Senior Programme Manager - Quality

Smiths Group; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior Programme Manager to lead quality transformation initiatives that enhance compliance and continuous improvement across the organization. In this pivotal role, you will oversee large-scale projects, implement best-in-class quality assurance methodologies, and engage with stakeholders at all levels. This position offers a unique opportunity to drive significant change in quality management systems while working in a collaborative environment that values diversity and inclusion. Join a team dedicated to making the world a safer place and enjoy excellent training and career growth opportunities.

Benefits

Flexible benefits

Health and wellbeing support

Career growth opportunities

Inclusive environment

Excellent training

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in leading large-scale transformation programmes.
• Strong background in project management and quality systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee quality transformation initiatives aligning with business objectives.
• Manage programme budgets and resource allocation effectively.

Skills

Project Management

Stakeholder Management

Analytical Skills

Leadership

Problem-Solving

Communication

Education

Degree in Business/Project Management or Technology/Engineering

Internationally recognised professional qualification in project management

Tools

Lean Six Sigma

Total Quality Management (TQM)

Job description

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Company Description

Every minute of every day, Smiths Detection's threat detection and security screening technology helps to protect people and infrastructure, making the world a safer place.

Smiths Detection, part of Smiths Group is a global leader in the development, manufacture and management of security and detection solutions designed to make the world a safer place. Our technology provides threat detection and screening solutions for customers in our key markets: aviation, ports and borders, defence, and urban security.

Our expertise spans 21 global offices, seven manufacturing sites and five R&D centres, with a global network of 3,000 dedicated colleagues contributing towards over 40 years at the frontline of advances in safety and security.

This results in careers built on variety and the opportunity to work on a range of state-of-the-art solutions, where you can develop your knowledge and experience every day.

Job Description

To plan, coordinate, and implement Transformation initiatives associated with Quality across functions in Smiths Detection. We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Programme Manager to drive related transformation program activities focused on enhancing quality standards, compliance, and continuous improvement across the organization.

This role will enable the actions and projects required to assist the Global Quality Director to improve quality management systems, process optimization, and embedding best-in-class quality assurance methodologies.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in project management with experience and understanding of quality systems, extensive experience managing large-scale transformation programs, and the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels to ensure the successful delivery of quality-driven initiatives.

As a senior professional, the Senior Programme Manager will be assigned to Quality Transformation with a focus on implementing quality governance frameworks, process improvements and best practices to elevate improvement and excellence. The role will also encompass program leadership, ensuring that transformation projects align with strategic business goals.

Duties:

• Programme Leadership: Oversee and manage large-scale quality transformation initiatives, ensuring alignment with business objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Process Optimization: Oversee the implementation of Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Management (TQM) methodologies to enhance programme execution.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with senior leadership, engineering teams, compliance teams, and external partners to define and execute quality transformation roadmaps.
• Risk & Change Management: Identify risks, dependencies, and challenges within quality transformation initiatives, developing mitigation strategies and effectively managing change.
• Resource & Budget Management: Manage programme budgets, allocate resources effectively, and track progress against key programme milestones and deliverables.
• Project Governance & Delivery Excellence: Implement effective project governance models to sustain high standards across the portfolio.
• Ensure disciplined application of project management across entire remit.
• Effective coordination of assigned team members.
• Map programmes or work and understand the different role profiles, team structures and competencies required to deliver the goals and objectives of the project/programme.
• Create inclusive and coordinated project/programme environments to maximise the effectiveness of teams to achieve project/programme success.

Qualifications

Educational requirements:

• Internationally recognised professional qualification in project management (equivalent to IPMA level B/C or APMQ) desirable.
• Degree qualification (HND minimum) in relevant discipline (Business/Project Management or Technology/Engineering) desirable.

Knowledge and skills:

• Extensive experience in programme management, specifically leading large-scale transformation programmes within embedded systems.
• Experience in industries such as aerospace, defence, automotive, or manufacturing, where complex quality management and processes are critical.
• Familiarity with Quality management tools and concepts including Lean Six Sigma.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver transformation programs within agile, waterfall, or hybrid methodologies.
• Experience in stakeholder management, including engagement with executives, IT teams, and engineering functions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make data-driven decisions.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and negotiation skills.

Competence and Abilities:

• Ability to demonstrate strong leadership and interpersonal skills with a natural passion to deliver against commitments.
• Ability to communicate at all levels of the organisation recognising the level of details that is required for a particular audience.
• Significant ability to build and manage a multicultural team in a matrix environment and influence people outside of direct reporting relationships.
• Advanced vision, attention to detail, highly organised and proven ability to work under own initiative developing methods and procedures for new assignments.
• Significant ability to influence and act as a champion for project/programme governance, particularly those related to project/programme management.
• Lead the production and control of baselined, fully logic linked, cost and resource loaded plans, with appropriate milestones utilising approved work breakdown structures and techniques.
• Capable of producing special reports for the Senior Leadership Team within short timescales and comfortable working with ambiguity.
• Leading the application of change activities from proposal through to integration into the Performance Measurement Baseline.

Planning and Decision Making:

• Responsibility for planning, organising and executing assigned projects.
• Operate in accordance with a delegated authority, making prompt decisions to resolve problems and escalating issues in a timely manner.
• Required to operate autonomously in accordance with strategic direction from line manager.

Impact and Scope:

• This is a senior professional project and team leadership role with accountability for the successful delivery of major projects that span the Quality management systems and processes across a complex business.
• Failure to achieve required outputs would result in impact to major divisional organisational objectives.

Additional Information

Join us and we'll help build your career, with excellent training and opportunities for career growth across the business, both locally and globally. You'll experience an inclusive environment, with strong leadership and a focus on safety and wellbeing. You'll also have the flexibility to choose from a wide range of benefits to suit your lifestyle, offering you and your family support from a health and wellbeing, financial and lifestyle perspective.

Join us and work for a world-leader, with the benefits and training to reward your dedication and skills. Be part of a team where we are making the world a safer place.

Diversity & Inclusion:

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.