Head of Programme Management Office - Crown Prosecution Service - G6

Manchester Digital; Manchester; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Crown Prosecution Service is recruiting a Head of Programme Management Office (PMO) to lead the RCMS PMO within the Digital and Information Directorate. You will provide governance, assurance, integrated planning and high-quality management information to support decisive programme leadership.

You will shape a high-performing PMO, work closely with the Programme Manager and Head of Delivery, and apply Agile/hybrid delivery practices while aligning with government project delivery standards.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a PMO within a complex programme, portfolio or transformation environment.
• Strong understanding of Agile/hybrid delivery and how governance must adapt for iterative delivery.
• Ability to design or mature PMO frameworks, controls and reporting to improve transparency and delivery confidence.
• Proven ability to provide independent insight and constructive challenge to senior stakeholders using data.
• Demonstrated leadership, building high-performing teams and influencing across complex organisations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the RCMS Programme Management Office to provide governance, assurance, planning, controls and insight across the programme.
• Collaborate with the Programme Manager and Head of Delivery to ensure governance and programme controls support strategic decision-making.
• Establish proportionate governance, assurance and reporting to provide reliable information on performance, risks and dependencies.
• Provide independent insight and constructive challenge to the SRO and governance forums using management information and professional judgement.
• Lead PMO capability, standards and continuous improvement across a complex digital programme operating with Agile and standards aligned to government delivery.

Skills

PMO leadership

Governance & assurance

Agile delivery

Stakeholder influence

Leadership & teaming

Education

PMO qualifications (MSP, PRINCE2, P3O)

Job description

Location

This post can be based in any location within England and Wales where a Crown Prosecution Service office is located. You are expected to travel to Crown Prosecution Service locations as part of this role, based on business needs. The Crown Prosecution Service is a Disability Confident employer and all reasonable adjustments are considered in line with Equality Act of 2010.

About The Job

Job summary

The Crown Prosecution Service is transforming how digital services support the delivery of justice. As part of the Replacing CMS (RCMS) Programme, we are recruiting a Head of Programme Management Office (PMO) to provide senior leadership of the PMO supporting one of the organisation’s most significant digital transformation programmes.

Sitting within the Digital and Information Directorate, you are a key member of the programme’s senior leadership team, working alongside the Programme Manager and Head of Delivery, with each role bringing distinct and complementary leadership responsibilities. As Head of PMO, you lead and develop the RCMS PMO and provide the governance, assurance, integrated planning, controls and high-quality management information needed to support effective programme leadership and decision-making. This reflects the job description’s accountability for leading the PMO, establishing programme controls and providing expert guidance, insight and second-line assurance.

RCMS operates in a complex digital delivery environment, requiring a PMO that combines strong programme management disciplines with an understanding of Agile and iterative delivery. You work collaboratively across the programme leadership team, providing independent insight, assurance and constructive challenge, while ensuring that proportionate standards, processes and controls provide transparency and confidence without creating unnecessary barriers to delivery.

This is an opportunity for an experienced senior PMO leader to shape and lead a high-performing function at the heart of a major digital transformation programme.

The Crown Prosecution Service is based in England and Wales. If you’re applying for this role and live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you must let us know when accepting this offer as you need permission to work from your home address if hybrid working is part of your role. There’s no guarantee that we will grant this approval.

You must be aged 16 or over at the point of starting in this role. The expected start date is approximately 8–12 weeks after the application closing date. You are expected to commence employment as soon as possible following the expiry of your notice period. Requests for significantly later start dates may not be accommodated.

As part of this role, you are expected to undertake direct line management responsibilities.

Job Description

Your roles and responsibilities:

• You lead and develop the RCMS Programme Management Office, creating a high-performing function that provides effective governance, assurance, integrated planning, controls and insight across the programme.
• You work as a peer within the programme senior leadership team alongside the Programme Manager and Head of Delivery, bringing specialist PMO leadership and ensuring governance, assurance and programme controls effectively support strategic decision-making and successful delivery.
• You establish and maintain proportionate governance, assurance, programme controls and reporting arrangements, ensuring the SRO and programme leadership have reliable, evidence-based information on programme performance, risks, issues and dependencies.
• You provide independent insight and constructive challenge to the SRO, programme leadership and governance forums, using management information, assurance findings and professional judgement to strengthen programme control and delivery confidence.
• You lead PMO capability, standards and continuous improvement, developing the PMO team and ensuring its approaches are effective for a complex digital programme operating across Agile and programme management disciplines and aligned with government project delivery standards.

A Copy Of The Full Job Description Is Attached.

Person specification

To be eligible to apply it is essential you have experience of:

• leading a PMO function within a complex programme, portfolio or transformation environment, providing governance, assurance, planning, reporting, risk and dependency oversight to senior leaders and decision-making forums.
• operating PMO functions within large-scale digital, data or technology programmes, with a strong understanding of Agile and hybrid delivery approaches and how governance and controls must adapt to support iterative delivery.
• designing, implementing or maturing PMO frameworks, standards, controls, reporting and assurance processes to improve transparency, consistency and delivery confidence.
• proven ability to provide independent insight, assurance and constructive challenge to SROs, programme boards and senior stakeholders, using data and evidence to support decision-making and effective programme control.
• strong leadership, including building high-performing teams, developing professional capability and influencing senior stakeholders across complex organisational environments.

It is desirable that you have the below experience but this is not required to apply:

• Experience of establishing, transforming or maturing a PMO function within a complex organisation.
• Recognised programme, project or PMO qualifications (e.g. MSP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, P3O, MoP, APM PMQ or equivalent).