Senior Programme Manager - Discovery Research

The Strategy & Programme Office team is looking to recruit a Senior Programme Manager to support Discovery Research. They will be a vital support to the Discovery Director, providing them with information and insight to help them make key allocation decisions, including financial and people resources – enabling them to focus on the scientific content, strategic development and delivery of the programme.

The Discovery Research team funds bold research across any field with the potential to change the way we understand life, health and wellbeing. Our goal is to enable researchers to be ambitious, take on difficult problems and adopt creative, innovative approaches to push the boundaries of understanding. We use both open mode schemes and directed funding to achieve these goals.

The SPM – Discovery Research will:

• Manage the development and delivery of programme–level milestones with work stream leads in the programme and any resource matrixed into the programme from other Wellcome teams.
• Manage the secretariat/administration of any Advisory or other groups for team's work and ensure the governance and delegated authority structures are used appropriately for delivery purposes.
• As member of Wellcome Strategy and Programme Office leadership team, ensure the Programme office shares appropriate project and programme management, skills, approaches and best practice.
• Support and advise the Discovery Director and their management team on critical matters related to decision making for the business unit and advise on appropriate course of action to mitigate risks – including working with advisory groups and ensuring the governance and delegated authority structures are used appropriately for delivery purposes.
• Ensure alignment with corporate governance including preparation of programme documentation, including all necessary reports (for example; finance, delivery plans, risk registers, Executive Leadership Team and Board of Governors' papers).
• Lead Budget management and Human resource planning and allocation for the team, including resource matrixed from elsewhere in Wellcome, and managing recruitment of new team members – supporting the Discovery Director to build and manage an appropriately skilled and experience, diverse team.
• Manage and track key risks, priorities, escalating programme–level risks before they become issues, and ensuring that these risks are being addressed by the business area and Wellcome management.
• Recruit and line manage Programme Managers/ Officers as required.
• Coordination of internal communication plans and products as needed.
• If People Manager: Build, manage, lead and motivate an integrated, inclusive and flexible team, ensuring that people with the right range of skills and experience are recruited and retained, and that their skills and professional capabilities are maximised.

Skills and Experience:

• Working towards Programme Management professional accreditation – desirable
• Able to demonstrate experience of working within a Programme Management Office
• Strong People Management experience (in a matrixed environment)
• Experience with coordinating competing priorities and multiple stakeholders
• Line management experience
• Ability to think in an analytical way with the ability to adapt well to change over the scope of a programme.
• Evidence of good writing skills with ability to synthesise information conveying key points clearly and concisely

If you are interested in the role, please make sure when submitting your application, you attach your CV and complete the questionnaire form

Salary: GBP68,000

Contract Type: Permanent

Advert closing date: Sunday, 10th September 2021

Diversity and Inclusion is a priority at Wellcome. We are committed to cultivating a fair and healthy environment, where everyone can be themselves and thrive. We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long–term condition. If you would like us to make adjustments during the application process, please contact us.