Senior IT Project Manager

While predominantly known for the role Cafcass takes in supporting almost 140,000+ children and young people in family court cases, what may be less well known is that our targeted use of technology is a key factor in ensuring we are at the forefront of our sector., We are seeking two experienced Senior IT Project Managers to support the successful delivery of a portfolio of IT projects and programmes across Cafcass. Working closely with the IT Programme Manager, you will lead large-scale and/or complex transformational projects, provide leadership to project teams, and ensure that agreed outcomes and benefits are delivered to time, cost and quality. Whilst we already achieve a 95% staff satisfaction with our technology, we have an ambitious programme in place to make it even better.

This is a key leadership role, combining hands-on project delivery with coaching and mentoring of IT Project Managers and strong stakeholder engagement at all levels., * Lead and manage complex IT projects from initiation through to implementation

• Provide visible leadership to IT Project Managers and project teams
• Plan and manage multiple projects concurrently within agreed governance
• Select and apply appropriate delivery methodologies (e.g. Agile, Waterfall)
• Manage project budgets, risks, issues and dependencies
• Ensure project benefits are clearly defined, tracked and realised
• Challenge assumptions and provide assurance on plans, delivery and outcomes
• Report progress, risks and finances to sponsor boards and senior leaders
• Build strong partnerships with business stakeholders, PMO and suppliers, Where you will work

If you join us, whilst your contractual office base will be one of the 30+ offices we have across England, it is highly likely you will work remotely as you will be part of a team based around the country. However, you can expect some level of national travel for things like meetings with your team, senior leaders and key suppliers.

Timeline

Here is an indicative timeline for the recruitment process:

Closing date

{Expiry Date}

Initial interview (remote via Teams)

29 & 30 June 2026

Meet the team (remote via Teams)

6 July 2026

Final interview (in-person, Manchester)

14 July 2026

We have purposefully set an initial deadline not too far away but reserve the right to extend. If we do, this doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of anyone that has already applied, only that we wish to extend to allow more people to apply and give ourselves the broadest pool of applicants to consider.

While we don’t wish to discourage you from using AI as a support tool, applications should reflect your own thinking, experience and voice, as overreliance on AI-generated content may limit our ability to assess your suitability for the role.

As long as you have started your application by the closing date, you will have up to two days to complete and submit your application.

The ‘meet the team’ is an informal opportunity for you to meet the wider IT team (including those you may line manage) and key internal stakeholders, something that when we’ve recruited previously applicants have found valuable in helping them to get a deeper insight into our team, organisation and culture.

In anticipation of your application being successful, you might want to read about the offer and pre-employment checks process. As part of your application, you can highlight any concerns or questions about the pre-employment checks and we encourage all applicants to do so, safe in the knowledge such information will not be shared with individuals involved in the selection process.

Please be advised successful applicants will be subject to a range of pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In accordance with the DBS code of practice and our own policy, should an individual have a declared criminal offence an individual assessment will be completed. Further information on what the assessment covers can be found by viewing the Cafcass DBS policy.

We look forward to hearing from you.

We are Cafcass - the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service - and we represent children in family court cases in England.

Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 140,0000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard.

Do you have experience in Project management?, You will be a confident and experienced IT Project Manager with strong leadership capability and a track record of delivering complex change in demanding environments.

You will have:

• Substantial IT project management experience, including risk, issue and budget management
• Line management experience and experience leading project teams and working with external suppliers
• Strong knowledge of Agile and traditional delivery approaches
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• Experience working with sensitive and confidential data

Desirable:

• Practitioner-level project management qualification
• Degree-level qualification (preferably IT-related)

Pulled from the full job description

• Annual leave
• Company pension, In addition to a competitive salary, we offer generous annual leave (28 days rising to 33 days with 5 years’ continuous service, and it may be possible to recognise your current service), a Local Government Pension Scheme with significant employer contribution and a range of other financial and non-financial benefits to support your financial, physical and mental wellbeing.