Head of Programme Planning

McLaren Racing; Old Woking; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Structured career development

25 days’ holiday + bank holidays

Enhanced company pension

Discretionary annual bonus

Private medical insurance

Life assurance

Sabbatical after two years

Wellbeing initiatives

Job summary

McLaren Automotive seeks an experienced programme manager to coordinate the programme management teams across vehicle programmes, technology and component projects, ensuring delivery aligns with business targets.

You will drive cross-functional leadership, plan development, and implement processes that standardize ways of working across programmes while shaping long-term people and skills strategies for engineering.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering or equivalent.
• Extensive experience in programme management within automotive or similar complex industry.
• Strong understanding of McLaren processes, systems and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate programme management teams to meet top-level business targets.
• Define and create data sets for future programmes to support planning.
• Lead cross-functional development of new technologies and risk assessment.
• Standardize methods and ways of working between programmes.
• Develop people and skills strategies for engineering functions.

Skills

Programme management

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Engineering or equivalent

Tools

PMP

Agile

Six Sigma

Job description

• Coordination of programme management team of vehicle programmes, technology and component projects to meet top level business financial targets.
• Business Planning - Definition & creation of consistent data set for all future programmes to facilitate technical function business planning, aligned to the product cycle plan
• Cross functional programme leadership of development of new technologies including delivery risk assessment and pre-programme technology maturation
• Cross functional leadership of cross-vehicle component and system development, including definition and implementation of new processes
• Development of programme delivery (in-source / out-source) strategy prior to kick off, aligned with VLD and other key stakeholders (e.g. Engineering, Design, Finance, Product)
• Lead the engineering team input into the supplier category and people (skills) long term strategies

What You’ll Do

• Lead the development of early target setting for future programmes including PMXU, internal resource, external spend and timing alongside PMO and VLDs
• Drive greater carryover content across programmes to ensure capital expenditure is fully optimised
• Ensure the delivery of the approved product plan and associated project data for use in cross functional budget, resource and spend planning with focus on CAPEX and BoM
• Delivery of product development projects, that align technical change content, product market position and budget according to the McLaren Development Process
• Cross-program component and system sharing through early alignment of function requirements across products
• Working in collaboration with the other PMO functions to establish size and scale of future vehicle programmes, recommending timing, financial parameters and proposed delivery mechanisms (in-source / out-source, mixture)
• Lead the standardization of methods and ways of working between programmes
• Utilise the outputs of the Horizon process to develop and deliver a people and skills strategy for Engineering functions (aligned with People & Culture team)

What You’ll Bring

• Minimum of a Bachelors degree (Business, Engineering or equivalent), essential
• A lateral thinker with extensive experience in programme management, a strong understanding of the industry and associated macro-economic challenges
• Demonstrable experience in commercial management, programme / project management, stakeholder management, change management, and team building across the automotive sector or similarly complex business
• In-depth understanding of McLaren processes, systems, and procedures would be beneficial
• Experience of high volume and niche vehicle (low volume) manufacturers across operational, commercial and strategic roles
• Experience in future programme planning from concept to programme kick off, desirable
• Experience in strategic business planning, budget development and target setting, desirable
• Leadership / people management experience, desirable
• Formal Project Management qualifications are desirable but not essential (e.g. PMP, Agile, Six Sigma)

No restraints. No limitations. We don't simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks. McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.

What We’ll Do for You

We offer a wide - ranging benefits package, which includes:

• Structured career development framework
• 25 days' holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
• Enhanced company pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus award
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan
• Life assurance benefit
• Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years' service
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
• Generous parental leave policies
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice