Programme Manager

Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is passionate about providing high-quality services to our communities, residents and businesses. This means we must employ and retain the most talented and dedicated people.

Situated within the heart of the Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Area, Huntingdonshire is a beautiful district that boasts thriving market towns and many attractive villages, each with its own identity. We are an innovative and forward-thinking local authority whose residents are at the heart of our decision-making.

At HDC we want to employ staff who embody our icare values (Inspiring, Collaborative, Accountable, Respectful, Enterprising), all of which support our ultimate purpose of putting our customers first.

Job details

This role is central in supporting the delivery of a service that connects the corporate transformation goals with operational execution across the council to deliver strategic business outcomes.

You will lead on programme design, implementation and delivery of the council’s transformation and change programmes, aligning multiple projects with organisational goals.

You will be a role model for our transformative culture, promoting collaboration and drive services to focus on measurable outcomes, fostering accountability and improving return on investment.

You will also support the delivery of the programme of work defined as part of the Local Government Reorganisation and ensure good governance standards and assurance across LGA projects and programmes, as well as enabling value-driven outcomes.

• Enabling strategic alignment – You will oversee the council’s Transformation Plan, including a portfolio of transformation programmes and projects, ensuring alignment to corporate transformation goals. You will bring challenge to ensure programmes and projects deliver the transformation vision and that efforts are directed towards benefits with highest business impact. This will include the review of projects submitted within Service Plans across the council.

• Leading programme and project framework – You will lead on the delivery of a Transformation Project Management Office (PMO) service. To establish clear strategic alignment and benefits, strong governance and administration, managing interdependencies, risks and issues, reliable and transparent reporting, training and mentoring. You will support services through the project lifecycle from the pre-project phase to initiation, delivery and reflection. Ensuring transformation programme delivers long-term value and benefits and that the PMO standards are adhered to.

• Building resilience to change – You will support leadership and services in building a stronger culture that embraces the transformation vision and is resilient to change. You will ensure your service advocates transformational change by communicating the vision, overcoming challenges and guiding project teams through transformation, fostering a culture that embraces adaptability.

• Develop assurance framework and mitigate risk – You will deliver an assurance framework that meets two key objectives. First, to provide regular monitoring that proactively addresses potential issues before they impact project timelines or budgets. And secondly, deliver an assurance programme of scheduled health-checks. You will foster transparency and reliability for leadership regarding project and programme assurance status and project progress.

About the role

To manage:

• Delivery of the Transformation PMO framework, standards and solutions. A service that through collaboration with leaders, services and project teams ensures management and delivery of programmes and projects is compliant with the Transformation PMO standards and framework

• The council’s Transformation Plan and portfolio of transformation programmes and projects. And to assist services with successful delivery of transformational change programmes and projects

• The programme of work associated with the delivery of the LGR workstreams associated with the new unitary decision

• The capturing of new project concepts and ideas at the pre-project phase. To manage the delivery of the Ideas Panel Board and to support the Service Planning process across the council by reviewing submissions and engaging with services to ensure strategic alignment

• The delivery of an assurance framework that puts in place

• • Monitoring and processes that proactively identifies potential programme and project issues before they impact timelines, budgets, benefit realisation and outcomes. To investigate progress reporting concerns

  • Clearly communicated expectations regarding project assurance assessments and health checks against a project assurance framework. That delivers transparent and reliable reporting of programme and project assurance for leadership and governing boards.

• The delivery of a community of good practice service that shares learning and skills on project and programme management and lessons learnt across the council.

To advise:

• Leadership, services and teams with the alignment of projects and programme with:

• • Corporate transformation goals

  • PMO framework

  • Risk management, compliance concerns and issues

  • Assurance and assessment. 

• All staff and stakeholders and bring constructive challenge and drive benefits with highest business impact

• All staff and stakeholders encouraging them to foster a culture that embraces transformation and adaptability, guiding services with positive energy through transformation change

• Leadership and human resources on training development requirements and support delivery of a programme that embraces changing culture and behaviours, and programme and project expertise

• All staff and stakeholders with good practice and sector innovation regarding project and programme management and change management.

To produce:

• A framework for Transformation PMO, programme and project assurance and good community of practice and training programme. To communicate expectations and develop collaboration with services across the council to drive effective delivery of various frameworks

• Enabling data-driven decision-making reports, by leveraging data to forecast programme and project outcomes, assess risks and adjust programme and project deliverables

• Writing programme and project documentation, assurance assessments, internal communications, reports and presenting findings

• The council’s Transformation Plan, and reporting progress in delivering the transformation vision.

About you

• Programme management: Programme Management qualification and/ or a significant level of knowledge and understanding of applying programme management

• Project Management qualification and/ or high level of knowledge and understanding of applying project management

• Transformation: Proven knowledge of transformation, continuous improvement, service design and service improvement models and good practice

• PMO: Good knowledge of PMO frameworks especially governance, controls and processes

• Change management: Good knowledge or methods and techniques to manage and influence behavioural and cultural change

• Local government: Good knowledge of local government and services, understanding the drivers for change and improvement, and challenges or opportunities impacting the sector.

An offer of employment is conditional upon having the right to work in the UK. HDC does not hold a Sponsorship Licence and is unable to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) or take over sponsorship for any role.

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