Senior project manager

Closing date for applications: Thursday 5 November 2026 at 5pm

Contract: 12-month fixed-term employment contract (PAYE). This is a time-limited appointment to establish and embed the project management arrangements required during DCC's transition from mobilisation to scaled delivery. The role is expected to conclude following the completion and handover of this defined phase of work.

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer, with a dotted line to the Chief Financial Officer

Location: Hybrid, with 1–2 days per week in the London office; occasional travel may be required for project delivery.

First interviews: 16 and 17 November 2026

Start date: As soon as possible

A rare and exciting opportunity to deliver a national, multi-stakeholder project - Discover Creative Careers - for a leading social enterprise in the creative industries.

Creative Access is the leading organisation working to create equity, diversity and inclusion in the UK creative industries.

We are a Community Interest Company (CIC), providing career-long access, opportunities, support and training to make the creative industries better reflect society. Our mission is to break down the barriers faced by those from historically under-represented groups to accessing and building sustainable careers.

Working with 2,000+ employer partners and a community of more than 170,000 individuals across the UK, we deliver impactful programmes, recruitment services and training that drive systemic change across the sector.

About Discover Creative Careers

Creative Access is a delivery partner of Discover Creative Careers (DCC), a major three-year UK-wide programme funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and delivered by a consortium comprising Futures for All, Creative Access and Creative UK (the creative careers collective).

DCC aims to inspire and support young people aged 11–24 to discover the breadth of careers available across the creative industries and take meaningful next steps towards them, with a particular focus on reaching young people from under-represented backgrounds and under-served parts of the UK.

Creative Access leads the programme's digital, employability, access and career-development activity.

The Role

We are looking for an experienced, practical and collaborative Senior Project Manager for a 12-month fixed-term appointment to establish and embed the project management function supporting Creative Access's delivery of Discover Creative Careers (DCC).

As the programme moves from mobilisation into scaled delivery, this role will provide dedicated project management capacity during a particularly complex and intensive phase. You will bring together delivery plans, people, resources and reporting across multiple workstreams, helping department heads and the Senior Leadership Team maintain momentum, manage risks and meet programme commitments.

You will develop and implement proportionate project management systems, establish clear responsibilities and reporting processes, and coordinate activity across internal teams, suppliers and consortium partners. A key part of the role will be reducing the routine coordination and follow-up currently undertaken by senior leaders, enabling them to focus on strategic decisions and their core responsibilities.

The appointment is specifically focused on this establishment and transition phase. By the end of the 12 months, you will have embedded effective project management practices, supported the move to sustainable delivery and completed a structured handover to designated colleagues.

The post reports to the CEO, with a dotted line to the CFO.

Key responsibilities

1. DCC project delivery

• Develop and maintain an integrated DCC delivery plan covering agreed workstreams, deliverables, milestones, owners and dependencies.
• Work with department heads and project leads to turn programme commitments into achievable work plans, with clear acceptance criteria and accountability.
• Coordinate delivery across internal teams, suppliers and consultants, tracking progress and following up agreed actions.
• Work directly with external consortium partners to align delivery plans, coordinate shared milestones, clarify responsibilities and dependencies, and follow up agreed actions across organisations.
• Support consortium meetings and joint reporting by preparing progress updates, recording decisions and actions, and escalating cross-partner delivery issues through agreed governance routes.
• Maintain a clear view of risks, issues, dependencies and decisions; identify slippage early, agree recovery actions and escalate matters requiring senior intervention.
• Support the coordination of technology and digital workstreams, including scoping, procurement activity, supplier milestones, testing and implementation where relevant.
• Work with the CFO and Finance team to track project budgets, resource requirements and delivery changes, highlighting their financial implications.
• Coordinate the collection of delivery evidence and inputs for grant and consortium reporting, supporting the relevant leads to meet agreed requirements and deadlines.
• Maintain organised project records, decisions and change logs to support a clear audit trail and effective handover.

2. Consortium/DCMS liaison:

• Liaise regularly with Futures for All, Creative UK, DCMS and other relevant stakeholders on operational delivery matters, ensuring decisions, dependencies, deadlines and actions are communicated and followed through. Work within agreed consortium governance arrangements, with Futures for All retaining responsibility for overall programme management and grant-holder reporting.

3. Internal projects and organisational improvement

• Coordinate agreed internal projects across Creative Access, working with department heads and the SLT to define scope, outcomes, timelines and resource requirements.
• Support projects relating to systems, data, processes, organisational change and operational efficiency, according to agreed priorities.
• Help the CEO and CFO prioritise the project portfolio, identify competing demands and align delivery plans with available capacity.
• Map existing processes, identify bottlenecks and work with colleagues to implement practical improvements.
• Support implementation and adoption through clear communications, training, documentation and follow-through.
• Capture lessons learned and establish repeatable approaches that improve future delivery.

4. Project management tools and reporting

• Assess current project management arrangements and recommend a simple, consistent approach suitable for Creative Access.
• Design, build and maintain shared project plans, dashboards, action trackers, risk and issue logs, decision records and reporting templates.
• Use existing systems where practical, introducing new tools only where there is a clear benefit and agreed approval.
• Establish a proportionate meeting and reporting rhythm, with clear actions, owners and deadlines.
• Produce concise progress reports for the CEO, CFO and SLT, including milestone status, delivery risks, resource pressures and decisions required.
• Train and support designated colleagues to maintain project management tools, reporting processes and delivery controls beyond the 12-month assignment, ensuring a sustainable handover.

5. Working relationships and accountability

• The CEO will set overall priorities and provide line management.
• The CFO will provide oversight of budgets, resources, delivery controls and operational improvement through the dotted-line relationship. You will support department heads and the SLT across the organisation, coordinating work through influence and collaboration.
• Department heads and designated project sponsors retain accountability for their functional outputs and specialist decisions. The role doesn’t own the design and delivery of individual programme activity. The Project Manager is responsible for integrated planning, coordination, monitoring and escalation. Spending, contractual commitments and material changes require approval through Creative Access’s agreed governance arrangements.
• The role has no direct line management responsibilities. It will coordinate delivery through collaboration, agreed governance arrangements and clear accountability across existing teams.

Person specification

Essential

• Demonstrable experience managing several projects or workstreams with competing priorities and multiple stakeholders.
• A track record of delivering projects from scoping and planning through implementation, handover and review.
• Experience creating and embedding practical project management tools, dashboards and reporting processes.
• Strong planning, organisation and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify dependencies and intervene early when delivery is at risk.
• Confidence working with senior leaders, constructively challenging assumptions and holding colleagues to agreed actions.
• Experience coordinating external partners, suppliers or consultants, with the ability to build effective working relationships and secure delivery through influence across organisational boundaries.
• Financial awareness and experience monitoring project budgets and resource requirements with finance colleagues.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including concise reporting for senior decision-makers.
• Confidence with project management software, spreadsheets and collaborative working tools.
• A hands-on, adaptable approach and the ability to work effectively in a small organisation with limited resources.
• Commitment to Creative Access’s mission, inclusion and accessible ways of working.

Strongly preferred and desirable

• Experience in the not-for-profit sector is strongly preferred, particularly in a charity, CIC, social enterprise or other mission-led organisation.
• Experience working with government agencies or public bodies is beneficial but not essential, including coordinating delivery commitments, stakeholder relationships and reporting.
• Experience working within a consortium or multi-organisation partnership, including shared planning, governance and reporting.
• Experience supporting grant-funded programmes, including reporting, delivery evidence and funder requirements.
• Experience of digital, technology, CRM, data or website projects.
• Experience improving organisation-wide processes or supporting change management.
• A relevant project management qualification, such as PRINCE2, APM, PMP or Agile, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience and interest in the creative and cultural industries

What success will look like

First 30 days: Establish a clear, agreed picture of DCC commitments, delivery plans, owners, milestones, risks and immediate priorities.

By 90 days: Embed integrated delivery plans, shared trackers and a regular reporting rhythm, with a material reduction in routine DCC coordination and follow-up requiring CEO and SLT involvement.

By six months: Demonstrate improved delivery coordination, earlier identification and resolution of risks, and effective working arrangements across CA teams and consortium partners.

By 12 months: Complete the establishment and transition phase, with documented processes, functioning reporting systems, trained internal owners and a structured handover of ongoing responsibilities.

To apply

• Log in to your Creative Access account or register today to apply for this opportunity
• Upload your CV and cover letter as one document (maximum 2 pages of A4). Applications without a tailored cover letter will not be accepted
• Once submitted, you can no longer amend your application, so proof-read carefully
• Please email any queries about this role to Creative Access at this address: recruit@creativeaccess.org.uk
• Please note you will receive an update on your application no later than 6 weeks after the closing date

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries. This includes individuals who identify as Black, Asian, or from other ethnically diverse backgrounds, or people of any ethnicity who belong to the following under-represented groups: disabled people, people with the characteristic of gender reassignment, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, carers and asylum seekers.