Programme Manager (15 month fixed term contract)

Programme Manager – Business & Technology Transformation

📍 Oxford / Hybrid

🕒 Fixed-Term Contract / 15 months

💰 £70-90K salary D.O.E.

We're supporting a UK organisation undertaking a significant transformation programme and are seeking an experienced Programme Manager to provide leadership across two interconnected strategic initiatives.

This is a high-profile role requiring someone who can confidently operate across executive, business and technology stakeholders whilst bringing structure, insight and delivery rigour to complex programmes.

The successful candidate will oversee dependencies across a major business transformation programme and a large-scale technology modernisation initiative, ensuring risks are surfaced early, governance is effective and delivery remains aligned to organisational objectives.

The Role:

Reporting into the Head of Transformation, you will work across multiple programme workstreams and stakeholders, helping to shape decision-making, improve programme visibility and provide confidence in delivery outcomes.

This role requires somebody who combines excellent stakeholder management and communication skills with sufficient technical understanding to challenge assumptions, identify delivery risks and navigate complex transformation environments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide programme leadership across two concurrent transformation programmes.
• Identify, manage and communicate critical dependencies across multiple workstreams.
• Establish effective governance, reporting and programme controls.
• Support executive sponsors and steering committees with clear, actionable programme insights.
• Monitor programme health, delivery progress, risks and budget performance.
• Surface hidden risks, delivery challenges and potential blockers early.
• Facilitate stakeholder alignment and decision-making across business and technology teams.
• Drive accountability for programme actions and outcomes.
• Support resource planning and dependency management across programme teams.
• Champion pragmatic delivery approaches and programme management best practice.
• Work with third-party partners and suppliers where required.

Required Experience:

• Proven experience delivering complex business and technology transformation programmes.
• Experience managing programmes with budgets in the region of £10m and multi-disciplinary delivery teams.
• Strong understanding of software development, technology transformation and modernisation programmes.
• Experience operating across Agile, Waterfall and hybrid delivery environments.
• Demonstrable success joining programmes mid-lifecycle and quickly assessing delivery health.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including experience working with executive leadership teams and steering committees.
• Strong risk, dependency and governance management capability.
• Excellent communication, influencing and facilitation skills.
• Experience using tools such as Jira, Confluence, Miro and MS Project.

What We're Looking For:

• Strong consulting-style stakeholder management and executive presence.
• The ability to quickly build credibility across business and technology teams.
• Sufficient technical understanding to effectively challenge assumptions and identify delivery risks without being a hands-on engineer.
• Someone who has learned from complex and challenging programme environments and can demonstrate sound judgement when navigating ambiguity.
• A pragmatic, delivery-focused professional who balances challenge with collaboration.

Ideal Backgrounds:

Candidates are likely to have worked within environments such as:

• Technology and software development.
• Aviation and transport.
• Retail and consumer-facing organisations.
• Large-scale digital or business transformation programmes.

What's on Offer?

• Opportunity to play a key role in one of the organisation's most significant transformation initiatives.
• Visibility and engagement with senior leadership and executive stakeholders.
• A complex and rewarding delivery environment.
• Flexible hybrid working arrangements.
• The chance to help shape future programme management standards and capabilities within the organisation.

For more information please get in touch with your most recent CV. Please note that this is a fixed term contract opportunity and not open to interim contractors.