Senior Programme Manager - Clara Innovation & Deployment

KPMG Careers; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

KPMG UK is seeking a Senior Programme Manager within the Audit Technology Innovation & Deployment team to orchestrate complex AI/ML initiatives. You will govern cross-functional delivery, engage senior stakeholders, and oversee budgets and risk across the product lifecycle.

Ideal candidates will have extensive programme management experience in AI/ML or data-science projects within regulated contexts and strong leadership, communication, and governance capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a related field; programme management certifications required (PMP, MSP, Agile)
• Experience leading AI/ML, data science or software development initiatives in regulated environments
• Strong leadership, stakeholder engagement and communication skills; risk and governance experience

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of technology portfolios; align milestones with business strategy and regulatory standards
• Coordinate cross-functional teams in the UK and internationally including product, engineering and data science
• Establish programme governance; track KPIs on timeline, risk posture, adoption, quality and ethics
• Engage senior stakeholders across audit, risk and IT to maintain visibility and address concerns
• Champion agile delivery, value-stream thinking and continuous learning across AI/ML workstreams
• Maintain portfolio budgets and ensure timely reporting to leadership
• Identify opportunities to scale and standardise deployment across audit domains
• Embed responsible AI practices including fairness, explainability and data governance into delivery processes

Skills

Programme management

AI/ML leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Risk management

Change leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree

PMP certification

MSP certification

Agile certifications

Lean Six Sigma

Job description

Senior Programme Manager - Clara Innovation & Deployment

Summary of role purpose:

The Senior Programme Manager, within the Innovation & Deployment team in Audit Technology is responsible for orchestrating the delivery of complex, cross-functional initiatives involving artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. This role oversees programme governance, stakeholder alignment, and execution across the product lifecycle.

Description of the role:

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the successful delivery of technology portfolios, aligning programme milestones with business strategy, regulatory standards, and product innovation goals.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams in the UK and sometimes multi-nationally including product managers, engineers, data scientists, and SMEs to manage dependencies, risks, and delivery cadence.
• Establish programme governance, tracking KPIs related to timeline, risk posture, adoption, and quality and ethical compliance.
• Engage senior stakeholders across audit, risk, and IT to maintain visibility of programme progress and address concerns proactively.
• Champion agile delivery, value-stream thinking, and continuous learning across AI/ML workstreams.
• Maintain financial oversight of portfolio budgets and ensure timely reporting to leadership.
• Identify opportunities to scale, standardise, and accelerate deployment across audit domains.
• As our firm focuses heavily on the adoption of AI in all areas, ensure responsible AI practices, including fairness, explainability, and data governance, are embedded into delivery processes.

• Due to the nature of the position, you may be working at/visiting a client site and/or other KPMG offices.

The person:

Experience and knowledge requirements:

• Extensive experience in programme management or technology leadership roles within AI/ML, data science, and/or software development.
• Proven ability to lead large-scale, interdisciplinary initiatives in complex, regulated environments.
• Understanding of the software product development lifecycle; ideally including AI/ML lifecycle, model governance, MLOps, and responsible AI frameworks.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills.
• Familiarity with audit processes, information security, and ethical AI implementation are all a strong advantage.

Behavioural Attributes and Skills:

• Strategic leadership and ability to drive complex programmes aligned to business objectives.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, influencing, and communication skills.
• Strong programme governance, risk management, and decision-making capability.
• Ability to lead and motivate multidisciplinary teams across multiple locations.
• Highly organised with strong planning, prioritisation, and financial management skills.
• Collaborative, resilient, and adaptable with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Commitment to quality, ethical conduct, and responsible AI practices.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and change leadership capability.
• Experience in enterprise-scale AI/ML, data, or technology transformation programmes.
• Knowledge of audit, risk, compliance, or regulated environments.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a related field; programme management certifications required (PMP, MSP, Agile), multiple agile methodologies ideal; Lean Six Sigma certifications preferred.

KPMG overview:

KPMG in the UK is part of a global network of firms that offers Audit, Legal, Tax and Advisory services. Through the talent of over 16,000 colleagues, we bring our creativity, insight and experience to solve our clients’ and communities’ biggest problems. We’ve been doing this for more than 150 years.

We aim to be universally recognised as a place for great people to do their best work. A firm known for our collaborative and inclusive culture, using technology to empower and equip our people to deliver outstanding work with real flexibility – through inspiring workspaces, innovative ways to collaborate and hybrid ways of working.

With offices across the UK, we work with everyone from small start- ups and individuals to major multinationals, in virtually every industry imaginable. Our work is often complex, yet our mission is simple: To support the UK in a connected world. It guides everything we do, underpinned by our values: Courage, Integrity, Excellence, Together and For Better.

KPMG are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunity employer and we seek to attract and retain the best people from the widest possible talent pool.

As a member of the Business Disability Forum we're committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the Recruitment Process.

We pride ourselves on being a place where your individuality is valued; you can be yourself and still achieve your potential. We believe that your individuality helps us to deliver the best results to our clients. Diversity of background, diversity of experience, diversity of perspective - that's the KPMG difference.

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