Project Manager – Operational & Product Delivery

Project Manager – Operational & Product Delivery

Reports to: Lab Delivery Lead

Location: Hybrid: home-based with regular regional travel and monthly in-person days in London

About Be the Business

Be the Business (BtB) is an independent, purpose-driven charity focused on helping the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses increase their productivity.

We work with business leaders, major employers, government and leading universities to tackle the barriers that prevent SMEs from performing at their best — from strengthening leadership and management capability to accelerating the adoption of AI and new technology. We bring together insight and expertise from across the business community and turn what works into practical support that SME leaders can use in their businesses.

We’re a small, collaborative and ambitious team where everyone has the opportunity to make a big impact. Our work is practical, fast-moving and varied, and we give people the freedom and responsibility to shape ideas, build partnerships and turn them into programmes that make a real difference to businesses across the UK.

Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Project Manager with responsibility for 2–3 concurrent projects (each potentially comprising multiple workstreams). The role combines strong PM discipline with genuine delivery involvement — this person plans and governs using recognised methodologies but also gets into the operational detail themselves: briefing developers on website/tool builds, managing regional stakeholders, and resolving delivery issues directly, with ownership, rather than only escalating them.

Key responsibilities

Project management

• Own planning, governance, and reporting across multiple live projects, each with several workstreams running in parallel
• Apply appropriate methodology based on project needs
• Maintain RAID logs, budgets, and timelines; flag risks and dependencies early
• Support and in some cases run governance touchpoints such as steering groups, sponsor updates, status reports.

Operational and product delivery

• Take direct ownership of delivery tasks, not just oversight including, reviewing outputs, chasing partners, resolving blockers
• Brief developers/technical suppliers on website or digital tool builds, translate requirements into specs, and review delivered output against them
• Balance delivery "doing" with PM "managing" across multiple workstreams at once
• Identify, recommend and implement efficiencies where appropriate, including AI across the organisation

Stakeholder management

• Build relationships with regional stakeholders and delivery partners (e.g. place-based programme locations)
• Understand regional context and adapt delivery approach accordingly
• Represent BtB credibly with external partners and funders

Skills and experience

• 5+ years of experience in a project manager role together with working knowledge of at least two major methodologies
• Experience working alongside technical/development teams on digital builds (briefing and reviewing, not building)
• Track record managing multiple concurrent projects or workstreams
• Strong regional/multi-site stakeholder management experience
• Demonstrated delivery background, not purely governance

Key attributes

• Team player and able to take direction, but equally comfortable using initiative and self-managing priorities across projects
• Confident communicator across technical, operational, and stakeholder audiences
• Motivated, proactive and resilient; Ability to be flexible and to manage ambiguity during project delivery
• Strong analytic and proven problem-solving skills with an ability to negotiate pragmatic solutions to meet conflicting business requirements

Behavioural Competencies

·      Builds effective partnerships internally and externally.

·      Influences without authority through credibility, empathy, and strong stakeholder engagement.

·      Demonstrates curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning and improvement.

·      Acts with integrity, accountability, and a strong sense of ownership.

·      Maintains resilience and positivity when managing complex projects and multiple stakeholders.

·      Focuses on outcomes and impact while remaining people-centred in their approach.

Important things to know

·      When does the job start? We're looking for someone to get stuck in right away.

·      What working flexibility is there? We’re pretty progressive when it comes to working patterns, so don’t let that hold you back from applying. We’re open to discussing flexible working arrangements that work for both you and the role. We do ask everyone to come together in person for our monthly all-staff session, and some roles will also involve travel to events and meetings across the country.

·      What is the holiday allowance? We provide 30 days holiday, plus bank holidays

·      What is a working week? 35 hours a week

·      What is the contract duration? This is a full-time permanent role

·      Location: Hybrid