Senior Programme Manager
| Job Type | Contract |
| Location | Surrey |
| Area | South East, UK |
| Sector | Local Government |
| Salary | £600 Per Day |
| Start Date | April 9th, 2025 |
| Advertiser | Ashley Price |
| Job Ref | BM-2025-080 |
| IR35 | Inside |
| Security Clearance | DBS/DS |
- Description
- The Client:
A government department client is looking for an Senior Programme Manager to join them on a 3 month contract. This position will be on site/ Surrey.
Job Summary:
- To apply specialist knowledge, expertise and experience to deliver and oversee highly complex, high-impact transformation programmes (in this case, the Children’s Social Care and Additional Needs and Disabilities Transformation Programmes), ensuring alignment with the Senior Responsible Owner’s vision and strategic objectives.
- Manage multifaceted, high-stakes programmes that drive transformational change, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and with measurable benefits, significantly contributing to the Council’s long-term priorities.
- Effectively manage diverse stakeholder relationships and lead cross functional teams, the Specialist Programme Manager drives initiatives that significantly enhance service delivery, optimise operational efficiency, and deliver lasting value to residents and key stakeholders.
- Key Accountabilities
- Lead the design, execution, and delivery of highly complex transformation programme/s, ensuring alignment with the Council’s long-term strategic priorities and objectives. Applying deep subject matter expertise to inform specialist programme design and execution, ensuring relevance and impact.
- Drive the development and secure approval of comprehensive business cases and change requests, ensuring they are strategically aligned with the Council’s vision of sustainability and community empowerment.
- Engage with Programme Boards, providing critical updates and strategic insights, ensuring programmes are on track to support and advance the Council's overarching goals.
- Oversee and manage substantial programme budgets, ensuring the strategic allocation of resources to drive economic resilience and sustainable growth.
- Ensure that all projects within the specialist programme are strategically aligned and integrated, maximising their collective impact and advancing the strategic vision of the client group.
- Identify and manage cross-programme dependencies, ensuring strategic coherence and seamless delivery to address complex challenges facing the client and the Council.
- Lead on management of risks and issues across the specialist programme, ensuring prompt escalation and resolution to safeguard the Council’s service delivery standards.
- Deliver high-level, progress reports to senior management and key stakeholders, ensuring alignment with the Council’s strategic objectives and maintaining accountability throughout the programme lifecycle.
- Work closely with the Assistant Director for Transformation and other senior stakeholders to ensure that cross programme dependencies are mapped and managed.
- Lead the delivery of programme assurance, ensuring that the programme remains on track and consistently delivers value, contributing to the Council's continuous improvement and long-term strategic success.
- Line manage, oversee and mentor team members, managing and supporting their performance to build their professional capabilities. Use metrics and feedback to drive continuous improvement. Review evaluations of project outcomes to identify areas for enhancement and implement best practices.
- To coordinate and ensure optimum deployment of resources across the projects within the programme the role is responsible for.
- Work Context
- The Transformation Team and Children, Families & Lifelong Learning (CFLL) Savings team will operate in a dynamic, agile environment, delivering strategic transformation initiatives across the council, working very closely with the CFLL Directorate.
- Emphasising continuous improvement, the service requires team members to proactively identify opportunities for collaboration, optimisation, and efficiency gains. Effective communication and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders are essential for the successful delivery of transformation initiatives. The team is committed to excellence, innovation, and strategic alignment, focusing on delivering value and driving positive change across the organisation.
- Specialist Programme Managers work within a matrix programme team, collaborating with colleagues across the council. They lead significant and complex programmes in a specialist area of the council, demonstrating agility and flexibility to work within and beyond this client group as required. They quickly and credibly embed themselves into new areas of work, applying their specialist expertise, knowledge and experience across all the programme management disciplines.
- They combine the breadth and depth of their programme management expertise with a deep knowledge in a specialist part of the council, allowing them to lead highly specialist programmes of work.
- The Specialist Programme Manager role demands significant effort and responsibility, leading highly complex, high-impact transformation programmes that require strategic foresight and exemplary planning. They navigate intricate stakeholder landscapes, manage substantial resources, and ensure all projects align with the council’s long-term vision. By driving transformational change and overseeing multifaceted projects, they foster continuous improvement and innovation, significantly contributing to the council’s sustained success and operational excellence.
- Line management responsibility
- There will be line management responsibility for Senior Transformation Managers, Senior Project Managers and Project Managers.
- Budget responsibility - No formal budgetary responsibility. The Specialist Programme Manager will have an indirect impact on Directorate budgets through their contribution to service planning and team development. They will be involved in projects and programmes that have a large impact on Surrey County Council's budget.
- Education,Knowledge, Skills & Abilities, Experience and Personal Characteristics
- Degree or equivalent professional qualification plus experience at management level in a specialist area in a demanding business environment.
- Knowledge of the principles of change management, project management and continuous improvement, and their practical application.
- Extensive knowledge of the principles of change management, project management and continuous improvement, and their practical application.
- Authoritative knowledge of the work practices, processes and procedures relevant to the role including broader sector/commercial awareness.
- Proven ability to manage budgets and available resources to deliver effective support to their area of responsibility.
- Strong written and oral communication and interpersonal skills with high level negotiation and influencing skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners/professionals.
- Comprehensive knowledge of computerised business systems.
- Proven ability to inspire and motivate others.
- Advanced problem solving and analytical skills with the capacity to devise and implement practical and creative solutions.
- Proven ability to assess risks and benefits in a complex environment and respond appropriately.
- Substantial experience in successful leading, motivating, coaching, mentoring and developing staff.
- Appropriate professional programme management qualification (such as Prince2, APM or MSP) or equivalent experience.
- Substantial experience leading and implementing complex, multifaceted transformation programmes at this level.
- Substantial knowledge and expertise within a specialist area of local government e.g. children's social care.
- Satisfactory DBS clearance is required for this role, and Specialist Programme Managers must be able and willing to travel across the county to attend stakeholder meetings.
- Satisfactory DBS clearance is required for this role, and Specialist Programme Managers must be able and willing to travel across the county to attend stakeholder meetings.
- Roles at this level are substantial management roles, they are either managing a multi functional support service within one of the organisation's service areas, or coordinating a specific business development or advisory area. This may involve significant coordination of complex or diverse services, e.g. leading business support services to professional teams, or coordinating teams carrying out specialist advisory or administrative services. More specialised roles will require a full understanding of a professional or specialised field and will work with those both inside and outside the organisation, to influence the development of services or delivery of specific projects or organisational objectives. Their work includes developing and implementing operational plans and contributing to the longer term plans for the area in line with organisational strategy. They will provide overall guidance to more junior managers in terms of planning, service standards and resources which underpin service level agreements. They work closely with customers, staff, agencies and/or contractors to ensure that the services meet and exceed expectations. Roles at this level require extensive management experience and high level expertise. They exercise flexibility and independence for decision making within their particular functional area, working to broad parameters and policy guidance. Roles at this level are accountable for the professionalism of service delivery under their remit.
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.
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.
- To apply specialist knowledge, expertise and experience to deliver and oversee highly complex, high-impact transformation programmes (in this case, the Children’s Social Care and Additional Needs and Disabilities Transformation Programmes), ensuring alignment with the Senior Responsible Owner’s vision and strategic objectives.
