Public Sector Project Manager - Associate Director/Manager - Consulting na Grant Thornton

We are Grant Thornton. We go beyond business as usual, so you can too.

In January 2025, Grant Thornton Advisors LLC and Grant Thornton Ireland officially combined to form a multinational, multidisciplinary platform. This platform affords us with trans‑Atlantic advisory, tax and audit practices. Since then we have welcomed other global firms into our network namely, Grant Thornton UAE, Luxembourg, Cayman Islands, Netherlands, Switzerland & Liechtenstein and Channel Islands. With these additions, the platform is growing at pace and now encompasses roughly 13,500 professionals across nearly 60 offices, spanning across three continents: the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East.

Our most valuable asset is our people and this transformational step, combines the expertise and reach of both firms, creating tremendous growth and development opportunities for each individual at our firm. We operate as one team from multiple locations. This gives each employee the opportunity to work on both national and local projects. Our recent merger with Grant Thornton US affords our staff the opportunity to work on exciting global projects.

We work as trusted advisors and are dedicated to supporting clients across the public and private sector bringing our specialist knowledge and global presence to help businesses succeed. Whether it’s collaborating to build thriving communities, working alongside regulators and financial institutions to build trust, or partnering with a diverse range of businesses, we will address the issues that matter most. 

At Grant Thornton Ireland we don’t just predict your future, we build it.  

A Career at Grant Thornton

If you are looking for a more fulfilling role in professional services, at Grant Thornton, we do things differently. We value fresh thinking, collaboration and diversity, building an inclusive working environment open to all. We are here to support you in the development of your career, provide flexibility where required and respect and value your experience.

We want you to bring your authentic self to work and be at your best – it’s how it should be.

Job Description & Summary

We are seeking an experienced senior project leader (Associate Director / Director level) to join our Consulting practice, with a focus on the Public Sector. The role offers a chance to shape, lead and oversee a variety of client engagements, helping drive project team success within the project management, change and innovation space. We are particularly interested in candidates with experience working on public sector transformation, policy implementation, regulatory change, or large-scale government programmes, as we continue to deliver impactful change across this sector.

Embrace the possibility to apply – at Grant Thornton we are constantly upskilling our staff. If you do not meet all of the listed requirements, please do not be discouraged from applying. We value a growth-oriented mindset and are dedicated to supporting you in reaching your full potential.

Roles & Responsibilities

Collaborate within a multi-disciplinary team to successfully deliver and manage projects across a range of key public sector initiatives, including:

Project Management Delivery

• Overseeing and providing strategic leadership in the delivery of complex public sector projects and programmes, ensuring high-quality outputs and meeting tight deadlines.
• Defining and driving projects across all stages of the project life cycle, from initiation to implementation and evaluation.
• Leading and mentoring cross-functional teams spanning multiple departments, agencies and functions.
• Developing project plans, defining roles and responsibilities and creating clear communication strategies tailored to diverse stakeholder groups.
• Identifying and implementing innovative process improvements and solutions within a public service context.

Business Development

• Building trusted senior client relationships and positioning Grant Thornton as a partner of choice by providing expert advice on project and programme management frameworks to support public sector clients in achieving operational and policy goals.
• Acting as a key liaison between government departments, agencies, and external partners to ensure alignment and collaboration.
• Facilitating workshops to define project scopes, policy objectives, and business requirements, documenting and sharing outcomes with stakeholders.
• Engaging elected officials, senior civil servants, and external partners to drive project momentum and success
• Leading and directing business development initiatives, including the preparation of proposals and tenders for new public sector opportunities.

Skills and Experience

Education and Certifications

• A third level degree, with a strong academic record.
• Project Management certification, with a demonstrated ability to apply best practices, tools and methodologies (e.g., Waterfall, Agile, or tailored approaches) to deliver measurable project outcomes.
• 10+ years of relevant experience, with demonstrable leadership at senior levels in the Public Sector consulting or project delivery space.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong project and programme management experience leading and managing large multi-disciplinary teams comprised of clients, consultants, and third-party vendors.
• Experience leading large transformational projects and managing change in the Public Sector.
• Extensive experience working in the Public Sector, with knowledge of its governance, regulatory and operational landscape.
• Proven track record of successfully managing end-to-end projects across all stages of the project life cycle, particularly in complex government or public service environments.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and advise senior government stakeholders, shaping strategy as well as delivering operational outcomes.
• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills, with a commitment to public service excellence and developing effective working relationships with stakeholders.
• Strong multi-tasking abilities and the ability to meet deadlines in a dynamic policy and political environment.
• Significant experience in originating, leading and closing business development opportunities, including public sector tenders and complex multi-stakeholder bids.
• Expertise in senior stakeholder engagement, including government departments, agencies, and C-Suite / Senior Management.
• An ability to balance big-picture thinking with acute attention to detail.
• A natural curiosity to explore opportunities for public sector reform and service improvement.
• A creative, problem-solving mindset and initiative-driven approach.

Life at Grant Thornton 

Reward and benefits: 

Our reward and benefits are designed to create an environment where our people can flourish. We are committed to building a culture where our people have access to the necessary benefits to help promote a healthy lifestyle and thrive.

We offer an excellent range of rewards and benefits to suit your lifestyle:

• Performance based bonus scheme
• Employer Pension Contributions
• Career progression with an annual promotion cycle (dependent on eligibility)
• Professional subscriptions paid
• Health insurance group scheme discount
• Annual flu vaccination
• Onsite gym (Dublin)
• Employee assistance programme
• Fresh fruit in each office daily
• Bike to Work scheme
• Pay day breakfast
• Be Well initiative
• Travel ticket schemes
• Funded sports and social events
• Life assurance scheme
• Employee discounts

Find out more about the benefits at Grant Thornton here: Our Benefits | Grant Thornton.

Flexible working environment:

At Grant Thornton we promote a flexible working environment and are currently support a hybrid working model. We also offer employees the opportunity to avail of a compressed working week the Friday before each Bank Holiday and every week from June – August inclusive. This allows employees the opportunity to finish at 3pm on a Friday, subject to client approval.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion:

At Grant Thornton, we provide equitable opportunities for all our colleagues. We are a responsible, sustainable business where Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) are at the forefront of our workplace culture agenda. Today, we continue to build and develop on our existing ED&I structure and strategy to meet our workplace culture needs. People are at the heart of our business and teams built with varied backgrounds, racial differences, cultures, sexual orientations, religious orientations, ages, gender identities, abilities and family types present diverse viewpoints which need to be heard and valued.

We are all at our best when we are able to be ourselves and we view integrity and authenticity as integral values to bring to our day-to-day work-life at the Firm. We are excited to see the personality and perspectives you will bring to our team because we know we will all benefit from them. Diversity of thought, background and experience enables better decision-making, improves the quality of our delivery and helps us to meet the needs of our clients. Our Firm is built on people and their ideas, so we want to hear all the new perspectives and fresh thinking you have to offer. You form the bedrock of our Firm’s best-practice principles, and we will champion you as leaders from day one.

Recognition:

We want to create a culture of recognition and celebrate success, by saying thank you to people who surpass our expectations and recognising the right values and behaviours. Our Shout Out recognition scheme is our way of highlighting and promoting achievements. Whether you simply want to say thank you, celebrate a special occasion or give an award for doing something exceptional, you can do all of this and more through the scheme. We also offer a defined contribution pension and life assurance.

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