Programme Manager

Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week, Monday - Friday - Hybrid working to be agreed

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the programme roadmap, integrated delivery schedule and milestones, ensuring changes are reviewed and approved.
• Manage programme governance, planning and reporting, providing accurate information to support effective decision-making.
• Maintain the programme RAID log and change control process, ensuring risks, issues and dependencies are managed, escalated and changes assessed within agreed programme tolerances.
• Monitor programme budgets, forecasts and actual expenditure against the approved financial envelope, highlighting variances.
• Prepare Steering Committee reports and Board dashboards covering programme progress, milestones, financial performance, benefits and key exceptions.
• Support individual system deliveries through project plans, RAID logs and progress reporting, escalating risks to cost, schedule and scope.
• Coordinate resource planning, recruitment, onboarding and business analyst allocation across concurrent projects, working closely with the Business Architect.
• Maintain programme governance documentation, including the RACI, decision-making framework, project delivery lifecycle and contract, licence and renewal registers, liaising with Procurement as required.
• Support the development of business cases and benefits baselines, tracking and reporting benefits through implementation and post-go-live reviews.
• Monitor post-implementation system usage and usability, working with change managers to identify improvements, maintain the fast-follow backlog and capture lessons learned to support continuous improvement.

Minimum Competencies (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours)

• Proven experience establishing and managing programme planning, governance, controls and reporting across multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong organisational and analytical skills, with the ability to maintain accurate and consistent information across programme plans, budgets, risks and resources.
• Excellent financial and numerical skills, with experience monitoring budgets, forecasts, expenditure and benefits.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare clear, concise reports and present information to senior stakeholders.
• Ability to identify risks, dependencies, delays and budget variances early, taking appropriate action to maintain programme control.
• Confident in applying governance and change control processes consistently, including when managing competing stakeholder priorities.
• Effective stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across different locations, business teams, contractors and suppliers.
• Proactive and detail-focused, with the ability to establish effective planning and reporting processes while supporting delivery teams.
• Open to using AI-enabled tools and automation to improve programme planning, controls and reporting.

• Recognised programme or project management qualification, such as APM PMQ, PMI PMP/PgMP or PRINCE2, or equivalent.
• Demonstrable experience in a PMO or programme control role within a multi-project business change or systems transformation programme.
• Proven experience managing programme RAID logs, change control and integrated plans across concurrent projects.
• Experience of programme financial management, including budget control, forecasting and reporting against approved budgets.
• Experience preparing reports for Steering Committees, Boards or senior management teams.
• Experience of resource planning across permanent employees and contract personnel.

Desirable Qualifications/Competencies

• Background in logistics or an associated sector, such as supply chain, marine, energy services or industrial services.
• Experience delivering programmes across multiple countries or legal entities.
• Understanding of the fast-paced environment of an investor-backed business.
• Knowledge of benefits management and tracking within large-scale programmes.
• Proficiency in Power BI or comparable dashboard and reporting tools.
• Familiarity with ERP or core operational platform replacement programmes.