About UsThe FT has an uncompromising mission: delivering independent, quality information, news and services to individuals and companies around the globe. It's the cornerstone of our reputation and the heart of our ambitions for the future. But for our people, the FT offers so much more than what we do. FT people come from all kinds of backgrounds and work across a huge range of disciplines and locations, and find an empowering, warm and welcoming culture that values curiosity and rewards smart, ambitious thinking. Those who are willing to unite around our mission and live our values will find plenty to challenge, inspire and interest them. Like the audiences we serve, no two FT people are the same; but together we help our audience be better informed and understand the world around them. It's a job that's never mattered more, and a career that can take you anywhere you want to go.Our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplaceAt the FT, we give all employees a voice so that diverse perspectives are heard and valued. We believe that a supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves at work. We'll continue to remove barriers for all, and in particular barriers facing employees from underrepresented groups.About this contractWe are searching for a self-motivated independent consultant to undertake a fixed-term contract for our company - of 7 months duration. The independent consultant's responsibilities include completing assigned tasks with minimal supervision.To ensure success as an independent consultant, you should possess excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Ultimately, as an outstanding Independent Consultant you are expected to produce high-quality work with minimal supervision, with a track record of working to agreed deadlines with clear independently-tracked processes to report deliverables.The location for this assignment has been chosen to best support the location of the existing teams responsible for delivering the outcomes, as well as to provide "follow-the-sun" project management capabilities in this timezone to complement our global operations across Asia & the USA. About the FT Staff Experience GroupThe Staff Experience Group provides the platforms & systems needed to support all FT staff and deliver great employee experience.Of several teams in this group, this role will be working with the largest - The Global Service Desk at the FT.Our GSD team is the main point of contact for all Tech support issues and works with the principles of customer obsession. There are Service desk teams in 5 locations around the globe to support FT Staff.We value transparency, accountability, shared responsibility and teamwork. The teams work closely together with a very supportive, knowledge sharing ethos.What you will work on Reporting to the Staff Experience Delivery Director and working closely with the Head of Global Service Desk, you will help continue the transformation of the global Service Desk team from operational focus to project outcomes that deliver outstanding customer service to all FT staff.You will spend your timeExecuting & delivering outcomes that deliver the vision and strategy for the global service desk teamsEnsuring the global teams operate in concert on deliverables agreed with the leadership teamIntroduce Agile Working methodologies to lead the teams to deliver great customer serviceWork with the Head of GSD to set the priorities for the team to meet outcomes set by the group technical directorContribute to building a vision to bring increasing automation to the global service deskDrive customer outreach and communicate with stakeholders to understand what they want to help solve their problemsAnalysing and reporting team performance metrics Provide support for the careers and personal professional growth of the teamActively contributing to and fostering an inclusive organisational cultureContinuously improving the Agile methodologies used by the team to deliver outcomesActively participating in the Staff Experience Delivery teamYour responsibilities as an Independent ConsultantLiaising with the director to elucidate the assignment requirements, as neededGathering the materials needed to complete the assignmentOverseeing the assignment, from inception to completionTailoring your approach to work to suit the assignment specifications, as requiredCommunicating assignment-related issues with the client as soon as they ariseEnsuring that assignments are completed according to stipulated requirementsFinalising tasks by predetermined deadlinesOur TechnologyWe have a mixed estate (Windows, Chromebook and OSX) and an increasingly automated and integrated tool set. This includes;Device management - Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) for our Windows estate and JAMF for our Apple estate.Cloud platforms - We primarily utilise Amazon Web Services (AWS) across our estate, but also have Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Azure in limited instances. Communication tools - Slack Google Hangouts and are the primary communication tools across the FT, but we also use RingCentral to varying degrees depending on the business area.Identify Access Management (IAM) - Okta, Active Directory and Google.Audio/Visual technology - Google Hangouts Meet, and OneLan. Being a media company, it's important we have the right technology to enable the business to communicate.Previous experience delivering IP telephony solutions will be well regarded, as initiatives in this area are plannedDelivery Management at Financial TimesDelivery Managers are here to:Ensure DeliveryCreate vision and value - Work with Technical and Product leaders to define, shape and prioritise the vision, goals, initiatives and outcomes - seeking value, avoiding complexity, ensuring the right things happen.Build good governance - Manage and monitor budget, resources, and risks - proactively planning and taking corrective action where necessary to ensure delivery is as successful as possible.Deliver value - Work across disciplines to ensure that work flows effectively and that the benefits of products and services delivered are measured.Coach and facilitate teams - Resolve conflict and disagreement, facilitate workshops, remove distractions and impediments, help them make decisions, whatever it takes to ensure they are able to operate effectively.Create transparency - Clearly communicate vision, schedule and progress, both within and outside of the teams.Independent consultants undertaking contracts with the FT work to support these values by bringing demonstrable experience in these areas to the delivery discipline.About YouYou are an experienced independent consultant with a demonstrable track-record of delivering high profile contracts for tier one companies. You are obsessed with value, measurement, teamwork and driving delivery to achieve commercial objectives. You enjoy communicating, facilitating, creating vision and consensus, but are also a leader in your own right. You are also adept at stakeholder communication, engagement and creating transparency.Must haveYou must be able to operate autonomously & with minimal supervision. You will be expected to translate high-level objectives into actionable work break-down structures that teams can act on. You are enthusiastic, proactive and able to resolve conflict. The FT values empowerment and you must be able to steer a team towards self-organisation. Access to all human and material resources needed to conduct dutiesExperience of managing delivery against measurable business outcomesProven experience in a similar position, leading and coaching Lean-Agile teams and other agile project managers Portfolio of completed projects for clients similar to the FTA good understanding of Lean-Agile principles and multiple methodologiesStrong experience of coaching Lean-Agile teams and individuals, workshop facilitation and structured problem solvingStrong experience of digital product developmentA flexible approach to managing multiple teams & initiatives in parallelProactive and an accomplished influencer - ability to negotiate with other programmes and teams to deliver work to fixed deadlinesStrong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills, with ability to present complex concepts clearlyDriven, self-motivated dispositionAbility to work with minimal guidanceComfortable with spoken and written EnglishDesirableTechnical background: understanding software development and web technologies and preferably hands-on experienceAn interest in continuous integration & transitioning to the cloudExperience in leading and developing a cross functional teamWhat's in it for you? Our BenefitsOur benefits vary depending on location, but we are committed to providing best in class perks across all our offices as well as an inclusive environment to develop your career. Examples of our benefits include; generous annual leave allowances, flexible working (including working from home), medical cover, enhanced maternity & paternity packages, subsidised gym memberships and Giving Back opportunities. Full details of our benefits can be found here.Further InformationThe FT is committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all. We are an equal opportunities employer who seeks to recruit and appoint the best talent regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We have implemented a hybrid working model and we also promote flexible working and will consider specific requests around flexibility for all roles where it can be accommodated. Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements, or have any questions, ****** and a member of our team will be happy to help.#LI-GS1 This employer is a corporate member of myGwork - LGBTQ+ professionals, the business community for LGBTQ+ professionals, students, inclusive employers & anyone who believes in workplace equality.