Programme Management Office (PMO) Lead

Talan; Belfast; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consultancy firm in Northern Ireland seeks an experienced PMO leader to oversee governance and delivery for key clients in the energy sector. This role involves managing stakeholder engagements, reporting on programme performance, and ensuring compliance with regulations. Candidates should have a strong background in PMO functions within regulated environments, particularly in energy or utilities, and possess relevant qualifications like Prince 2 Practitioner. The company offers flexible working arrangements and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays

Profit related Bonus (discretionary)

Private Bupa healthcare

Life Assurance (up to 4 times annual salary)

Matched pension contributions

Corporate gym rates

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience leading PMO functions in regulated environments, ideally in energy or utilities.
• Familiarity with various implementation approaches, Agile and Waterfall.
• Understanding or experience of the NI, RoI and/or GB energy market is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of PMO services for key clients in electricity and gas markets.
• Establish and maintain programme plans and ensure governance compliance.
• Coordinate meetings with industry participants and stakeholders.
• Manage change control process and update logs.
• Deliver progress updates to Programme Boards and track KPIs.

Skills

Leadership in PMO functions

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Change control

Agile methodologies

Waterfall methodologies

Education

Prince 2 Practitioner or equivalent

Job description

Overview

Talan (part of the Talan Group) is an expert provider of professional services. Our vision and mission is to take positive action in a complex world for the future good of people and the environment and to enlighten and enable our clients’ transformation in an increasingly complex world.

We are purpose-driven, working across multiple sectors, tackling social and environmental challenges, improving and simplify the way markets work, harnessing the power of digital transformation and ensuring data is protected and used ethically.

Talan provides a range of consultancy and outsourcing capabilities including programme management, market design and governance. We also have extensive and award-winning capabilities across cyber security, data privacy and digital transformation. We are IIP Gold accredited and Great Place to Work accredited.

The nature of what we do means we are very much a people business. The contribution every member of the team makes to our diverse range of experience, skills and personalities is valued. We invest heavily in learning and development to enable our people to develop skills and gain experience which will enhance career prospects for life. Many who started their careers with us have rapidly progressed to more senior positions.

No two days are the same, but we believe in a flexible approach to working which we know our employees value.

The Role

The PMO will lead the delivery of a structured, high-quality Programme Management Office (PMO) service, supporting key clients within the electricity and gas markets of Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Great Britain. This role will entail robust programme governance, stakeholder coordination, and strategic reporting across multi-year regulatory programmes.

This role will involve regular attendance at client offices in Belfast, with some requirement to travel to Dublin and London as required.

Responsibilities

• Programme Governance & Planning
• Establish and maintain programme plans, Gantt charts, and holistic views across programmes.
• Ensure alignment with relevant Governance Frameworks
• Lead Stage Gate Reviews and Lessons Learned Workshops to support continuous improvement.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Secretariat Support
• Coordinate meetings and engagements with industry participants, Regulators, and other stakeholders.
• Oversee agendas, documentation, minutes, and action logs for governance meetings.
• Facilitate external engagements and industry workshops.
• Change Control & Risk Management
• Manage the formal change control process for programmes, ensuring governance compliance.
• Maintain and update RAID logs, lessons learned logs, and query registers.
• Identify and escalate risks, issues, and interdependencies across programmes.
• Reporting & Performance Monitoring
• Deliver monthly, quarterly, and ad hoc progress updates to Programme Boards.
• Track KPIs and outputs against project milestones and regulatory expectations.
• Ensure timely and transparent reporting to support regulatory decision-making.
• Continuous Improvement
• Drive reviews and understanding of lessons learned, outputs, and feedback to drive continuous improvement
• Offer knowledge sessions back to the business to support growth and improve ways of working. This could be done at staff stand-ups, dedicated training sessions, or feedback and ways of working sessions.
• Build strong working relationships and manage expectations of all stakeholders
• Ensure projects are followed up with benefit realisation
• Support future business development initiatives, inputting into bids and proposals as required.
• Identify opportunities for expansion of services into existing clients and work with business development colleagues to upsell, network, and position for future work and growth.

Qualifications

Requirements

• 5 years + proven experience in leading PMO functions within regulated environments, ideally in energy or utilities.
• Prince 2 Practitioner or equivalent
• Able to work in a variety of implementation approaches, Agile and Waterfall
• Understanding/ experience of the NI, RoI and/or GB energy market would be beneficial.

Upon employment, employees should also have a sound awareness of the Company's Information, Quality, Environmental and Energy Management Systems.

What We Offer

• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
• Profit related Bonus (discretionary)
• Reward and recognition schemes
• Flexible working
• Private Bupa healthcare
• Life Assurance (up to 4 times annual salary)
• Matched pension contributions
• Season Ticket Loan
• Cycle to work scheme
• Buy and Sell annual leave
• Reimbursement of eye test and up to £50 towards glasses or contacts
• Corporate gym rates
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Summer and Christmas parties, along with monthly Social@77