Programme Manager

Programme Manager
GBP85k salary + car allowance + bonus
Hybrid (on site 2 days/week, South East England)

The Company:
We are proud to be partnering with a company who are the leaders in their sector. Their combined group serves a huge customer base through over 175 branches extending from Penzance to Margate. They have revenues in excess of GBP600 million and employ over 2,200 colleagues.
With strong investment in place, they re transforming the business to ensure they optimise each and every customer experience. With an updated technology roadmap to support this, they re focused on further improving their transactional systems, and accelerating their data and digital strategies.

The Role:
You will shape and manage their technology change programme in line with cost, time, and quality expectations, and provide all stakeholders with clear visibility of the plan, progress, and health. The role is undertaken from cradle to grave , with responsibility from concept definition, through scoping and mobilisation, to implementation, and will encompass several different projects simultaneously.

You will manage and deliver the technology change programme in line with cost, time and quality expectations. The role is undertaken prior to and throughout all stages of the software development lifecycle this includes working with product owners and stakeholders in defining roadmaps, then leading analysis and planning activities into cycles of design–build–test–implement, before ensuring stable operations are established with colleagues and partners.

Your prior experience of leading technology change initiatives means that you will be an authority on programme and project management. The role includes line and matrix management and will influence the group s wider PMO capability to support delivery of the business plan.

Key Responsibilities:

Roadmap & Business Partnering –

• Identify and analyse technology needs and opportunities with stakeholders, agree functional priorities, and develop a prioritised roadmap.
• Engage IT colleagues and partners to explore opportunities, inspire colleagues, and support the development of concept proposals and high–level business cases.
• Shape and agree detailed project scopes with sponsors and stakeholders.
• Ensure that benefits, costs, plans and responsibilities are rigorously assessed in project business cases.
• Prepare project reports for review as required, alongside ongoing, iterative channels of communication.
• Manage timely delivery of all committed IT demand, including project & product change, and act as point of escalation for IT delivery.

Programme Delivery –

• Co–ordinate individual project goals and milestones into a programme schedule.
• Resource the plans and manage those resources to deliver projects to the approved plans and designs in the most cost–effective way. Matrix–manage project resources across internal and external teams.
• Identify and track interdependencies and risks, and co–ordinate resources to ensure successful delivery.
• Track and report project status relative to approved business case and scope, with transparency and insight into overall health of the programme.
• Manage all financials for IT programme delivery.

Project Leadership –

• Work across multiple teams and individuals to create integrated and realistic project plans at an early stage.
• Make plans available in different formats, clearly communicate implications, and achieve sign–off of baseline plans.
• Challenge and build estimates to agree a plan which appropriately balances business risk and reward.
• Quality review project plans, applying best practice methods across the lifecycle.
• Ensure that appropriate requirements documentation is produced and manage internal and external resources/partners to ensure that requirements are delivered as agreed.
• Build end–to–end testing and QA frameworks that link technology and stakeholders coherently.
• Develops training & implementation plans that balance the needs of project delivery and business stability.
• Ensure that solutions developed through projects can be fully and effectively supported, through appropriate adherence to stage–gate criteria and undertaking a seamless transition to BAU support and handover of roles/responsibilities with colleagues.

Technology Leadership –

• Play a leading role in the development of the company s IT strategy and roadmap by seeking out and providing rich insight into technology and commercial opportunities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and product owners to maximise the benefits which can be achieved from new and existing technology products.
• Lead the development of change practices and enabling IT processes that add demonstrable business value and support business priorities.
• Shape, develop and manage a high–performing team by setting a clear and aligned vision, role modelling behaviours, and demonstrating personal and team growth.
• Actively develop and role model a professional, productive and collaborative culture across the IT leadership team.

Essential Attributes, Skills & Experience

• Demonstrable experience as a Programme Manager, IT Business Partner or similar, with a track record of owning the development and delivery of technology programmes or portfolios.
• Worked in a retail/wholesale/distribution environment, with a track record of aligning and improving solutions with key business processes.
• Uses excellent data analysis skills to validate plans from different angles.
• Inspires colleagues and partners to form an aligned project team and agreed working practices.
• Skilled at information capture to ensure business requirements are documented effectively.
• Intuitively identifies, assesses and closely manages project risks.
• Collaborates effectively with project team members and stakeholders has a clear understanding of the business change required to successfully implement systems/technology.
• Experience of and skills in business analysis and systems development techniques and methodologies.
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of the governance around running successful projects.
• Tailors communications and engagement to suit a range of audiences, including both experienced and novice.
• Able to swiftly analyse detailed project activities, whilst retaining a strong focus on the bigger picture.
• Skilled at managing vendor performance under different commercial frameworks, including the ability to successfully challenge underperformance and drive improvements.
• Experience of managing budgets.