Principal Programme Manager

Sanderson Government & Defence; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson Government & Defence seeks an experienced senior project delivery professional to lead a portfolio of complex construction, engineering, security infrastructure and operational programmes from concept to operational acceptance.

The postholder will provide leadership to Senior Project Managers and delivery teams, ensuring governance, cost control, risk management and stakeholder engagement across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience delivering complex construction, engineering, security programmes.

Responsibilities

• Lead and direct a team of Senior Project Managers and project professionals.
• Ensure resources are effectively deployed across the portfolio.
• Provide leadership during major delivery, commercial and customer challenges.
• Build a culture of accountability, safety, collaboration and delivery excellence.
• Coach and mentor project professionals.
• Deliver projects from concept through to operational acceptance.
• Ensure projects are delivered to agreed scope, budget, schedule and quality standards.
• Maintain effective project controls and lifecycle cost management.
• Manage project risks, issues and escalations.
• Review and approve significant change requests.
• Ensure projects remain aligned to strategic and customer objectives.
• Ensure compliance with governance frameworks.
• Ensure projects comply with Health & Safety requirements.
• Ensure compliance with contractual obligations and project controls.
• Authorise key project documentation and significant changes.
• Provide delivery assurance and escalation to senior management.
• Identify process, capability and delivery gaps, driving initiatives to enhance overall project management maturity.
• Implement continuous improvement practices based on lessons learned, audits and feedback loops.
• Promote the use of standardised tools, templates and methodologies to raise consistency and quality.
• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, ensuring visibility of performance, risks and opportunities.
• Communicate progress and issues effectively, enabling informed decision-making at executive level.
• Influence stakeholders to adopt best-practice approaches and support change initiatives.
• Assess skill gaps and ensure appropriate training, recruitment and talent development strategies.
• Lead portfolio resource planning activities.
• Ensure effective deployment of project resources.
• Identify capability gaps and develop mitigation strategies.
• Work with senior leadership to ensure resources remain aligned to business priorities.
• Support recruitment, succession planning and talent development.

Job description

Role OverviewWe are seeking an experienced senior project delivery professional with proven experience of managing complex construction, engineering, security infrastructure and operational programmes. The role will be accountable for the overall delivery performance of a portfolio of projects, ensuring achievement of customer objectives, commercial outcomes and organisational priorities.The postholder will provide leadership and direction to Senior Project Managers and multidisciplinary delivery teams, ensuring effective governance, resource management, risk management, commercial control and stakeholder engagement.Supported by advert responsibilities.

Leadership

• Lead and direct a team of Senior Project Managers and project professionals.
• Ensure resources are effectively deployed across the portfolio.
• Provide leadership during major delivery, commercial and customer challenges.
• Build a culture of accountability, safety, collaboration and delivery excellence.
• Coach and mentor project professionals.

Project Delivery

• Deliver projects from concept through to operational acceptance.
• Ensure projects are delivered to agreed scope, budget, schedule and quality standards.
• Maintain effective project controls and lifecycle cost management.
• Manage project risks, issues and escalations.
• Review and approve significant change requests.
• Ensure projects remain aligned to strategic and customer objectives.

Governance, Assurance & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with governance frameworks.
• Ensure projects comply with Health & Safety requirements.
• Ensure compliance with contractual obligations and project controls.
• Authorise key project documentation and significant changes.
• Provide delivery assurance and escalation to senior management.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify process, capability and delivery gaps, driving initiatives to enhance overall project management maturity.
• Implement continuous improvement practices based on lessons learned, audits and feedback loops.
• Promote the use of standardised tools, templates and methodologies to raise consistency and quality.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, ensuring visibility of performance, risks and opportunities.
• Communicate progress and issues effectively, enabling informed decision-making at executive level.
• Influence stakeholders to adopt best-practice approaches and support change initiatives.

Resource & Capacity Management

• Assess skill gaps and ensure appropriate training, recruitment and talent development strategies are in place.
• Lead portfolio resource planning activities.
• Ensure effective deployment of project resources.
• Identify capability gaps and develop mitigation strategies.
• Work with senior leadership to ensure resources remain aligned to business priorities.
• Support recruitment, succession planning and talent development.

Commercial & Financial Management

• Deliver agreed commercial outcomes and portfolio profitability targets.
• Ensure robust financial forecasting, cost control and reporting.
• Monitor portfolio financial performance and gross margin.
• Maintain compliance with contractual obligations.
• Support commercial negotiations and resolution of commercial issues.

Reasonable Adjustments:

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.