Programme Manager

Innovative Service Group
c£60-70,000 initially on a 12 month fixed-term contract

This is an outstanding opportunity to join one of the country’s most innovative business and consumer services groups in a highly influential position.

Almost 20 years after inception, they continue to lead their unique B2B/B2C/B2R market place, delivering an invaluable service whilst working with their clients on a path of continuous improvement.

Even in these unprecedented times, not only has their business activity continued as normal, they have utilised an already present technological infrastructure to enable every member of staff to work as normal and the business’s security to be ensured.

Differentiating themselves by remaining totally independent and providing bespoke solutions through numerous highly qualified and focussed teams to provide swift solutions and resolutions, whilst creating maximum value for their client & consumer bases underpinned by highly principled humility and passion for what they do.

Replicating that human-focus internally, they have created an upbeat, friendly, innovative, and fast-paced environment with, crucially, market-leading opportunity for advancement. But they seek to continue the development of that culture and environment for the personal and professional benefit of all employees.

This is an energised and innovative culture, which every employee works diligently to foster and continually improve. They are an opportunistic growth company that seeks to deliver long-term prosperity to all employees. 

Their innovative service has won them significant recognition and an enviable client list within highly regulated environments as well as huge respect amongst the consumer base but all with an underlying reputation for objectivity.  Two decades of achievements and award wins set this innovative business apart from their competitors, and with continued demand for their services, an increased capability in their product and service portfolio and their quest to continually strive to innovate and keep both them, and their clients ahead of the curve, their future is as impressive as their history and even more exciting.

A key element of that forward-focus is their strategy of continual improvement, led by a number of projects, all of which sit alongside and feed into business’s group-wide transformation project. A crucial role sitting right at the heart of the business is the Programme Manager, a collaborative role focussed on the co-ordination and delivery of current projects as well as in designing and leading future projects with a primary focus on results and co-ordinating collaboration from the Senior Leadership Team down to the ‘coal-face’ of operations.

The appointee will initially be tasked with taking a group-wide perspective, adopting influence and collaboration to ensure full understanding, universal buy-in and agreement on current projects, their respective objectives and the delivery thereof. They will subsequently be tasked with a leading the 2022 project plan, engaging with stakeholders of every level from the management team down. 

The Programme Manager will be delivering complex projects/programmes effectively to meet all business objectives with an understanding of its regulatory commitments. They will support a breadth of change types ranging from commercial to operational, stretching across a large number of business areas and portfolios. They will be responsible for the delivery of projects end to end, ensuring that projects are delivered on time, maximising project benefits whilst protecting internal and external stakeholder experiences.

The role performs a project leadership function and requires a creative and collaborative thinker but one with a delivery mindset. The appointee will be a ‘do-er’, someone who can think of the bigger picture, someone who is not only prepared to roll up their sleeves to get the job done, but will actively enjoy doing so.

The successful candidate will demonstrably be a team player, and influencer and a collaborator with a can-do attitude and the ability to work across all aspects of the business, delivering effective delivery-focused strategies in a fast-paced environment. 

Requirements 

• Create and manage the end-to-end delivery of the Programme plan.
• Continuous and regular forecasting, estimating and effective management of uncertainty and risk.
• Keeping the Programme on track and aligned with the wider business. 
• Leadership of/influence over Project Managers and workstreams, driving delivery to plans. 
• Work alongside the SLT, proactively identifying improvements; driving adoption of new technologies & toolkits, achieving more efficient ways of working.

Responsibilities

• Establishing and anchoring the delivery of all projects, facilitating the transition objective to successful delivery
• Managing/overseeing all activities to deliver the programme (from scoping to implementation) to agreed parameters 
• Delivering projects within the programme to an agreed scope and schedule with an acceptable risk profile where relevant, and aligned with appropriate transformation frameworks 
• Managing delivery activities which include engaging stakeholders, internal and external, in the change effort and ensuring they ready to adopt the coming changes 
• Measuring and reporting change progress, assessing business readiness and supporting change adoption 
• Identifying behaviours needed to enable change to enable the preparedness of individual leaders and project managers to lead the change, facilitating and ensuring alignment of project objectives across the business
• Ensuring that all relevant programme governance is adhered to and that all project documentation is current, relevant and correct

As with all appointment in this highly people-centric business, candidate profile and chemistry fit is critical, but never more so than for this for this collaboration-centred role. Working within a fast-paced, innovative, entrepreneurial environment, attitude is as important as experience. The person is everything. The Programme Manager will be a central role in driving change and will therefore have a continual hand on the tiller. The gravity of success is all about having the right attitude, underpinned with demonstrable experience.

Suitable candidates will already be high achieving project/programme specialists. They will likely have held a number of project management roles, but this may be their first programme management role. The will however already possess a track record of personal success. 

The appointee will possess a strong ethos in delivery through engagement, collaboration, planning, an innovative approach, ideation and a ‘do’ not ‘think’ mindset.

They will be people, results and delivery oriented; hands-on and possess the ability to create a sense of mission and attentiveness to current and future requirements and challenges.

They should embrace, and be able to demonstrate the organisation’s Core Values:

• Courage
• Balance
• Empathy
• Openness

Skills & Experience Required:

• Solid programme management experience with evidence of end to end delivery 
• Influencing / networking – developing internal and external business relationships and using own knowledge, skills and experience to influence others opinions and actions 
• Professional communications – making oneself understood, sharing information, listening to and encouraging others to get involved 
• Ability to juggle priorities, multi-task and flawlessly execute at speed
• Ability to demonstrate extensive stakeholder management, communication and presentation skills, with solid and influential personal credibility 
• Demonstrable record of managing projects effectively and delivering within time & budget constraints 
• Analysis, creativity and innovation – able to conceive original and practical solutions to complex and business critical problems. 
• Understand at a high level the interface between complex business needs and the complex legal and regulatory environment in which the business operates
• Knowledge of techniques used for planning, monitoring and controlling Programmes, development of roadmaps and symbiotic resource forecast. 
• Contract management skills.
• Line and matrix-management across multi-disciplinary, cross-functional teams.
• Strong interpersonal, management, leadership and communication skills – Including written, oral and presenting.
• Ideally possessing professional qualifications in Programme or Project management – MSP, PRINCE 2, APM etc.

The appointee will constantly strive for excellence and demonstrate personal drive and resilience, with a mature and experienced approach to both growth, and set-backs. They will be self-motivated & able to work on their own initiative whilst putting team and company needs before own and possess the ability to think flexibly and laterally.

The successful candidate will have creative and innovative ability and desire, and be hugely excited by a very high paced environment, thick with USPs – their operational leadership strength will be underpinned by a real “Just Do It” attitude, and a sense of humour.

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