Programme Director
| Job Type | Contract |
| Location | London |
| Area | London, UK |
| Sector | Defence & Nuclear |
| Salary | £1,200 Per Day |
| Start Date | September 25th, 2026 |
| Advertiser | Jack Ingram |
| Job Ref | 7722 - PSR1JP00105610 |
| IR35 | Inside |
| Security Clearance | SC |
- Description
- The Client:
A government client is looking for a Programme Director to join them on a 5 month contract. This position will be based in London.
Job Summary:
An exceptional senior leader, accountable for end-to-end delivery of the programme, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives, managing risk, overseeing business change, benefits realisation, and data migration. Strategic oversight of the central Programme Management Office (PMO) to ensure rigorous governance, planning, and performance reporting. Responsible for end to end product ownership and technical delivery—to ensure cohesive leadership and success across all programme dimensions. Work collaboratively with an extensive range of stakeholders across the organisation and Commands, forging a ‘one team’ approach and building strong relationships.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Programme Leadership:
- Own the successful delivery of the ERP replacement programme, ensuring it meets time, cost and quality objectives.
- Maintain a clear vision, roadmap, and delivery strategy aligned with Defence, CSM and DPT priorities.
Business Change & Benefits Realisation:
- Lead the business transformation agenda, ensuring robust engagement with military and civilian stakeholders.
- Embed new ways of working and realise planned benefits in workforce efficiency, HR service improvement, and data insights.
Data Migration & Readiness:
- Oversee strategy and execution for data quality, cleansing, migration and readiness across multiple legacy systems, ensuring a smooth and accurate transition to the new ERP platform.
Senior Stakeholder Engagement:
- Act as the primary interface for the programme with senior Defence leaders, Enabling Organisations and delivery partners.
- Build confidence in delivery through clear, credible and transparent reporting, working across an extensive range of stakeholders.
Governance & Assurance:
- Own and lead programme governance, including Steering Groups, formal assurance gates, and audit actions.
- Manage dependencies with other major programmes across Defence, including Defence Reform.
PMO Oversight:
- Lead a high-performing Programme Management Office, ensuring excellence in planning, reporting, risk management, financial oversight, and benefits tracking.
Team Leadership & Culture:
- Build and sustain a diverse, motivated and resilient team culture that reflects Civil Service values.
- Develop capability across the programme and wider transformation community.
- Continuous development of team members will be essential, to ensure ability to operate confidently at stretch.
Leadership of Product Teams:
- Lead and develop four cross-functional teams (each led by a Head of Product and Head of Delivery), as well as a number of ‘cross-cutting’ specialists, fostering a culture of collaboration, user-focus, agile delivery, and continuous improvement.
- Continuous development of team members will be essential, to ensure ability to operate confidently at stretch.
User-Centred Design:
- Embed service design, user research and agile methodologies into the heart of product development.
- Ensure user experience (UX) and accessibility standards are met and iteratively improved.
Policy Optimisation and Simplification:
- Lead the review, challenge and optimisation of policy, process and business rules to ensure they are simplified, standardised and fit for digital delivery.
- Work with policy owners, operational stakeholders and design teams to identify unnecessary complexity, remove non-value-adding variation, and translate agreed policy positions into clear, deterministic requirements that enable adoption of standard system functionality, maximise business benefits and minimise ongoing operational and technology costs.
An active SC clearance is required for this role. At a minimum, candidates must be eligible and willing to undergo security clearance. Due to the short-term nature of the contract and the urgency of the requirement, the client may prioritise applicants who already hold active SC clearance and meet all essential criteria.
Our Company:
Malikshaw Interim & Executive is a specialist provider of talent management solutions helping our clients transform the delivery of our public services. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we combine providing the best talent with delivering diverse, inclusive workforces and particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, LGBTQI+ people, and women.
How to Apply:
Please apply through the link provided to send your application directly to the Recruiter managing this assignment.
Disability Confident:
As a member of the disability confident scheme, the Client guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group.
Armed Forces Covenant:
As a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, the Client guarantees to interview all veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group.
If you qualify for any of the above, please notify us on your covering letter and your recruiter will confirm if the client is a member. We will then be in touch to discuss your suitability and arrange your Guaranteed Interview.
Should you require reasonable adjustments at any point during the recruitment process or if there is a more accessible way for us to communicate, please do let me know.
- Own the successful delivery of the ERP replacement programme, ensuring it meets time, cost and quality objectives.
