Senior Complex Programme Manager

International Business Machines Corporation; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Consulting in the United Kingdom seeks a Complex Project Manager for Enterprise Transformation to lead large-scale programmes that fuse business change, modern engineering, cloud platforms, data, AI, and cybersecurity. The role requires guiding diverse stakeholders, shaping governance, and delivering measurable outcomes across multi-technology environments.

You will thrive in ambiguity, build trusted client relationships at executive level, and drive delivery pace with a balance of control

Qualifications

• Experience leading large-scale enterprise transformation programmes.
• Strong understanding of software engineering, cloud, data and AI delivery.
• Ability to engage credibly with senior technical and engineering leaders.
• Experience in ambiguous environments where requirements and priorities evolve.
• Proven track record of leading programme recovery and delivering value.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex technology and software engineering programmes.
• Influence senior stakeholders and align diverse teams.
• Deliver outcomes across interconnected programmes with multiple technologies.
• Balance commercial objectives with technical constraints and risks.
• Engage with client executives, engineering leaders, architects, product teams.
• Manage risks and maintain momentum throughout delivery.
• Communicate clearly to translate technical concepts into business outcomes.

Skills

Enterprise transformation

Software engineering

Cloud technologies

DevOps

Executive stakeholder level

Governance frameworks

Cross-functional leadership

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

Introduction

A career in IBM Consulting is built on long-term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide. You’ll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you’ll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You’ll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long-term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.

Introduction

A career in IBM Consulting is built on long-term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide. You’ll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you’ll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You’ll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long-term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.

Your Role And Responsibilities

As a Complex Project Manager for Enterprise Transformation, you will lead some of IBM's most challenging technology and software engineering programmes, helping clients navigate large-scale transformation initiatives that combine business change, modern engineering practices, cloud platforms, data, AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise applications. This role is suited to individuals who thrive in complexity. You'll be comfortable operating in environments where requirements evolve, priorities shift, and the path to delivery is not always clearly defined. Rather than relying solely on process and governance, you'll bring the ability to influence senior stakeholders, align diverse teams, and create clarity amid uncertainty. Working closely with client executives, engineering leaders, architects, product teams, and business stakeholders, you will be responsible for delivering outcomes across interconnected programmes that often span multiple technologies, suppliers, and organisational boundaries. You'll balance commercial objectives, technical constraints, delivery risks, and organisational priorities while maintaining momentum and stakeholder confidence. You'll have experience delivering large-scale software engineering or technology transformation programmes and understand the challenges associated with integrating modern digital platforms with legacy enterprise environments. You will have successfully managed programmes involving multiple stakeholder groups with competing priorities, complex dependencies, and changing business requirements. We're looking for someone who has led organisations through ambiguity, whether stabilising challenged programmes, driving recovery initiatives, or delivering in environments where scope, requirements, and operating models continued to evolve throughout the lifecycle. You will be comfortable making decisions with incomplete information, establishing adaptive governance structures, and ensuring the right balance between control, flexibility, and delivery pace. Success in this role requires the ability to engage at executive level, build trusted client relationships, and lead cross-functional teams through influence rather than authority. You will be a strong communicator who can translate between business and technical audiences, ensuring alignment across engineering, architecture, product, operations, and leadership teams. The ideal candidate will bring experience delivering programmes characterised by unpredictability, interconnected challenges, and significant organisational complexity, with a proven ability to create structure, manage risk, and deliver value in some of the most demanding transformation environments.

Preferred Education

Bachelor's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Proven experience leading large-scale enterprise transformation, software engineering, or technology modernisation programmes within complex client environments.
• Strong understanding of software engineering, cloud technologies, DevOps, enterprise architecture, data and AI delivery, with the ability to engage credibly with senior technical and engineering leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively at executive stakeholder level, influencing strategic decisions and building trusted relationships across client and IBM leadership teams.
• Experience successfully delivering programmes in highly ambiguous environments where requirements, scope, priorities, and solutions evolve throughout the delivery lifecycle.
• Proven track record of leading programme recovery initiatives, stabilising challenged projects, and restoring stakeholder confidence while driving programmes back to successful delivery.
• Ability to balance commercial, technical, organisational, and contractual considerations, making informed decisions that support both client outcomes and business objectives.
• Experience establishing and adapting governance frameworks within rapidly changing environments, ensuring appropriate oversight without creating unnecessary delivery constraints.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to lead cross-functional teams through influence, collaboration, and stakeholder alignment rather than relying solely on direct authority or process control.
• Extensive experience managing multiple stakeholder groups with competing priorities, conflicting objectives, and complex organisational dynamics.
• Experience delivering programmes involving integration between legacy enterprise systems and modern cloud-native, digital, or AI-enabled platforms.
• Proven ability to manage large-scale programmes with significant interdependencies, uncertainty, and interconnected technical and business challenges.
• Strong risk management capability, including the identification, assessment, communication, and mitigation of commercial, technical, delivery, and organisational risks.
• Experience coordinating delivery across diverse teams including software engineering, architecture, product management, operations, cybersecurity, and business transformation functions.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into meaningful business outcomes for senior stakeholders.

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Proficiency in Emerging Technologies: Experience with various emerging technologies related to client needs, including technical solutions and innovative thinking. Ability to leverage these technologies to deliver successful solutions for intricate IT, business, and client requirements.
• Knowledge of Business Outsourcing: Familiarity with managing complex business outsourcing contracts, including analyzing business and IT challenges, and advising on large or complex engagements.
• Expertise in Project Methodologies: Experience with various project management methodologies, including the ability to apply strategic innovative thinking and manage complex programs and projects.