Project Assurance Manager

Project Assurance Manager
£58,000 - £65,000 plus private healthcare, pension with up to 10% employer contributions and more great benefits (Work Level 5) 
Manchester city centre - in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and the office as required for team days, meetings, and events (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy)  
We’re open to applications from people who may require flexible working arrangements. There’ll be an opportunity to discuss your flexible working requirements during the interview process, and at offer stage.

We’re reshaping our Digital, Technology and Data function for the future, creating new opportunities, strengthening our capability, and building clearer, more resilient ways of working so we can deliver even better services for our Co-op, our colleagues, members and customers.

We're looking for a Project Assurance Manager to join our Strategy, Performance & Assurance team and help us build a modern, effective and scalable approach to assurance across Co-op. You'll provide independent assurance across a varied portfolio of projects and programmes, helping leaders make confident decisions, identifying risks early, and improving the quality of delivery. Working closely with stakeholders across the business, you'll bring insight, challenge and expertise while helping shape how assurance supports our organisation in the future and ensure we keep on learning together.

Why this role matters
This is a rare opportunity to help create something new. We're building a new Standards, Practice & Assurance team and reimagining how assurance works at Co-op. We want to build on the strengths of our current approach while exploring new ways of working that are proportionate, practical and focused on enabling successful delivery. Whether that's improving processes, testing new ideas, exploring emerging technology or finding better ways to support decision-making, you'll play a key role in shaping the future of assurance. If you're someone who enjoys challenging convention, influencing senior stakeholders and turning ideas into action, this is a chance to make a genuine impact.

What you’ll do

•    Provide independent, proportionate assurance across a portfolio of projects, programmes and initiatives
•    Lead assurance reviews, deep dives and stage gate assessments, providing insight that supports effective decision-making
•    Identify, assess and communicate key risks, dependencies and delivery challenges to senior stakeholders
•    Challenge constructively, helping teams improve outcomes while maintaining strong working relationships
•    Work with project and programme teams to understand whether the right things are being delivered in the right way
•    Support the development of assurance standards, tools and approaches across the organisation
•    Share lessons learned and identify opportunities to improve project delivery practices across projects, programmes and portfolios
•    Coach, mentor and support colleagues, including line management responsibility for one team member

What you’ll bring
We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:
•    Significant experience working in project, programme or portfolio assurance environments 
•    Strong understanding of project delivery methodologies such as PRINCE2, P4CM (Co-op’s own project methodology) or similar organisational frameworks 
•    Experience leading assurance reviews, deep dives, governance reviews or stage gate assessments 
•    Confidence working with and influencing senior stakeholders, providing clear insight and constructive challenge 
•    The ability to identify opportunities for improvement, test new ideas and help shape future assurance practices 
•    Strong judgement, risk awareness and the ability to make sense of complex information from multiple sources 
•    A collaborative approach, with experience coaching, mentoring or supporting the development of others
We know some people may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. At Co-op, we’re committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we still encourage you to apply.

Why Co-op?
At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

•    An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
•    28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays 
•    A pension with up to 10% employer contributions 
•    Private healthcare
•    Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ) 
•    30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands 
•    Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it 
•    Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice 
•    24/7 colleague support service 
•    Training and support for your development and career progression
•    Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion.