Programme Director

Rail Delivery Group; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading transportation organization is seeking a Senior Programme Manager/Project Director to lead complex programmes and projects. This role requires over 10 years of senior leadership experience in delivering large-scale projects, with a focus on strategic decision-making, budgeting over £5m, and stakeholder management. The successful candidate will contribute to improving the railway industry through collaboration and innovation.

Benefits

75% off rail travel for personal and family use

30 days annual leave

Season ticket loan

Enhanced family leave benefits

Employer pension contributions up to 11.58%

Private medical insurance

Discounted gym memberships

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of senior leadership experience in large-scale programmes and projects.
• Experience in sectors like Transport, Travel, Retail, Utilities, or Professional Services.
• Proven leadership and team management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead programmes overseeing progress, budgets, and quality.
• Make strategic decisions and provide leadership to project managers.
• Manage risks, issues, and ensure project compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Project Management

Stakeholder Communication

Decision-Making

Education

Project Management Qualifications (Agile, Prince2, MSP)

Job description

Whole Railway, known as ASPIRE, embodies our core values: Accountability, Support, Partnership, Inclusive, Respect, and Excellence. These values are integral to our recruitment, performance, and recognition processes.

What is the purpose of this job?

We believe that the art of project and programme management involves inspiring a shared strategic vision while coordinating multiple workstreams and providing direction across project teams. As a Senior Programme Manager/Project Director, your role is to lead programmes, projects, and initiatives throughout their lifecycle within scope, time, and budget. You will follow the RDG Project Delivery Framework and encourage others to do the same. Success will be measured by the delivery of projects and programmes within our organisation and, where appropriate, our member organisations.

Key Responsibilities

This list is not exhaustive, but key responsibilities include:

• Leading programmes — overseeing progress, budgets, and quality.
• Making strategic decisions and providing leadership to programme and project managers.
• Representing programmes within RDG and with external stakeholders, resolving blockers, developing teams, and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ensuring alignment with RDG’s strategic goals.
• Overseeing project implementation, including monitoring, reporting, financials, quality, and compliance.
• Managing risks, issues, and change initiatives.
• Presenting business cases to secure approval for projects.
• Establishing and managing programme and project budgets.
• Setting up governance structures and providing high-quality reports.
• Supporting and line-managing project and programme managers.
• Adhering to and improving RDG’s project delivery standards and procedures.

Requirements

What we're looking for: A candidate with at least 10 years of senior leadership experience in delivering large-scale programmes and projects, with strong leadership and programme management expertise.

• Extensive experience in sectors like Transport, Travel, Retail, Utilities, or Professional Services.
• Qualifications in project methodologies such as Agile, Prince2, MSP.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent projects within budget and time constraints.
• Experience handling projects with budgets over £5m.
• Strong decision-making skills in project prioritisation, change, and financial management.
• Proven leadership, team management, and stakeholder communication skills.
• Experience with supplier management and service delivery frameworks.

About RDG

Rail Delivery Group plays a crucial role in Britain’s railway industry, aiming to create a better railway for everyone. We focus on delivering industry-wide change through collaboration, innovation, and strategic decision-making, with opportunities for career development and progression.

Benefits

We offer a competitive package, including:

• 75% off rail travel for personal and family use.
• 30 days annual leave plus options for additional leave.
• Season ticket loan.
• Enhanced family leave benefits.
• Employer pension contributions up to 11.58%.
• Private medical insurance.
• Discounted gym memberships and wellbeing programmes.