Senior Programme Manager

Job summary

Would you like to help deliver programmes that drive economic growth, unlock investment and create opportunities across the UK? Could you contribute to major events that showcase UK business, innovation and trade on the global stage? Are you interested in supporting complex programmes that drive innovation, strengthen critical infrastructure, enable emerging technologies or transform the way government delivers its priorities?

If so, the Project Delivery Expertise Pool (PDEP) could be the opportunity you're looking for.

The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) is the UK government department driving economic growth. We help businesses to invest, expand and export, creating jobs, opportunity and prosperity across the UK. Project delivery is central to turning strategic ambition into tangible outcomes that support businesses, communities and citizens.

At the heart of Department’s Project Delivery Division is the PDEP which brings together a dynamic community of project delivery professionals who provide flexible delivery expertise across the department's priorities.

As a member of the Pool, you could work across a diverse portfolio of projects and programmes that help deliver the department's objectives. The portfolio spans a broad range of activity, including business and trade, investment, economic growth, innovation, technology, science, major events, place-based development, infrastructure and organisational transformation.

Projects vary in scale, complexity and stage of delivery, providing opportunities to contribute across the full project lifecycle, from early development and mobilisation through to implementation, assurance and benefits realisation.

The Pool provides the expertise, leadership and delivery capability needed to respond flexibly to changing business needs and support successful delivery where it matters most. Working across a variety of assignments, you will have the opportunity to apply and develop your project delivery skills, collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders, and contribute to outcomes that have a real impact.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced, ambitious and motivated project delivery professional to join BIST's Project Delivery Expertise Pool and contribute to the successful delivery of departmental priorities to support businesses and build economic growth across the UK.

Job description

As a Senior Programme Manager within the Project Delivery Expertise Pool, you will lead critical and complex projects and programmes that deliver high value outcomes for the Department. You will be deployed across a variety of initiatives, taking responsibility for shaping delivery strategies, defining scope, guiding multidisciplinary teams to deliver agreed outputs within time, cost and quality constraints. You will use a blend of programme leadership, analytical capability and structured delivery methodologies including Agile, to break down complex problems and design effective solutions. The role involves leading business case development, managing budgets, setting delivery methodologies, implementing appropriate governance and ensuring benefits realisation is achieved. You will engage senior stakeholders, manage risks and issues, organise assurance reviews and champion change management.

As a senior leader, you will set delivery expectations, provide coaching and guidance to project teams and ensure strong performance, accountability and timely reporting against programme objectives. You will be expected to operate confidently in environments with a high level of ambiguity, using sound judgement to shape direction, clarify priorities and maintain delivery momentum.

Due to the nature of the Project Delivery Expertise Pool, there may also be occasions where pool members are required to step into other project delivery roles to support departmental priorities.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to :

• Lead programme delivery to achieve agreed outcomes, setting delivery strategy, analysing issues and ensuring work is delivered to time, cost and quality standards.
• Provide day-to-day management and leadership of programme teams, establishing programme structures, delivery methodologies and managing transitions between phases.
• Initiate projects by defining scope, engaging key stakeholders, producing delivery plans and ensuring resources and governance arrangements are in place.
• Develop and maintain Business Cases, budgets and Benefits Realisation Strategies, tracking delivery against expected outcomes.
• Conduct stakeholder mapping and develop engagement strategies, ensuring effective communication and collaboration with internal and external partners.
• Identify, monitor and manage programme risks and issues, escalating appropriately and proposing mitigating actions to safeguard delivery.
• Support governance and assurance activity, organising reviews (including gateway reviews), acting on recommendations and ensuring effective decision-making forums operate.
• Provide coaching, guidance and support to programme teams; set clear performance expectations and translate programme vision into delivery objectives.
• If not currently held, you will be supported in achieving Government Project Delivery Accreditation at Foundation level or above.

Person specification

Candidates should be able to provide evidence of their skills and experience against the following criteria.

Essential criteria

The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage;

• Significant experience leading programmes or complex projects, applying robust project and programme management methodologies.
• Proven ability to set delivery direction, manage teams, oversee budgets and lead the development of Business Cases and benefits strategies
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with experience building effective relationships across organisational boundaries.
• Ability to identify, analyse and manage risks, issues and dependencies in complex delivery environments.
• Clear and effective communicator with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Qualifications

A Project Delivery qualification at Practitioner level will be expected for this role.

Examples of suitable qualifications are, but not limited to:

PRINCE2 Practitioner
Agile Project Management Practitioner
APM Project Management Qualification
APM Chartered Project Professional
Project Leadership Programme
PMI Project Management Professional
Managing Projects and Leading Workstreams

Evidence to support qualifications will be requested prior to interview.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Leadership

Technical skills

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

• This will be tested at interview via presentation, question will be provided 5 days prior to interview. Based on the Project Delivery Capability Framework : https://projectdelivery.gov.uk/pdcf/programme-manager-g7/

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,732, Department for Business and Trade contributes £17,594 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.