Programme Manager

The Scottish Government; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A public sector organization in Scotland is seeking a Programme Manager to lead the Scotland’s Census delivery. The role involves collaboration with various stakeholders, managing resources and timelines, and reporting on progress. Candidates should have a proven track record in programme management and relevant qualifications. The position offers flexible working arrangements and a commitment to diversity.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Supportive working environment

Qualifications

• Experience in delivering large public facing programmes.
• Qualification or proven track record in programme management.

Responsibilities

• Define and agree on the programme delivery approach.
• Monitor resources, milestones, and costs.
• Establish collaboration with census programmes across the UK.
• Provide effective leadership in partnering with the leadership team.
• Prepare and submit programme progress reports.
• Manage risks, opportunities, and issues.

Skills

Planning and scheduling

Resource management

Risk and issue management

Governance

Stakeholder engagement

Business case management

Benefits management

Assurance

Education

APM’s Project Management Qualification (PMQ)

Axelos’s Managing Successful Programmes (MSP)

Job description

Do you want to shape the delivery of Scotland’s Census, enabling governments and other public bodies to plan the services we all rely on, and telling the story of Scotland's people for generations to come? If so, this post could be for you.

Census is a major program delivered by the National Records of Scotland (NRS). Planning for the next census in 2031 has begun and will build on the successes of the census in 2022. We intend to work more closely with census programs in taking agencies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Programme Manager role will report to the Census Director. There will be line management responsibility for one Senior Project Manager role initially with more joining the programme from April 2027. This role will also work in collaboration and partnership with the wider NRS leadership team including statistical, operations, comms, policy, finance procurement and commercial colleagues. Collaboration with the other census taking offices in the rest of the United Kingdom will be a significant part of the role.

Responsibilities

• With experience of delivering large public facing programmes, typically the Programme Manager will:
• Work closely with Project Sponsors and senior stakeholders to define and agree the programme delivery approach.
• Monitor resources, critical milestones, timescales and costs reporting tolerance breaches and other issues to Senior Management, providing options and proposed resolutions as appropriate.
• Establish excellent collaboration with census programmes in the rest of the UK aligning programme deliverables and dependencies.
• Provide effective leadership to the programme in partnership with the wider leadership team using your expertise to support the continuing development of programme, project and change management capabilities.
• Provide effective stakeholder management, including internal and external customers, delivery partners, project teams, work-stream leads and senior stakeholders
• Prepare and submit regular programme progress reports, including but not limited to, overall programme status, underlying project/work-stream progress, budget and resource tracking, RAID log to agreed governance forums.
• Work collaboratively with the NRS PMO and senior leadership team to ensure consistency.
• Identify, assess and actively manage risks, opportunities and issues in line with corporate guidance to maximise the success of the programme and to minimise negative impact to quality, budget, and timeline.

Qualifications

• Programme Managers should have, be closely working towards a professional qualification or be able to demonstrate a proven track record in the discipline. Generally, a qualification will mean APM’s Project Management Qualification (PMQ) or Axelos’s Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), Practitioner Level (or equivalent specialist qualification).
• Programme Managers should consider full membership of APM to provide monitored ongoing professional development.

If you fail to demonstrate how you meet the qualification listed above, your application will automatically be sifted out.

There is an extra 500 word box in the application to insert your qualification information.

Success profile

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.

Technical / Professional Skills

• Planning and scheduling – Practitioner
• Resource management – Practitioner
• Risk and issue management – Practitioner
• Governance – Practitioner
• Stakeholder engagement – Practitioner
• Business case management – Practitioner
• Benefits management – Practitioner
• Assurance – Practitioner

Experience

• You should have significant experience of managing programmes or complex projects and experience of planning and logic modelling to ensure planned investments can deliver desired outcomes.
• You will typically be experienced in programme and project methods and tools, able to navigate delivery uncertainty, lead project managers to achieve specified outcomes, provide advice to decision makers and stakeholders whilst building and maintaining ongoing commitment from several different stakeholder groups.

Behaviours

• Working together – Level 4
• Delivering at pace – Level 4
• Communicating and influencing – Level 4
• Leadership – Level 4

You can find out more about Success Profiles here: Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot

How To Apply

Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1500 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an Interview and Presentation. Assessments are scheduled for w/c 8th December 2025 however this may be subject to change.

About Us

National Records of Scotland (NRS) is Scotland’s record keeper. Our purpose is to collect, preserve and produce information about Scotland's people and history and make it available to inform current and future generations. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

NRS is a Non-Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government & and our staff are part UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working pattern

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week. We offer a range of flexible and hybrid working options depending on the needs of the role. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

Security checks

Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.

Equality statement

We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Further information

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.

Scotland’s Census is a time limited project which will run until 2031/32 depending on the role. Please contact the line manager named in this advert if you have any further questions.

For further information about the role, please contact Jonathon Wroth-Smith at [e-mail]