Programme Manager

Wokingham-Borough-Council; Wokingham; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous Annual Leave

GP Helpline

Employee Assistance Programme

Free Eye Tests and Flu Vaccines

Free Onsite Gym

Local & Lifestyle Discounts

Move through Menopause Course

Sports & Social Group Activities

Job summary

Wokingham Borough Council is seeking a Programme Manager to lead the strategic delivery of transformation programmes across council directorates, in partnership with the PMO and Portfolio Manager. You will ensure governance, clear information, and effective change management to deliver outcomes for residents.

You will manage cross-functional relationships with senior stakeholders, track risks, and drive financial efficiencies while ensuring successful delivery of services.

Qualifications

• Programme and project management qualification or demonstrable experience (MSP or similar).
• Knowledge of local government transformation and efficiency agendas.
• Change management qualification or experience (Prosci or similar).
• Experience using Word, Excel, MS Project, MS Visio and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Drive the daily delivery of directorate programmes across council directorates.
• Coordinate a strategic portfolio with PMO, Portfolio Manager and Project Managers.
• Track programme-level risks with escalation and assurance sessions with senior leaders.
• Lead, motivate and develop staff involved with projects and programmes; line management if required.
• Contribute to strategy, performance quality control and financial planning.

Skills

Programme/Project Management

Change Management

Stakeholder Engagement

MS Office Suite (Word/Excel/PowerPoint

Education

MSP or similar qualification

Tools

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Visio

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Employer: Wokingham Borough Council
Salary: £52,414 - £57,870 Per Annum, Plus Benefits (Pay award pending)
Location: Wokingham Borough Council, Shute End/Home Working
Contract: Contract
Working Pattern: Full Time
Hours: 37 hours.
DBS Check: No
Closing Date: 20/09/2026 at 23:00
Reference: 713525, 713526

We have an excellent opportunity for aProgramme Managerto join ourBusiness Changeteam here at Wokingham Borough Council, on aFull-Time, 12-Month Fixed-Term Contract.

As Programme Manager, you will act as a lead coordinator for the strategic delivery of transformation programmes across council directorates within a portfolio of change. Working in close partnership with the PMO and Portfolio Manager, alongside Business Change colleagues and Project Managers, you will ensure successful implementation and impact management of key initiatives.

You will engage with cross-functional senior stakeholders to drive progress, ensuring good governance across the programmes, information is clear and transparent as well as supporting change management.

You will be accountable for tracking programme-level risks across the council, facilitating risk and assurance sessions with senior leaders, and providing successful delivery of services that drive financial efficiencies and better outcomes for our residents.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a collaborative, motivated professional to join our team.

Not only is this an excellent opportunity, but it’s a fantastic time to join our team. You will receive an extensive range of employee benefits including:

Generous Annual Leave – 31 days annual leave (rising by 5 days after 5 years of continued local government service), plus bank holidays

GP Helpline - Available 7 days a week

Employee Assistance Programme - Including a 24/7 Your Care Helpline

Free Eye Tests and Flu Vaccines

Free Onsite Gym - Located at Shute End Offices, Wokingham

Local & Lifestyle Discounts - Save on shopping, entertainment, dining out & more

Move through Menopause Course

Sports & Social Group Activities - Including running, football, cricket & more

And more!

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for driving the daily delivery of directorate programmes across council directorates.
• Responsible for coordination of a strategic portfolio, working closely with the Business Change colleagues, especially the PMO and Portfolio Manager and Project Managers to ensure successful implementation and impact management.
• Accountable for the tracking of programme level related risks across the council with appropriate escalation and facilitation of risk and assurance sessions with senior leaders to understand potential issues, seek mitigations and provide successful delivery of services.
• Leading, motivating, and developing staff involved with projects and programmes in line with delivery requirements, to achieve consistently high employee engagement and performance, including line management responsibilities if required.
• Contribute to strategy, performance and quality control, and service and financial planning for specialist areas.

Candidate Requirements

• Relevant Programme and Project Management qualification or skills and experience (MSP or similar).
• Knowledge of local government and particularly transformational Government and efficiency agenda.
• Relevant Change Management qualification or skills and experience (Prosci or similar).
• Experience of using Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, MS Project, MS Visio, PowerPoint.

Our Area:

Wokingham Borough Council has recently been ranked 2nd most productive council in England by the Impower Productivity Index, recognising our strong performance and efficient use of public money.

Our Borough is set in the heart of Berkshire with excellent transport links to Reading and central London. Our area comprises of a vibrant and historical market town, attractive villages, and miles of beautiful countryside.

We’re home to a range of high performing schools, a host of international businesses and an incredible community. The borough has a strong local economy with accelerated growth, a range of excellent public facilities and low levels of crime, offering an exceptional quality of life.

Interview date: TBC

AI in Applications:

We recognise that candidates may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the preparation of their job applications. When used appropriately, AI can be a helpful aid in structuring responses, checking clarity, and improving presentation.

However, applications must reflect your own skills, experience and understanding. If an application appears to rely excessively on AI-generated content, it may not meet the required standard and could be rejected.

We encourage all applicants to ensure their submissions are authentic, tailored to the role, and clearly demonstrate their own knowledge, experience and suitability.

Whilst this is a fixed term contract appointment, for anyone already employed by Wokingham Borough Council this would be classed as a secondment if successful. Therefore, the usual permission requests for secondments apply and you must speak to your line manager in the first instance before applying.

If your application is shortlisted for an interview, you will be required to provide proof of your right to work in the UK at that stage. Additionally, successful candidates must present proof upon receiving a job offer.

Please note that all offers are conditional and subject to the satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.

Please be aware that we will be reviewing the applications we receive on a daily basis, and we reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified.

Wokingham Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff, other workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond to every applicant individually.

If you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the application closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.

We appreciate your interest in joining Wokingham Borough Council and thank you for taking the time to apply.

Wokingham is an equal opportunities employer.