Programmes Manager

Government Recruitment Service; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A government agency in the UK is looking for an Apprenticeship Programmes Lead to manage apprenticeship procurement processes. You will lead operational delivery, oversee compliance and quality assurance, and monitor provider performance. Strong leadership and communication skills are essential for collaborating with stakeholders across the organization.

Qualifications

• Experience in leading procurement processes.
• Strong operational delivery and quality assurance skills.
• Excellent coaching and communication abilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage apprenticeship procurement aligned with business needs.
• Lead operational delivery and ensure compliance.
• Monitor provider performance and escalate issues.

Job description

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Apprenticeship Team delivers one of the largest and most diverse apprenticeship portfolios in government, offering over 40 apprenticeship programmes ranging from Level 2 (GCSE equivalent) through to Level 7 (postgraduate qualification). These programmes span multiple professions including digital, HR, finance, CFCD, operational delivery and leadership. At any one time, there are around 2,500 apprentices on programmes across the organisation.

High quality provision and robust commercial contracts are central to the success of this work. Apprenticeships must not only meet individual learning needs but also build the workforce capability required to deliver DWP’s business priorities now and in the future. The Apprenticeship Programme Team works closely with the Heads of Professions, workforce planning colleagues and capability leads to understand skills and capability requirements. The team partners with Commercial colleagues to procure suitable training providers, and with Experience and Delivery colleagues to support ongoing contract management, resolve issues, and ensure providers meet agreed performance standards.

As Apprenticeship Programmes Lead, you will:

• Ensure apprenticeship procurement is effectively managed, future-focused, and aligned to business needs
• Lead and oversee HEO(s), maintain procurement plans, drive continuous improvement, and manage escalation of issues.
• Be accountable for operational delivery and quality assurance within the team. Owning operational delivery of apprenticeship procurement, ensuring compliance, quality, and continuous improvement. Providing operational risk oversight and escalating appropriately to Head of Programmes.

Key tasks

• Provide clear direction, coaching, and oversight to HEOs, role modelling inclusive and collaborative leadership.
• Lead the operational delivery of the end-to-end apprenticeship procurement process.
• Engage with Commercial colleagues to ensure timely, compliant, and effective procurement.
• Deliver standard-setting calls and support moderation meetings with evaluation panels.
• Maintain and review procurement plans to ensure accuracy, completeness, and forward-looking coverage.
• Monitor provider performance in collaboration with Delivery and Experience teams, escalating issues where appropriate.
• Manage communications escalated by Programme Manager across internal and external stakeholders during procurement.
• Conduct regular review of the provider market to identify emerging opportunities and risks.
• Contribute to process improvement, sharing lessons learned and best practice across the team.