Programme Manager

NWG (Northumbrian Water Group); North East; Hybrid; GBP 66,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

NWG (Northumbrian Water Group) is seeking a Programme Manager to lead and coordinate the PR29 delivery. You will drive pace, manage schedules, and coordinate a high‑complex programme across multiple teams to ensure successful outcomes.

You will own the Programme Delivery Plan, manage RAID and budgets, and maintain effective governance. The role requires strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, and experience with complex supplier relationships.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in project and programme delivery including planning and governance.
• Strong skills in coordinating cross-functional teams and managing performance.
• Proven ability to manage external supplier relationships and procurement.
• Demonstrated leadership at senior levels in complex environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate delivery of PR29 schedules, costs and activities.
• Drive pace and schedule achievement across multiple teams.
• Maintain RAID, budgets, risks and issues; report programme performance.
• Oversee contract mechanisms and governance to ensure compliant delivery.
• Engage senior stakeholders and supply partners to align on outputs.

Skills

Programme management

Project management

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Degree in a relevant subject

Job description

PR29 Programme Manager

Full time 37 hours per week (flexible working arrangements including part time will be considered)

2 years

circa £73,000 (depending on experience)

hybrid working with office location at Pity Me, Durham

At Northumbrian Water, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Every day, we provide essential water and wastewater services to millions of people, and we are committed to delivering reliable, affordable and sustainable services while supporting our communities and protecting the environment. By focusing on the outcomes that matter most to our customers, we are also working towards our ambition to be the National Leader in sustainable water and wastewater services.

Job Description

As part of our joint PR29 team, the Programme Manager will lead, coordinate and control delivery of ensuring our Schedules, Costs and activities, stakeholder communication and documentation to support the successful delivery of PR29.

This role shall focus on driving pace, schedule achievement and ensuring we successfully deliver a high complex, interconnected programme across multiple different teams. You will provide effective leadership for the programme, through development of a high performing team, driving a culture of innovation and continuous improvement demonstrating delivery of efficiency, best practice development and sharing.

You will own and lead development of the Programme Delivery Plan include planning optimisation and ongoing management and maintenance of the plan throughout the programme lifecycle. You will develop and manage exemplary programme and project delivery environments across any or all stages of programme lifecycle.

You will oversee maintenance of all layers of core Project delivery information (RAID logs, action lists, schedule, budget management) and manage the costs of the programme within the approved capital budget and tolerance levels. You will actively manage and elevate risks and issues, including maintenance of the RAID register and reporting of Programme performance. You will coordinate outsourced activity ensuring scopes and costs are controlled and within budget.

You will ensure timely compliance of your team with all business authorisation and governance.

You will ensure that appropriate contract mechanisms are applied correctly enabling the efficient delivery of the works. You will ensure effective application and continuous improvement of procedures and practices within the team and ensure customer, performance and asset data created by your team is accurate and recorded following BIM protocols to keep asset data up to date at all times.

The Programme Manager will deliver unrivalled customer experience to both internal and external customers, demonstrating effective measurement, monitoring and reporting and influence delivery teams and engage senior leaders to build support for programme delivery.

You will manage stakeholder relationships while ensuring stakeholders are well-informed and aligned to the programme.

In this role you will achieve collaborative alignment and high performance of supply partner resources and provide effective engagement of supply partners, operational service, maintenance and relevant support teams in the definition, design and delivery of required outputs.

About You

If you have demonstrable relevant experience of project management and programme management delivery, we would love to hear from you!

You will have experience of industry standard programme and project management techniques including planning, resource allocation, budgeting, performance monitoring and control.

You have experience managing external supplier relationships as well as contract management and procurement of services, applying appropriate contracts for efficient delivery. You will have knowledge of commercial assurance, engineering contract management and different contract forms that can be used. You can write and present compelling and unambiguous documents.

You will have strong leadership and team building skills in a complex, dynamic environment. You have proven experience managing teams at senior levels.

You will have an appropriate project management qualification or experience commensurate with this level and ideally you will be degree qualified in a relevant subject.

You can engage and communicate persuasively with a broad range of stakeholders up to and including executive level, Framework partners and the supply chain and adopt suitable strategies for their engagement.

Please note this role will require a DBS to be completed prior to employment.

This is as a safety or security critical role and as a condition of a formal offer of employment you’ll be required to undergo a drug and alcohol test after the job offer has been made. This will be prior to or within four weeks of their start date.

Prospective employees and agency workers who fail a pre-employment urine drug screen will have their sample analysed by the Company appointed laboratory as a matter of course. Failing a pre-employment drugs or alcohol test may lead to the job offer being revoked.

We will be hosting an Open Evening session to learn more about PR29 roles at our Northumbria House office in Pity Me, Durham on Tuesday 10th November 2026.