Project Manager Review

I work as a graduate project manager, reporting into the programme manager. I do PMO work, but I also manage my own legal workstream. This means facilitating workshops, taking minutes and actions, and ensuring progress is happening on the project. It also means liaising with all the stakeholders to ensure that actions are being delivered.

Project management, stakeholder management, workshop facilitation, reading technical complex documents, agile working environments, legal scheduling process, how banks are run and operated, presenting and communicating complex information, how to visually present abstract models, booking in and arranging formal meetings, managing the governance of the project, regularly updating documents that are shared with the project workstream

I very much enjoy my day-to-day role, and I feel like I have made the right career decision. The work I am doing is very complex and challenging, but it is excellent for my learning. I feel like I am a valued member of my team, although it can be challenging to manage all the various stakeholders on my project.

Project working is always going to be challenging, as scope of projects change. I think I am learning project management in the real working environment. In terms of the apprenticeship, this is very structured. There is formal training every few months, we have pre and post-work, and we meet with skills coach every 6 weeks.

The programme is supported 100% by Santander, and they have dedicated 20% of our time to work on the apprenticeship material. The Change Hub in Santander who allocates us to the various projects also are there to ensure that the projects we are working on covers the key learning areas delivered by the programme.

I believe the support QA is providing is great in terms of support. QA offer a online platform where graduates can view all the course material, do extra reading for the programme, can undertake pre- and post-work activities. Every graduate also have a skills coach which is available to support through phone, emails and face-to-face meetings.

I have only just started (3 months in), so it is difficult to comment on. But I think the content we have covered so far is relevant. The only discrepancy is that the course material is very prescriptive, whereas the project management approach Santander is taking is not consistent within the business and various different methods are utilised.

Santander offers various extra-curricular activities such as 5-a-side football, quarterly conferences, bi-monthly lunch & learns and other graduate stand-ups. Santander as a company has many social networks, so I also take part in LGBT, women in business and other thematic events that are hosted internally throughout the course of the year.

Yes

I think Santander have an excellent onboaring programme, and training and support in place for graduates. In my day-to-day role I am not seen as a graduate, but as someone who is contributing equally to the team. I feel like there are great progression opportunities as long as you work hard.

Santander is looking for your personality and attitude, and not what qualifications you have. I would try and get that across in an interview situation, rather than hide behind your degree certificate. Santander emphasises team working, active collaboration and embracing change. As a gradate you will have to demonstrate these behaviours.