumbent leads a multi-disciplinary team in a matrix environment, drawing on subject matter experts from Program areas, corporate services teams, communications leads, product and technical teams, project coordinators, procurement agents, and administrative staff and liaising with internal and external stakeholders.

The incumbent prepares project charters, project management plans, status reports and all required documents to comply with project management framework requirements. They support continuous improvement and transition towards an Agile framework.  They also support performance planning by monitoring of the day-to-day progress and budget of the projects as well as other related activities.

What you need to succeed

Education

• Graduation with a degree from a recognized university in information technology, information management, project management, public or business administration, or in any other field relevant to the position or an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Education - Asset

• Project Management certification from a recognized institute (i.e.: PMP, Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute (PMI)®);
• Agile Certification (i.e.: PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Certification;
• Change Management Certification (i.e. : PROSCI ADKAR).
• Foreign Credential Validation against Canadian Standards

Experience

• Experience in managing projects involving the application of project management principles and the adoption of best practices in a complex stakeholder environment;
• Experience in structuring, managing, and evolving agile teams as well as the planning of agile scrum projects;
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary teams and multi-partner resources in a matrix environment, including staff, sub-contractors and complex procurement aspects;
• Experience reporting to senior management on project performance including reviewing, producing and analyzing project performance indicators, such as those related to costs, schedule, quality, client satisfaction and project team engagement, and providing recommendations on issues resolutions;
• Experience creating detailed project plans, coordinate team activities, run team meetings, track progress and communicate with stakeholders (internal and external).

Knowledge

• Advanced knowledge of project management theory, procedures and practices and the use of project management software tools;
• Knowledge of agile project management techniques and best practices including estimate efforts, risk management, retrospectives, and burn down;
• Knowledge of IM/IT development lifecycle and/or product lifecycle from product management, engineering, quality assurance and UAT;
• Knowledge of GoC legislation, regulations and policies related to IM, IT, and project management;
• Knowledge of financial management and procurement and contracting policies and procedures.

Competencies

• Ability to facilitate and mediate discussions within scrum teams and with customers to achieve mutually agreed upon solutions;
• Ability to lead sprint planning including team objectives and scope, team composition, roles, and responsibilities;
• Ability to structure and facilitate agile scrum activities and ceremonies including retrospectives;
• Ability to manage and motivate a team of agile project managers to deliver on a range of complex, fluid, and evolving projects.

Key Leadership Competencies

• Create Visions and Strategy;
• Mobilize People;
• Uphold Integrity and Respect;
• Collaborate with partners and Stakeholders;
• Promote Innovation and Guide Change;
• Achieve Results.

Equity, diversity and inclusion
We are committed to inclusive and barrier-free recruitment to create a workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.

We welcome all candidates, and encourage applications from women, Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit), veterans, persons with disabilities, Black and other racialized persons, persons of ethnic origins, diverse religions, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Accommodation

Let our team know if you require accommodation or support during the recruitment process by contacting us at recruiting-recrutement@nserc-crsng.gc.ca. 

If you require additional information on the position, please contact us at recruiting-recrutement@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.