Programme Manager - Service Systems

Civic Recruitment Limited; Reigate; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bi-Weekly Payments

Job summary

Civic Recruitment Limited seeks an experienced Programme Manager to lead the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) programme, overseeing service transitions and cross‑functional collaboration.

The role requires coordinating multidisciplinary teams, managing risks, budgets, and governance, and delivering readiness for Vesting Day within a four‑month window for a local authority.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience delivering complex programmes in large organisations.
• Proven ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams in a matrix environment.
• Strong governance, budget, risks, issues, dependencies management.
• Understanding of change management and service transformation principles.
• Experience in local government or public sector is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, coordination, and delivery of service systems transitions across the LGR programme.
• Develop and maintain transition plans, roadmaps, delivery schedules, and milestones.
• Assess and prioritise systems, with clear tranche classifications and activities.
• Lead readiness assessments and create implementation plans for Vesting Day.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams across services, IT, data, and suppliers.
• Establish ownership, accountability, and timescales across workstreams.
• Identify risks, issues, dependencies, and blockers with RAID management.
• Monitor progress and provide governance updates and recommendations.
• Develop governance papers, assurance packs, and audit trails.
• Engage with service leads to capture actions, decisions, and dependencies.
• Develop resource plans and address capacity and skill gaps.
• Manage stakeholder communications across teams and partner organisations.

Skills

Programme management

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Risk management

Budget management

Leadership without line management

Education

Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience

Job description

Reigate, United Kingdom | Posted on 14/09/2026

At Civic Recruitment and Limited, we know that individuals are more than just fixed expenses; they are the cornerstone of every thriving organisation.  That’s why we are passionate about transforming recruitment in the public and private sectors.

In the modern job market, organisations in both public and private sectors face significant workforce challenges. Public sector entities, such as local councils and central government departments, often struggle with lengthy recruitment processes, limited access to qualified candidates, and stringent budgetary and regulatory constraints. Private sector businesses, on the other hand, encounter high turnover rates, difficulties managing a mix of permanent and temporary staff, and challenges in sourcing specialised talent for niche industries. These sector-specific obstacles, coupled with the universal complexities of payroll management, create a pressing need for efficient workforce solutions.

Civic Recruitment Limited addresses these challenges with innovative recruitment and payroll solutions tailored for diverse organisational needs. Recognising the critical hurdles organisations face, the company leverages its expertise to streamline processes, reduce recruitment times, and alleviate administrative burdens. With an extensive database of over 1 million pre-screened candidates, Civic Recruitment Limited is well-positioned to cater to the specific needs of both public and private sectors.

Job Description

4 Month Contract With A Local Authority

Job Purpose

We are seeking an experienced Programme Manager to lead and coordinate service systems transition activity within a designated portfolio as part of the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) programme.

The postholder will be responsible for ensuring service systems are assessed, prioritised, planned, and transitioned in a controlled and effective manner to support safe, legal, and operationally effective services from Vesting Day. Working across services, IT and Data teams, suppliers, subject matter experts, and programme stakeholders, you will provide strong programme leadership, manage complex dependencies, and ensure delivery remains aligned with agreed milestones and governance requirements.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams within a matrix environment, without direct line management responsibility, bringing together service representatives, Business Analysts, technical specialists, and suppliers to deliver agreed outcomes. The role will also oversee risks, issues, resources, budgets, readiness, governance, and reporting, providing clear assurance and recommendations to programme leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, coordination, and delivery of service systems transition activity across an assigned portfolio within the LGR programme.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive service systems transition plans, implementation roadmaps, delivery schedules, and milestones.
• Assess and prioritise systems, ensuring appropriate tranche classifications and transition activities are identified and agreed.
• Lead system readiness assessments and develop implementation plans to support Vesting Day requirements.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams including service representatives, subject matter experts, Business Analysts, IT and Data specialists, and external suppliers.
• Establish clear ownership, accountability, deliverables, and timescales across transition workstreams.
• Identify, manage, and escalation risks, issues, dependencies, and blockers through effective RAID management.
• Monitor programme progress and provide accurate, timely reporting, assurance updates, and recommendations to programme boards and governance forums.
• Develop and maintain governance papers, assurance packs, programme documentation, decision logs, action logs, and a clear audit trail of transition activity.
• Work closely with service leads and subject matter experts to capture requirements, actions, decisions, and dependencies.
• Develop resource plans, identifying required capacity, specialist skills, resource gaps, and delivery requirements.
• Manage stakeholder engagement and communication across services, programme teams, suppliers, and partner organisations.
• Build effective relationships with senior stakeholders and use strong influencing and negotiation skills to resolve issues and maintain programme momentum.
• Support financial management of service systems transition activity, including cost forecasting, budget monitoring, resource planning, and assessment of supplier and implementation costs.
• Identify opportunities to improve service delivery, efficiency, continuity, and value for money through effective systems transition and change.
• Lead change and continuous improvement activity, ensuring new ways of working are effectively implemented and embedded.
• Evaluate existing service provision and systems, using evidence, stakeholder feedback, and external developments to inform innovative solutions.
• Ensure transition activity is appropriately assured and that evidence of completion and readiness is available to support Vesting Day requirements.
• Provide specialist advice and recommendations where complex problems require judgement and innovative solutions.
• Represent the relevant service area at internal and external meetings, programme forums, and strategic initiatives as required.
• Contribute to the development of longer-term plans and strategies aligned with wider organisational and LGR objectives.

Requirements

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent relevant professional experience in programme management, project management, change management, transformation, or a related discipline.
• Significant experience delivering complex programmes, projects, transformation initiatives, or service change within a large and complex organisation.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams and coordinating stakeholders within a matrix management environment.
• Strong experience managing programme plans, milestones, risks, issues, dependencies, resources, budgets, and governance arrangements.
• Experience delivering complex systems transition, service transformation, organisational change, or technology-enabled change programmes.
• Strong understanding of change management, project and programme management, continuous improvement, and service transformation principles.
• Experience working with business systems and an understanding of how technology and systems support operational service delivery.
• Proven ability to engage, influence, negotiate, and build effective relationships with senior stakeholders, suppliers, service leads, and subject matter experts.
• Strong financial management skills, including budget monitoring, cost forecasting, resource planning, and business case development.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess complex information, identify risks and dependencies, and develop practical solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and produce high-quality governance and programme documentation.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities, competing demands, and challenging timescales.
• Ability to work effectively in an environment of ambiguity, complexity, and significant organisational change.
• Demonstrable ability to lead, motivate, coach, and influence others without direct line management responsibility.
• Strong understanding of programme governance, assurance, reporting, and decision‑making processes.
• Ability to develop innovative solutions and drive continuous improvement across services.
• Professional project or programme management qualification such as MSP, PRINCE2, APM PMQ, or equivalent is desirable.
• Experience of working within local government or a public sector environment is desirable.
• Experience of Local Government Reorganisation, service transition, or large-scale organisational transformation is desirable.

Additional Information

• Location: Surrey County Council
• Bi-Weekly Payments: Paid every two weeks.