IT Programme Delivery Lead — Strategy & Transformation

Smiths Detection; Hemel Hempstead; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Smiths Detection is seeking an experienced Head of IT Programme Delivery to lead a portfolio of enterprise IT change initiatives. You will head a team of Programme Managers, Project Managers and PMO professionals, driving governance, controls and measurable business value across the organisation.

You will partner with business and IT leaders to translate strategic objectives into executable programmes, balancing pace, quality, cost and risk while ensuring benefits realisation and smooth adoption

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading complex IT programme portfolios and transformation initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of programme governance, PMO disciplines, benefits realisation and delivery assurance.
• Experience delivering across enterprise applications, infrastructure, cyber security, data, digital transformation or business change.
• Exceptional leadership and people management skills, with the ability to build and develop high-performing teams.
• Strong executive stakeholder management and influencing capability.
• Demonstrated expertise in dependency management, risk mitigation and complex problem solving.
• Commercial acumen with experience managing budgets, suppliers and competing business priorities.
• The ability to balance pace, quality, cost, risk and business value when making decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing programme delivery function with clear accountability for outcomes.
• Define and evolve a consistent programme delivery framework across strategic initiatives.
• Establish best practices across planning, governance, risk management, reporting and service transition.
• Build delivery capability across programme management, project management and PMO teams.
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex delivery challenges, risks and cross-functional dependencies.
• Own end-to-end programme delivery, ensuring plans, milestones, resources and funding assumptions are realistic and achievable.
• Drive successful delivery across waterfall, agile and hybrid methodologies.
• Ensure initiatives remain aligned to scope, budgets, business cases and expected benefits.
• Lead governance forums and provide clear reporting on progress, risks, financial performance and business readiness.
• Manage dependencies across technology, business and third-party delivery teams.
• Partner with senior business and IT leaders to shape priorities and manage delivery expectations.
• Translate strategic business objectives into executable programmes and measurable outcomes.
• Maintain strong stakeholder confidence through transparent communication and proactive risk management.
• Ensure effective change management, communication and adoption activities are embedded throughout programme delivery.
• Drive programme assurance, lessons learned and continuous improvement across the delivery portfolio.
• Identify and resolve systemic delivery challenges to improve predictability and efficiency.
• Collaborate closely with Architecture, Cyber Security, Data, Infrastructure and Operations teams to ensure solutions are scalable, supportable and sustainable.
• Oversee delivery partner performance and supplier relationships to maximise value and delivery quality.

Skills

Programme governance

Executive stakeholder mgmt

Leadership

Risk mitigation

Budget management

Job description

Smiths Detection is seeking an experienced Head of IT Programme Delivery to lead a portfolio of enterprise IT change initiatives. You will head a team of Programme Managers, Project Managers and PMO professionals, driving governance, controls and measurable business value across the organisation.

You will partner with business and IT leaders to translate strategic objectives into executable programmes, balancing pace, quality, cost and risk while ensuring benefits realisation and smooth adoption