Services Programme Delivery Manager (f/m/d) German speaker

Adaptavist; Nordrhein-Westfalen; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Adaptavist is seeking a Services Programme Manager in Cologne to own a strategic portfolio of client-facing and internal programmes. You will manage plans, dependencies, risks, budgets, and stakeholders across multi-workstream engagements, acting as a trusted advisor to clients.

You will apply PM methodologies and ITIL practices to ensure profitable service delivery, governance, and continual improvement while coordinating with Delivery, Sales, and Finance to maximize account value.

Qualifications

• Fluent in German and English with ability to interact at senior levels.
• Extensive experience in programme management and software delivery lifecycles.
• Proven capability to manage multi-workstream programmes and senior client relationships.

Responsibilities

• Defines and manages the overall programme strategy across multiple projects.
• Ensures programme governance, risks, budgets, and stakeholder alignment.
• Drives continuous improvement and coordinates with Sales, Delivery, and Finance teams.
• Leads client-facing reviews, change control, and incident management as needed.
• Mentors junior PMs and aligns PMO standards with best practices.

Skills

Bilingual DE/EN

PM methodology

ITIL practices

Stakeholder management

Sales collaboration

Change management

Education

PgMP or related certification

Tools

Atlassian

GitLab

Monday.com

Job description

Job Description

The Services Programme Manager (PgM) hybrid position from Cologne owns a strategic portfolio of client-facing and internal related programmes and projects. Beyond managing plans, dependencies, risks, budgets, and stakeholders in multi-workstream engagements, the PgM is the most senior member of a strategic account. Sitting in a strategic seat, PgMs are tasked with becoming a trusted advisor to the client, understanding client requirements and helping drive conversations back to Sales and Delivery to support the growth of strategic accounts.

Using PM methodology and ITIL practices, the PgM will be the day-to-day senior representative of the Services team, interacting frequently with the client to ensure requirements are understood, expectations are met, and technical concerns and opportunities are addressed. The role ensures the profitability of the services delivered through rigorous governance, reporting, and continual improvement; and oversees the planning and execution of technology operational changes, support enhancements and maintenance to meet contractual needs and handle Incident Management.

In addition to being the key point of contact between their Services clients externally, the PgM will be responsible for working directly with the Services Delivery Teams as an internal client, to identify and drive continuous improvement and increase operational efficiency; collaborating closely with Business Development, Commercial Operations, Finance and Account Management to ensure the customer has an unparalleled customer experience.

They also may manage other services project managers within complex engagements and coach junior staff to elevate delivery standards across the organization.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

Services Project Management

• Defines, implements and manages the overall programme strategy, ensuring all projects align with organizational goals across multiple projects and workstreams
• Ensures all project deliverables meet the required quality standards and conform to company policies
• Works closely with Business Development and the client to build out additional project opportunities
• Creates and monitors programmes and project artifacts, such as and not limited to:
• Level 0 through to Level 3 Plans
• Earned Value Management (SPI / CPI)
• Scope of work (Change Log tracking)
• Executive level Risk, Issue & Opportunity Management
• Tracks Benefit and Value Realization across programmes and projects
• Ensures testing and deployment best practices adhered to throughout programme
• Creates communications plans to ensure all levels of programme are informed
• Coordinates and facilitates meetings/ceremonies with customers and internal teams
• Ensures Service Level and Operational Level Agreements are managed and met, and leads potential dispute resolution around Service Level Agreements between Adaptavist and the client
• Facilitates problem/incident management and change management as needed
• Identifies, recommends and executes on areas for continual improvement for key service management processes and strategy, to ensure smooth running of services and high customer satisfaction
• Plans and executes periodic business and innovation reviews to ensure key account retention and customer satisfaction

Financials and Reporting

• Creates programme plans and burndown reports for clients and internal teams for status transparency.
• Manages client project budgets, resourcing, and ensures accurate forecasting
• Pulls together and clarifies Key Performance Indicators and costs
• Reports on profitability and margins, in order to fulfill monthly accrual revenue and margin data for C-level executives
• Supports decision-making through strategic reporting
• Ensures commercial performance and controls revenue through effective pricing strategy development, margin control and revenue risk analysis.
• Facilitates the payment process through invoice management and internal collaboration with the finance team
• Conducts gap analysis and identifies opportunities for upsell/service improvement and revenue growth for existing service customers

Leadership

• Embodies Consultative Mindset - client-focused, builds trust and seeks to drive value to customers
• Defines procedures and best practices when change requests are required, leading the change control process
• Supervises and coordinates the activities of the parties involved in the programme
• Leads continuous improvement of delivery processes, templates, and PMO standards, contributing to lessons learned and knowledge management
• Coaches and mentors junior project managers and coordinators to uplift delivery maturity
• Partners with Account Management/Sales and the Delivery Team Leads through pre-sales support and account planning to successfully qualify, scope and propose optimal solutions for prospective Services customers
• Educates internal staff on services, customer experience concepts, the PMO value proposition, and internal SOPs, ensuring smooth coordination across cross-functional teams
• Builds the knowledge base of Adaptavist PMO through contributions to lessons learned logs
• Acts as an advocate for external and internal clients, potential partners and industry players

Qualifications

Required

• Bilingual in German and English
• Advanced understanding of Project Management and Software Engineering methodologies (i.e., Agile, SAFe, Waterfall, PRINCE2 for Agile Scrum Master, Product Management etc.)
• Chairing strategic advisory meetings with clients and managing stakeholders at senior levels
• Experience with account management and Sales to support growth of accounts
• Experience with ITIL frameworks
• Skilled in building rapport, client trust, and developing long-term relationships
• Has experience gathering requirements and defining problem statements for clients
• Ability to manage large-scale projects and programmes with multiple workstreams
• Ability to work seamlessly in a team-oriented environment
• Ability to handle a variety of tasks independently and efficiently
• Proactive, persuasive, energetic personality
• Detail oriented and clear communicator with superior organisation skills
• Strong communication skills and confident in working with stakeholders at all levels
• Experience in incident, problem and change management
• A general understanding of the pre-sales process in a services context
• Working experience with business development teams on proposals and pitches
• Knowledge and or experience of various IT digital transformation themes: Cloud, ITIL, Agile, DevOps, Work Management
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and best practices
• PgMP or related certification
• Knowledgeable in a wide variety of ecosystems, including Atlassian, Gitlab and monday.com
• Experience in contributing to Client-facing Service Reviews and other workshop activities