Senior Project/Programme Manager

BT Group; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

BT Group is seeking a Senior Project/Programme Manager to lead a major transformation programme in the UK. The role is hybrid with 3 days in office in Bristol, Manchester, London or Birmingham, and a strong focus on delivering strategic outcomes.

You will manage complex cross‑functional workstreams, balance scope, schedule and budget, and partner with SMT sponsors to ensure successful delivery and measurable business impact.

Qualifications

• Advanced project management qualification – MSP or APM RPP.
• Experience delivering large, complex programmes end-to-end.
• Experience mobilising large programmes with senior stakeholders.
• Experience in financial/budget management, governance, risk and change.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver the programme plan for the top transformation programme.
• Communicate progress through governance forums and reports.
• Coordinate end-to-end delivery across multiple projects and teams.
• Lead a delivery team including SMT sponsors, senior stakeholders and external partners.
• Ensure delivery within time, budget and quality standards.

Skills

Portfolio management

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Negotiation

Communication

Risk management

Education

MSP certification

APM RPP certification

PRINCE2

Tools

MSP

APM RPP

Job description

Senior Project/Programme Manager

Salary: competitive

Location: GBR Bristol - Assembly. Hybrid working 3 days in office in Bristol, Manchester, London or Birmingham.

Why this job matters

The Transformation Programme Manager will be accountable for leading, developing and delivering one of the top transformation programmes for Business. These programmes are strategic, complex and impact multiple business units. They are long-term programmes and represent a major investment and are critical to transforming the business and returning us to growth – it doesn’t get more exciting that that!

The Transformation Programme Manager will be fully dedicated to the programme and work in partnership with the SMT sponsor on all workstreams. You will be an invested and trusted partner, influencing the programmes strategic priorities as well as the key deliverables, to confidentially lead delivery. You will challenge the team and wider stakeholders to ensure we are being as ambitious as possible and challenging where we need to. You will be responsible for creating the environment for the programme team to succeed, leading the team to execute the milestones and deliverables, fulfilling the programme KPIs, removing internal barriers and cutting through complexity to deliver on time and within budget.

In this role you will use your knowledge of the programme and working relationships with the programme team to define and develop the end to end programmatics for all aspects of the programme. You will be accountable for the plan, that delivers the overall programme, within time and budget.

What you’ll be doing

• Accountable for developing and delivering the programme plan for one of the top programmes for Business. These programmes have been identified as being the largest, most complex programmes for the CFU, enabling wide-scale transformation.


• Accountable for communicating all aspects of transformation delivery within the programme via governance forums.


• Responsible for coordinating and delivering the end-to-end programme across multiple projects and teams, ensuring robust controls are in place to achieve measurable commercial outcomes. Accountable for delivery on time, within budget, and to agreed quality standards - from initial concept through to market launch and successful transition into BAU operations.


• Lead and provide direction to wider programme team on requirements, scope, timescale, cost constraints and quality expectations.


• Accountable for delivering projects to required standard within budget and time.


• Accountable for building a delivery team consisting of a mixture of dedicated and shared resources: These resources will be: SMT Sponsors, Senior Busines Stakeholders, Project Managers, internal specialist teams and external third parties.


• Accountable for delivering the programme adhering to the comprehensive governance structure, set by the wider PMO team.


• Accountable for ensuring that defined methodologies, processes and tools are consistently applied across the programmes and projects in scope, in-line with the overall standards set by the PMO.


• Manages project risk for Business and BT, with an ability to use and adapt recognized programme management methods and processes depending on elements of the risk profile and governance needs.


• Ensures the PMO and resourcing functions have clear line of sight of upcoming demand requirements.


• Uses technical and operational expertise to deliver complex programmes with multiple competing priorities in challenging environments. Understanding the impacts the programme has on each individual business team and Business as a whole.


• Experience of both watefall and agile methodology and delivery

Skills and Experience

• Portfolio, Programme and Project Management, Prince2 or APM or SAFE


• Ability to quickly comprehend complex situations / issues – “cut through complexity”.


• Ability to think strategically and take ideas from concept through to implementation.


• Personal resilience to continue to deliver in challenging stakeholder environment


• Bias for action – owning a problem and not giving up until resolved, to not impact delivery


• Team leadership and a highly collaborative style


• Influencing skills at all levels, including SMT and BLT


• Confidence to challenge, advise and shape programe direction


• Ability to unblock issues to enable successful delivery


• Experience of both watefall and agile methodology and delivery


• Experience of managing and leading senior stakeholders, ensuring on time and within budget delivery of complex programmes


• Ability to lead a matrix team to deliver the programme


• Negotiation, communication and decision‑making skills.


• Demonstrate initiative.


• Ability to build a culture of continuous learning and development and mutual support.


• Ability to coach for great performance, including being able to articulate what fantastic performance looks like.

Experience you would be expected to have

• Experience as a Project and Programme Manager, delivering complex solutions


• Expected to have attained an advanced project management qualification – MSP, APM RPP etc.


• Experience of mobilising a large programme end to end


• Working with senior stakeholders, up to ELT level.


• Experience within a complex programme: Financial/budget management, stakeholder management, communication plans, managing escalations and risk.


• Knocking down internal barriers and cutting through complexity to deliver.

About us

BT Group was the world’s first telco and our heritage in the sector is unrivalled. As home to several of the UK’s most recognised and cherished brands – BT, EE, Openreach and Plusnet, we have always played a critical role in creating the future, and we have reached an inflection point in the transformation of our business.

Over the next two years, we will complete the UK’s largest and most successful digital infrastructure project – connecting more than 25 million premises to full fibre broadband. Together with our heavy investment in 5G, we play a central role in revolutionising how people connect with each other.

While we are through the most capital-intensive phase of our fibre investment, meaning we can reward our shareholders for their commitment and patience, we are absolutely focused on how we organise ourselves in the best way to serve our customers in the years to come. This includes radical simplification of systems, structures, and processes on a huge scale. Together with our application of AI and technology, we are on a path to creating the UK’s best telco, reimagining the customer experience and relationship with one of this country’s biggest infrastructure companies.

Change on the scale we will all experience in the coming years is unprecedented. BT Group is committed to being the driving force behind improving connectivity for millions and there has never been a more exciting time to join a company and leadership team with the skills, experience, creativity, and passion to take this company into a new era.

A FEW POINTS TO NOTE

Although these roles are listed as full-time, if you’re a job share partnership, work reduced hours, or any other way of working flexibly, please still get in touch.

We will also offer reasonable adjustments for the selection process if required, so please do not hesitate to inform us.

DON'T MEET EVERY SINGLE REQUIREMENT?

Studies have shown that women and people who are disabled, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse or from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification and criteria. We’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace where everyone can be their best, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement on the Job Description, please apply anyway - you may just be the right candidate for this or other roles in our wider team.