Programme Director

DataVita; Greater London; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days annual leave

Life assurance at 4x salary

Group income protection 70% of salary

Job summary

DataVita Limited is seeking an experienced Programme Director to mobilise and lead a complex infrastructure transformation programme. You will establish the team, integrated plan, governance and financial controls to deliver within scope and budget.

You will work closely with customers, DataVita leadership, technical teams and delivery partners to bring structure and control to a fast-moving environment, taking decisions within delegated limits and managing risks proactively.

Qualifications

• Proven experience directing complex infrastructure or cloud transformation programmes.
• Experience establishing programme plans, governance, resources and financial controls.
• Accountability for programme budgets, forecasts and cost to complete.
• Experience leading multiple workstreams and partners.
• Strong stakeholder management with senior customers and suppliers.
• Technical understanding of data centres, virtualization, networking, hybrid cloud and security.

Responsibilities

• Mobilise the programme by establishing the delivery team, integrated plan, resources, governance and financial baseline.
• Own delivery performance, set priorities, manage dependencies and ensure milestones are achieved.
• Own budgets, forecasts and cost to complete; manage variances and approvals.
• Lead governance, reporting and risk management; escalate material risks and issues.
• Agree measurable outcomes, track delivery and evidence benefits.
• Build relationships across customer, DataVita and partners; secure commitments and resolve dependencies.
• Lead through the Project Manager and workstream leads to allocate resources.
• Plan operational transition, service readiness and knowledge transfer for operational acceptance.
• Maintain accurate plans, risks and status reporting; drive corrective action.

Skills

Programme leadership

Stakeholder management

Budgeting & cost control

Infra transformation

ITIL familiarity

Cloud & data centre

SIAM knowledge

Risk management

Leadership

Communication

Job description

Location: Hamilton International Technology Park

Reports to: Chief Technology Officer

About DataVita

DataVita is a next-generation cloud and infrastructure company operating from Tier III-certified data centres in Scotland. We work extensively with AI and automation, integrating these technologies into complex legacy environments to deliver genuine transformation.

DataVita is the fastest growing technology company in Scotland, with plans to deploy and invest over £2 billion in the coming years. You would be joining at a relatively early stage of that trajectory. For the right person, this is a chance to build something from the ground up inside a business that is scaling fast.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Programme Director to mobilise and lead DataVita’s agreed scope within a complex infrastructure transformation programme.

You will take ownership of programme mobilisation and delivery, establishing the team, integrated plan, governance and financial controls needed to deliver commitments on time and within the agreed scope and budget.

Working closely with the customer, DataVita leadership, technical teams and delivery partners, you will bring structure, clarity and control to a complex, fast-moving environment. You will have the authority to make decisions within agreed delegated limits, take ownership of delivery challenges and ensure risks and dependencies are managed proactively.

This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who takes initiative, exercises sound judgement and can lead through others to deliver complex outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Mobilise the programme by establishing the delivery team, integrated programme plan, resources, governance and financial baseline, ensuring workstreams are ready to deliver.
• Take ownership of delivery performance for DataVita’s agreed scope, setting priorities, managing dependencies and ensuring milestones and commitments are achieved.
• Own programme budgets, actual and committed costs, forecasts and cost to complete. Manage variances and maintain financial and commercial control, ensuring commitments and changes follow agreed approval processes. Programme margin accountability sits elsewhere.
• Lead programme governance and assurance, establishing appropriate decision gates, providing clear reporting and recommendations, and ensuring material risks and issues are escalated appropriately.
• Agree measurable outcomes and acceptance criteria, track delivery performance and provide evidence that DataVita’s commitments and contribution to programme benefits are being achieved.
• Build effective relationships across customer teams, DataVita and delivery partners. Secure commitments, manage competing priorities and resolve delivery dependencies.
• Lead through the Project Manager and workstream leads, providing direction, delegating effectively and securing the specialist resources needed throughout the programme.
• Plan operational transition alongside technical delivery, including service readiness, support ownership and knowledge transfer, ensuring each phase is ready for operational acceptance.
• Maintain accurate programme plans, financial information, risks, decisions and status reporting. Identify problems early, communicate their implications and drive corrective action.

Within DataVita’s agreed scope, approved budget and delegated limits, you will have authority to set delivery priorities, replan work, allocate agreed resources and commit expenditure. You may pause delivery where risk or readiness makes proceeding inappropriate, informing the CTO and relevant customer leads promptly. Changes to contractual scope, funding or customer commitments remain subject to the agreed approval process.

• Proven experience directing complex infrastructure or cloud transformation programmes through mobilisation, delivery and operational acceptance.
• Experience establishing programme plans, governance, resources, delivery structures and financial controls.
• Demonstrable accountability for programme budgets, financial forecasts, committed costs and cost to complete.
• Experience leading multiple workstreams, project managers and specialist teams, including individuals and partners outside your direct line management.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to influence senior customer and supplier stakeholders and negotiate commitments around scope, cost, priorities and risk.
• Experience working within a managed service provider or similar commercial environment, with an understanding of contracts, estimating, commercial commitments and controlled change.
• Technical understanding of data centres, virtualisation, networking, hybrid cloud, backup and security, sufficient to challenge proposals and understand delivery implications.
• Experience applying recognised programme management methods and governance practices proportionately to the scale and complexity of delivery.
• Strong financial, commercial and risk management skills, with the ability to make evidence-based decisions and take corrective action.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to bring clarity to complex information and maintain confidence across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Sound judgement and discretion when handling sensitive, security‑related and commercially confidential information.
• Experience delivering complex programmes for public sector customers, including their approval, assurance and scrutiny arrangements.
• Experience of multi‑supplier service integration (SIAM).
• Knowledge of ITIL‑aligned service management and operational transition.

What You Will Get

• Direct exposure to every area of the company.
• Training and development throughout your time at DataVita.
• 33 days annual leave.
• Life assurance at 4x salary.
• Group income protection at 70% of salary for up to 2 years.
• Help@Hand: remote GP, physiotherapy, nutritionist, and more.
• Cycle to Work and EV car salary sacrifice schemes.
• 6 fully expensed company events per year.
• Option to donate to charity through salary.