Hi 

Thank you for the question.  I am genuinely enjoying being a Project Manager, I have done various jobs in Civil Service, however, I find this one most satisfying and enjoyable.  What I like most about the Project Manager role is the variety, no two days are the same and no two projects are the same. 

As a project manager in HMRC you will be working with colleagues from policy, operational teams, customer groups, digital teams, senior leaders and external stakeholders including other government departments and they will all have different priorities and perspectives.   This role gives you a broad understanding of how HMRC works and there are plenty of opportunities to learn and develop. 

As a new SEO Project Manager joining the civil service/HMRC my first advise would be that you focus on building relationships with your stakeholders.  Project delviery is about delivering thorugh people - take time to understand who your key stakeholders are and what their priorities are and how they work  - build strong relationships with these stakeholders will help if/when challenges arise. 

In HMRC there is a lot of terminology, acronyms, governance and project language to learn - you are not expected to know everything straight away.  Please always ask questions and seek clarification from experienced colleagues. 

As for the project - it is key that you understand what the policy requirements are, what the busines needs are and expected benefits.  Understand the reason why you are making the changes - this will help you deal with any challenges. 

There is a lot of governance in Civil Service/HMRC so get familiar with the project governance structure, decision making, approval and escalation processes.  

Also keep on top of risk issues and dependencies in projects - its important to identify problems early in projects.  Be proactive and dont be afraid to raise concerns - seniors prefer early visibility of risks rather than later in the project. 

Systems I use everyday are MS Teams for meetings and collaboration;  MS Outlook for managing communications and actions; I use OneNote for taking meeting notes and capturing stakeholder information; Powerpoit for stakeholder presentations and governance packs; We use Excel for trackers; we manage documentation in Sharepoint. For our Project Management we use a project management tool.  

As for probation period, my advise would be that you have regular check ins with your line manager, be clear what outcomes are expected from you.  Throughout the period it is good to keep a record of your learning & development completed and any achievements.  Civil Service/HMRC have some mandatory training - try to get that completed first.  If you are completely new to Civil Service/HMRC you will find that there is a lot to learn - use the probation period to learn.  If you need support - always ask.  

I hope this helps - new roles can be daunting but as long as you build credibility, communicate clearly and keep your stakeholders engaged you will be fine. 

19 August, 2026 14:06