Major Projects Leadership Academy
Duration:
- 18 months
Time commitment:
- Part time
Locations:
- Oxford
- Online
Designed to equip major project leaders with the skills and confidence to tackle today’s challenges and to embrace leading practices for the future of the UK government.
About the programme
The Major Project Leadership Academy, commissioned by the UK Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) was the first government major project leadership programme in the world.
The UK Government’s Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), has over £650 billion committed to more than 200 projects. These projects range from 20-year investments in military capabilities to cutting-edge public service reforms.
Programme delivery
Our approach
We are committed to delivering impact and social value, enabling and challenging participants to apply new knowledge, skills, tools, and behavioural changes. You will broaden your leadership networks across a group of peers facing similar challenges and possessing diverse expertise and perspectives.
Learning opportunities
We offer a varied range of learning opportunities, including self-study, personal leadership profiling and 360 feedback, peer group coaching, written assignments, expert-led masterclasses, and ongoing development planning and reflection. You will also commit to peer reviews of high-risk projects on behalf of the IPA, fostering a virtuous cycle of sharing lessons and best practices across the government community.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is underpinned by a bespoke competency framework covering:
- Leadership of self: drawing on the concept of ‘incomplete leadership’ and building complete teams
- Major project leadership: developing the vital attributes required to successfully lead major projects as ‘temporary organisations’
- Commercial leadership: recognising the need to exert control and optimise outcomes over an extended delivery team across organisational boundaries
- Technical leadership: deploying the key principles, disciplines and tools of successful project delivery
A central feature is the three five-day modules delivered as an immersive and residential experience in Oxford. We also offer an equivalent non-residential delivery model, designed to give flexibility to those with caring responsibilities.
Module 1: Setting up major projects for success
- leadership of self and major projects
- organisational design
- systems thinking
- a mythodrama session on leadership delivered by the Olivier leadership development consultancy
Module 2: Delivering effectively
- commercial leadership
- better business cases
- delivering social value
- risk bias and contingency
- governance and assurance
Module 3: Investing into resilience
- scenario planning
- personal and project resilience
- transforming organisations and society
- reframing major project delivery
This is a world class programme. It affects system change by giving a group of senior leaders – over 1000 and rising - a common framework, language, tools and models to manage complexity and deliver despite seemingly impossible situations.
Application process
This is a closed programme for 30-40 Senior Civil Servants, Directors or Deputy Directors (or equivalent in the Devolved Administrations and wider public bodies) in key project or portfolio leadership roles.
Your application will only be accepted if approved and prioritised by your Head of the Project Delivery Profession.
- Contact your Head of Profession or learning team lead directly to discuss your nomination.
- Once a nomination has been agreed, your Head of Profession or department lead will share your contact details with the programme team at Oxford Saïd.
- The programme team will send you a link to the online application form.
- Applications are reviewed by the admissions panel (IPA Director of Function, Profession and Standards, and the MPLA Academy Director) against functional priorities and guidance from Heads of Profession.
- The programme team will contact you with the outcome.
Careful consideration is given to ensure the diversity and balance of each cohort in terms of demographic characteristics, delivery experience and across departments and project types.
Assessment and accreditation
You will be assessed on the four competency areas through:
- A portfolio of evidence
- your MPLA development plan
- two 360 reports
- five written assignments
- A final assessment where you will present your development at an interview panel
On successful completion, you will be awarded a certificate recognising your knowledge, skills, and experience in project delivery across the government. Graduating provides continued access to leading research, events, and leadership networks through membership of the Saïd Business School alumni community. It also meets one of the industry standards requirements to achieve Senior or Master Practitioner level accreditations.