Programme Manager

Key Responsibilities

• To maintain an integrated cross-programme delivery view of schedules, dependencies and resource needs, highlighting impacts, trade-offs and priorities.
• To work with Service Delivery Leads and Project Coordinators to ensure programme and project plans are created, baselined and actively maintained to PMO standards.
• To run a light planning and delivery cadence with Service Delivery Leads and Project Coordinators, ensuring forecasts, RAID and change control are current and owned.
• To delegate routine delivery decisions to Service Delivery Leads within approved tolerances and to intervene only for risks, issues or exceptions.
• To define, with the PMO, clear decision rights and tolerances that enable Service Delivery Leads to act decisively without unnecessary escalation.
• To operate formal change control in line with PMO governance, ensuring impact assessment, approvals and an auditable trail are completed by the appropriate owners.
• To produce concise, insight-led cross-programme and client reporting to an agreed cadence.

• To track budgets and forecasts, to signal variances early and to recommend corrective actions within agreed tolerances.
• To maintain regular communication with clients, sponsors and internal stakeholders, to secure decisions and approvals and to set expectations clearly.
• To collaborate with Sales, Events, Marketing, Customer Service, Finance, Security/CISO, People/HR and Partnerships & Sponsorship as required.
• To support proposal scoping and deliverability inputs when directed, recognising strategic ownership of new business sits with the Head of Programmes.

• To assess candidate methodologies (for example PRAXIS, APM, tailored PRINCE2 with Agile practices), to recommend a tailored framework and to pilot implementation following approval by the Head of Programmes.
• To embed the agreed framework with PMO support through templates, RAID discipline, change control, tolerances, quality assurance and reporting.
• To design and deliver a role-based training pathway (foundation to practitioner) for Service Delivery Leads, Project Coordinators and Programme Support Administrators, and to maintain a simple competency matrix.
• To coach Service Delivery Leads and Project Coordinators on lessons learned and quality in delivery and to ensure improvements are adopted into future work.

• To line-manage Service Delivery Leads, Project Coordinators and Programme Support Administrators, to set objectives, to run 1:1s and to support development, maintaining the current manage-all structure.
• To apply a coach-first approach that builds capability and accountability while holding people to agreed outcomes and behaviours.
• To plan capacity and allocation across Service Delivery Leads, Project Coordinators and Programme Support Administrators, to balance priorities and to signal constraints early.

• To ensure compliant handling of information in line with ISO 27001, GDPR and SANS policies.
• To maintain accurate, auditable documentation and filing in accordance with PMO guidance.

• To support cross-functional initiatives and wider organisational priorities when required and directed by the Head of Programmes.
• To contribute to continuous improvement of business processes in partnership with the PMO and peer leads. 

• To enable Service Delivery Leads to act within agreed tolerances and pathways and to resolve the majority of delivery decisions at their level.
• To escalate material scope, schedule, cost or risk exceptions to the Head of Programmes.
• To partner with the PMO on governance standards, assurance and continuous improvement.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Demonstrable experience performing a similar role. 
• Educated to degree level or equivalent vocational qualification. 
• Previous experience of setting and monitoring budgets. 
• Enthusiastic and disciplined with a positive ‘can do’ attitude. 
• Experienced in managing successful internal and external stakeholders. 
• Highly motivated, competitive and goal orientated. 
• PC literate with good MS Office skills (MS Excel Intermediate). 
• Not afraid to challenge the status quo. 
• Essential Able to influence and challenge at management level towards effective business solutions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to communicate globally across all business functions.
• Ability to perform multiple activities simultaneously. 
• Ability to use own initiative and work independently. 
• Effective problem-solving skills. 
• Good research skills. 
• Proactive and forward thinking. 
• Able to work in high pressure situations and deadline driven. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills. 
• Good time management skills. 
• Team player. 
• Excellent attention to detail and organised. 
• Able and willing to travel.