Programme Manager

Rws; Maidenhead; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

RWS in Maidenhead seeks a Programme Manager to lead the upgrade strategy across product lines, coordinating with Engineering, Product, Architecture and Customer teams to streamline upgrades and reduce customization complexity.

You will partner with cross‑functional stakeholders to align priorities, manage risks, and drive governance with KPIs and dashboards for executive reporting. The role emphasizes clear business impact and customer‑centric delivery.

Qualifications

• Programme leadership across multi‑quarter, multi‑team initiatives.
• Strong grasp of software architecture, versioning and upgrade lifecycles.
• Experience driving process simplification and standardisation across teams.
• Skilled at aligning Engineering, Product, CS and Commercial groups.
• Ability to use upgrade metrics and technical insights for priority setting.
• Strong communication ensuring senior leadership understands business impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Upgrade Strategy; Own the end‑to‑end programme to simplify and streamline the upgrade path across all product lines.
• Coordinate Cross‑Functional Delivery; Partner with Engineering, Product, Architecture and Customer teams to align priorities, dependencies and timelines.
• Reduce Customisation Complexity; Work with engineering leads to identify, phase out or standardise legacy customisations that block upgrade adoption.
• Define Governance & Reporting; Establish programme governance, cadence, KPIs, dashboards and executive reporting to track progress and risks.
• Manage Risks & Dependencies; Proactively surface technical, operational and customer‑impact risks and drive mitigation plans.
• Improve Customer Upgrade Adoption; Ensure customers can access new versions quickly by removing friction points and coordinating rollout readiness.
• Drive Continuous Improvement; Use insights from each upgrade cycle to refine processes, tooling and cross‑team collaboration.
• Act as the Strategic Bridge; Translate technical complexity into clear business impact for senior leadership and commercial teams.

Skills

Programme Leadership

Technical Understanding

Change & Transformation

Stakeholder Management

Data‑Driven Decision Making

Communication & Influence

Customer‑Centric Mindset

Risk & Dependency Management

Job description

Programme Manager RWS•Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, United Kingdom

This job is with RWS, an inclusive employer and a member of myGwork – the largest global platform for the LGBTQ+ business community. Please do not contact the recruiter directly.

Job LocationsUK-MaidenheadPosted Date2 weeks ago(20/08/2026 05:30)Job ID2026-6195# of Openings1CategoryInformation TechnologyBandingNA

Job Purpose

This role is a program management position tackling a complex upgrade challenge. Over time, heavy customizations have made it difficult for customers to adopt new product versions. The lead will coordinate a strategic plan with engineering to streamline the upgrade path, ensuring customers can access the latest features, reducing churn.

About Product & Technology

Product & Technology plays a pivotal role in aligning the organization with its strategic objectives and enhancing shareholder value. Product & Technology is responsible for establishing unified standards and governance practices throughout the company. Additionally, we oversee the development and maintenance of core applications essential for the seamless operation of various functions across the organization. We are committed to driving and executing future roadmaps that are in line with the overall strategic direction of RWS.

With a global reach, Product & Technology provides support services to over 7500 end users worldwide. We take pride in managing the information security operation and safeguarding all our assets. Our core functions encompass Enterprise & Technical Architecture, Network & Voice, Infrastructure, Service Delivery, Service Operations, Data & Analytics, Security & Quality Compliance, Transformation, Application Development, Enterprise Platforms, With a dedicated team of over 500 staff, Product & Technology ensures a strong presence across all regions, enabling efficient and effective support to our global operations.

Job Overview

Key Responsibilities

Lead the Upgrade Strategy; Own the end‑to‑end programme to simplify and streamline the upgrade path across all product lines.

Coordinate Cross‑Functional Delivery; Partner with Engineering, Product, Architecture and Customer teams to align priorities, dependencies and timelines.

Reduce Customisation Complexity; Work with engineering leads to identify, phase out or standardise legacy customisations that block upgrade adoption.

Define Governance & Reporting;Establish programme governance, cadence, KPIs, dashboards and executive reporting to track progress and risks.

Manage Risks & Dependencies; Proactively surface technical, operational and customer‑impact risks and drive mitigation plans.

Improve Customer Upgrade Adoption; Ensure customers can access new versions quickly by removing friction points and coordinating rollout readiness.

Drive Continuous Improvement; Use insights from each upgrade cycle to refine processes, tooling and cross‑team collaboration.

Act as the Strategic Bridge; Translate technical complexity into clear business impact for senior leadership and commercial teams.

Skills & Experience

Programme Leadership; Proven ability to lead multi‑quarter, multi‑team transformation programmes with measurable outcomes.

Technical Understanding; Strong grasp of software architecture, versioning, customisations and upgrade lifecycle challenges.

Change & Transformation; Experience driving process simplification, standardisation and adoption across engineering and customer‑facing teams.

Stakeholder Management; Skilled at aligning diverse groups (Engineering, Product, CS, Commercial) around a unified strategy.

Data‑Driven Decision Making; Ability to use upgrade metrics, customer data and technical insights to prioritise work.

Communication & Influence; Able to communicate complex technical issues in a clear, business‑relevant way to senior leaders.

Customer‑Centric Mindset; Understands how upgrade friction impacts adoption, satisfaction and churn.

Risk & Dependency Management; Strong capability in identifying blockers early and coordinating resolution.

Life at RWS - If you like the idea of working with smart people who are passionate about growing the value of ideas, data and content by making sure organizations are understood, then you'll love life at RWS.

Our purpose is to unlock global understanding. This means our work fundamentally recognizes the value of every language and culture. So, we celebrate difference, we are inclusive and believe that diversity makes us strong. We want every employee to grow as an individual and excel in their career.

In return, we expect all our people to live by the values that unite us: to partner, putting clients fist and winning together, to pioneer, innovating fearlessly and leading with vision and courage, to progress, aiming high and growing through actions and to deliver, owning the outcome and building trust with our colleagues and clients.

RWS embraces DEI and promotes equal opportunity, we are an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. RWS is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at RWS are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation. RWS will not tolerate discrimination based on any of these characteristics.

RWS Values

Get the 3Ps right - Partner, Pioneer, Progress - and we´ll Deliver together as RWS.

Recruitment Agencies: RWS Holdings PLC does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward any unsolicited resumes to any RWS employees. Any unsolicited resume received will be treated as the property of RWS and Terms & Conditions associated with the use of such resume will be considered null and void.

Full-time