Director of Programmes: Defence

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Head of Programmes - Defence Sectors

The Head of Programmes-Defence Sectors is responsible for overseeing the strategic alignment, governance, and execution of multiple programmes and projects the is the Defence Sector portfolio. This role ensures that this portfolio delivers maximum value, adheres to best practices outlined by the Association for Project Management (APM), and supports the organisation’s long-term objectives. This role requires someone who is a highly effective senior operational leader who can pivot towards strategic leadership with expertise in Business Management, programme governance, stakeholder engagement, risk management, and continuous improvement.

You'll have a dual reporting line, functional reporting to Director of Programme Management and PMO and operationally to MD – Defence Sectors

You'll be responsible for

• Operational Leadership: Being the central point of convergence for all project and business performance both actuals and projected for the Defence Sectors
• Ownership of input variables in the rolling forecast and proposing solutions. Appraising the MD Defence Sectors of status and movement.
• Team Management: Accountable for the team management, development and deployment of a team of project management Staff.
• Portfolio Strategy & Governance: Develop, implement and execute portfolio management frameworks aligned with APM standards in line with business cadence. (Sales & Operations Process and Financial Reporting)
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with senior leadership and key stakeholders to ensure portfolio objectives align with business strategy. This is across Technology teams, Finance, Supply Chain and Business Development.
• Risk & Issue Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate risks across the portfolio to ensure successful delivery.
• Resource Optimisation: Oversee resource allocation across projects and programmes to maximise efficiency and impact.
• Performance Monitoring: Accountable for key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure portfolio success such as On Time Delivery and Cost performance.
• Change Management: Lead organisational change initiatives, ensuring smooth transitions and stakeholder buy-in.
• Financial Oversight / Business Management: Manage portfolio budgets, ensuring cost-effective delivery and financial sustainability.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive innovation and best practices in portfolio management, leveraging APM methodologies.

Person Specification

This role is critical in delivering many aspects the business and operational performance for the delivery unit, as such, building a strong relationship with its Managing Director and helping develop a high performing team culture is critical to the success of this role. The successful candidate will have to show previous success developing such relationships and building a high-performance culture.

As part of the Programme Management function maintaining and developing standards, process adherence and ensuring / developing team skills and competencies are essential tasks reporting into the Director of Programmes’ first line. In addition, the following skills and qualifications are required

Essential Skills/Qualifications/Experience

• Experience in managing a team of Project Management staff.
• Excellent communication skills, familiar with communicating at all levels of the business to ensure senior management are briefed on any mission critical issues in a timely manner and remedial plans are in place.
• Comfortable communicator at all levels of the organisation
• An extremely strong leader with significant experience in a busy projects based/professional services environment
• An organised yet flexible approach and able to influence/deliver through others across multiple projects.
• Leader, team builder and team player with an influential and collaborative style.
• Results oriented with a positive can-do approach and focused on solutions rather than problems.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Can provide accurate and comprehensive data and maintain complex records.
• Ability to form and foster collaborative relationships within the business and with customers.
• Hold regular project/programme/portfolio risk reviews in line with the MTC Project Management Processes.
• A natural investigatory orientation and able to diagnose and resolve problems identified.
• Driving change to improve our business practices and frameworks.
• Results driven self-starter with a positive can-do approach focusing on solutions rather than problems.
• Experience and a working understanding of delivering projects through others in an engineering/professional services environment.
• Qualified to degree level in technical and / or business-related disciplines and a background in Engineering or professional related disciplines.
• Strong commercial acumen.
• Must be an experienced MS Project and Excel user, ideally with MS Project Server experience.
• Ideally had previous experience using Microsoft AX Dynamics/D365 and Microsoft Project Server.
• Ideally have a Project Management Qualification e.g. APMQ or PRINCE 2.
• Numerate with a strong focus on financial management.
• Experience of project management processes & reporting techniques covering a broad portfolio of projects.
• Experience of customer and stakeholder management.
• Experience of leading and managing a high performing team.

Desirable Skills/Qualifications/Experience

• Knowledge of NEC4, standard form of contract.
• Current or previous holder of national security clearance.

Interview Process

Once you submit your application, this will be passed on to our Talent Acquisition team for review. If you are successfully shortlisted, the next steps will be a 2-stage interview process.

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