Planning and Performance Manager, SEO, Perm, Liverpool

Job summary

Job purpose :

You will lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of organisational planning, performance and reporting arrangements that support the delivery of strategic objectives and business outcomes.

You will provide leadership and expert advice on organisational planning, performance management and portfolio oversight, ensuring that plans are aligned to strategic priorities, supported by robust performance measures and informed by evidence-based analysis.

Working across directorates and corporate functions, the role will maintain an integrated organisational planning framework that identifies key milestones, dependencies, risks, assumptions and resource requirements, providing senior leaders with the insight and assurance needed to make informed decisions and drive delivery performance.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Portfolio Management

• Lead the development and maintenance of integrated organisational plans that support the delivery of corporate objectives and priorities
• Ensure organisational plans clearly identify milestones, dependencies, risks, assumptions, deliverables and success measures.
• Coordinate planning activity across business areas to ensure alignment between operational delivery, strategic priorities and resource availability.
• Support prioritisation and decision-making by providing analysis of organisational capacity, competing demands and delivery impacts.
• Maintain oversight of organisational commitments and delivery portfolios, ensuring progress is monitored and reported effectively.

Performance Management and Reporting

• Lead the development and maintenance of the organisational performance framework, ensuring meaningful performance indicators are in place to measure delivery and outcomes.
• Produce high-quality performance reports and management information for senior leaders, governance boards and stakeholders.
• Provide analysis, forecasting and insight to support evidence-based decision-making and effective organisational performance management.
• Identify emerging issues, trends and risks and provide recommendations to improve performance and delivery confidence.
• Ensure performance information supports organisational accountability, assurance and continuous improvement.

Governance, Risk and Assurance

• Establish and maintain planning, performance and reporting standards, processes and controls across the organisation.
• Monitor delivery risks, dependencies and issues, escalating concerns and recommending corrective action where appropriate.
• Support organisational governance processes by providing accurate and timely planning and performance information.
• Work with colleagues across governance, programme management, finance and business areas to ensure effective organisational assurance arrangements are maintained.

Resource Planning and Business Improvement

• Work collaboratively with Finance, Programme Management and operational teams to identify future resource requirements and capacity constraints.
• Support workforce and resource planning activity through analysis of current and future organisational demand.
• Promote the use of planning and performance management best practice across the organisation.
• Lead or contribute to continuous improvement initiatives that enhance organisational planning, reporting, governance and performance capability.
• Act as a subject matter expert on organisational planning, performance management and portfolio oversight.

Person specification

Essential criteria

Ability:

• Ability to develop and maintain integrated plans and performance frameworks within a complex organisational environment.
• Ability to analyse, interpret and present complex information clearly to a range of audiences, including senior leaders.
• Ability to identify risks, dependencies, delivery challenges and emerging issues and recommend appropriate action.
• Ability to build effective working relationships and influence stakeholders across organisational boundaries.
• Ability to prioritise competing demands and manage multiple workstreams effectively.

Experience:

• Experience of leading organisational planning, business planning, programme management office (PMO), performance management or related governance functions.
• Experience of developing, maintaining and monitoring plans that include milestones, dependencies, risks, assumptions and resource requirements.
• Experience of producing management information, performance reports and strategic analysis to support decision-making.
• Experience of working with senior stakeholders to improve planning, performance and delivery outcomes.
• Experience of establishing processes, frameworks or controls that improve organisational performance and governance.

Technical:

• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills, with the ability to turn information into meaningful insight and recommendations.
• Knowledge of organisational planning, performance management and reporting methodologies.
• Experience of using Microsoft 365 applications, including Excel, Power BI and presentation tools, to analyse and communicate performance information.
• Understanding of governance, assurance, risk management and performance reporting principles.
• Ability to develop and maintain planning and reporting standards that support organisational delivery and decision-making.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,027, Charity Commission contributes

£12,754 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

This is your chance to make a contribution that really matters and to make an impact in an organisation where your voice will be heard and your hard work noticed.

Watch this short video to find out more about us.

We operate a flexible hybrid working policy where office attendance is combined with at least 3 days homeworking per week dependent on role requirements.

We recognise everyone as an individual, accepting people for who they are and treating everyone fairly. We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring from all backgrounds and we aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We champion inclusion and wellbeing, aiming to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and has a sense of belonging.

We do not discriminate on the basis of culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.

We offer access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme (employer contributions of 28.97%), far more than in the private sector, and a flexible, family-friendly environment. Additionally, you can look forward to other great benefits via our ‘Perkbox’ and ‘Edenred’ schemes. These include everything from an interest-free season ticket loan and bicycle loan (after two months) to discounts on gym membership, cinema tickets and restaurants. Please see the attached Charity Commission benefits document.

A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30 days per year.

The Charity Commission’s operational ambition is to realise the Commission’s values of being an expert regulator that is fair , balanced , and independent , which works in a way that is supportive , collaborative , and i nnovative to achieve our ambitions. We want to develop our capability to regulate charities to realise this goal and meet our statutory and public duties to ensure that charity in England and Wales can deliver maximum benefit to society in a way that upholds its reputation in the eyes of the public.

Work at the Charity Commission and you’ll make a difference every day to:

• The 170,000 charities of all shapes and sizes that we regulate across England and Wales.
• The trustees we partner with and advise.
• The people and causes that benefit from the £10bn generously donated each year by the public.

Find out more about working for us here .

To note: Any move across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018 may have implications on an employee’s ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

To apply for this post, you must complete an online application with the following:

• A blind CV setting out your Job History/Full Qualifications/Previous skill and experiences.
• A Personal Statement (maximum 750 words) demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria for the role outlined on the Job Description.

We will assess your CV and Personal Statement against the Essential criteria for the role.

We will ask you to carry out a Presentation at interview and we will assess you against the following Behaviours at interview:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

• Interview Arrangements
• Interviews will be taking place face to face in our Bootle Office
• The sift is due to take place on the 25/09/2026
• Interviews will be taking place on 07th & 08th October 2026

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

At the interview, the panel can then probe further and ask applicants to provide further specific examples that show how they best demonstrate their skills.

We reserve the right to raise the score required at any stage of the process to manage numbers.

Behaviours:

The distinguishing Behaviours (the required skills, knowledge, and behaviours) for this role are set out in the Civil Service Behaviours Framework 2018 (Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) and should be referred to when making this application.

You are required, under the Behaviours approach, to describe how you have dealt with a specific situation.

You must give evidence of your knowledge, skills, and behaviours and how you have applied this, such as what you did or said and how you interacted with other people.

When you are giving your examples, do not spend too many words on description and background information. Avoid using general or unspecific statements. Instead say what the situation was, what you did, what your thought process was and what was the result.

This post is full time however those applicants who do or wish to work an alternative working pattern are welcome to apply. The preferred working pattern may or may not be available. You should discuss this with the vacancy holder.

Reasonable Adjustment:

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled persons, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via Charitycommissionrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as