Tay Cities Deal Skills Programme Manager, Pullar House, Perth

Perth and Kinross Council; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 49,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government organization in the UK is seeking an ambitious Programme Manager to lead the strategic delivery of the £20 million Tay Cities Employability and Skills Programme. The role requires a degree and experience in programme management with a focus on strategic collaboration across multiple stakeholders. The successful candidate will work in a hybrid model, contributing to significant regional initiatives aiming to improve skills and employability in the community. A valid driving licence is required for the post.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Access to training and professional development

6 public holidays and an additional discretionary day

Qualifications

• Experience in a Skills and Employability delivery environment is preferred.
• Experience across various professional disciplines required.
• Valid driving licence is necessary for travel across the Tay Cities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic skills and employability agenda across the Tay Cities region.
• Engage stakeholders to improve regional skills collaboration.
• Ensure monitoring and evaluation of the £20m regional programme.

Skills

Strategic mindset

Collaborative working style

Programme management

Negotiation and influencing

Monitoring and evaluation

Budgetary control

Education

Degree in a relevant or related subject

Job description

Salary: £49,779 - £53,627 per year

Contract Type: Permanent

Position Type: Full Time

Hours: 36 hours per week

Work From Home: Hybrid

Main Purpose of the Role

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

We currently have the following opportunity:

This is an exciting time to join Perth & Kinross Council and we are looking for a proactive and creative programme manager to support us to help coordinate the delivery of the £20 million Tay Cities Employability and Skills Programme. The Tay Cities Deal is a ten-year £700 million investment in the region. Both Scottish and UK Governments have invested £150 million each to secure over 6000 quality jobs and leverage in a further £400 million of investment. The Deal was signed in December 2020 and is about to enter year 6 of the 10-year delivery phase.

The Tay Cities Region Deal brings together public, private and voluntary organisations in the council areas of Angus, Dundee, Fife, and Perth & Kinross to deliver a smarter and fairer region. To do so, the local authorities and Partners that make up the Tay Cities region have negotiated with the UK and Scottish Governments to secure investment and greater local powers. This will be used to encourage skills development and progress infrastructure such as roads, rail links, buildings, and communications networks. Under the Deal, business, higher and further education, local government, and the Third Sector will work closely together to create growth more quickly and sustainably using the significant public investment to bring greater prosperity and equality.

We are looking for an individual who can demonstrate a strategic mindset and a collaborative working style. The postholder will drive the strategic skills & employability agenda across the Tay Cities region and enable employability and related skills services to work better collectively to realise a more co-ordinated approach to delivery and a more efficient, effective offer to service beneficiaries. The post will drive the strategic agenda and ensure delivery activity remains consistent with the overall Programme Business case, the strategic context of the deal and with the ambitions of partners, stakeholders, and citizens.

The postholder will also support the delivery of the Tay Cities Region Prospectus for Regional Growth as the development of skills and talent initiatives are one of the key enablers of the strategy. In addition to the core deliverables above the post holder will be expected to work strategically and collaboratively with others, both within the Tay Cities Skills Board and with the project delivery partners, to deliver the Tay Cities Skills and Employability Programme and the emerging Regional Skills Action Plan. Providing reports and updates to the Tay Cities Skills Board, the Management Group, and the Tay Cities Joint Committee on programme progress.

Other key responsibilities include: -

• Working autonomously, providing leadership to all Tay Cities regional collaboration activity around Skills and Employability.
• Engage directly with all four local authorities and other relevant stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors to develop and implement strategies to improve regional skills & employability collaboration, ensuring continuous improvement, innovation, and improved performance across the Region.
• Ensure strategic oversight of the £20m Tay Cities Regional Skills and Employability Programme, and ensure robust monitoring, evaluation and benefits realisation approaches are in place for all projects.
• This post will be strategic in focus, engaging with senior stakeholders, and influencing existing agencies.

Interviews for this post will be held on Friday 16 January 2026 in Perth.

Skills & Experience Required

You will have a degree in a relevant or related subject.

We are looking for an ambitious individual who can demonstrate a strategic mindset and a collaborative working style. Preferably you will have experience of working in a Skills and Employability delivery environment, however broader project and programme management skills are required.

The key skill set is one of supporting others to take forward projects and support them to navigate the Business Case approval process, and to support them once projects are in the delivery phase. To ensure they meet the requirements of the programme governance and reporting frameworks.

The individual appointed will be required to operate across the Tay Cities region, although your office base is here within Perth & Kinross Council where we operate a hybrid working model.

The post-holder requires experience and expertise across a range of professional disciplines including Programme management; Relationship and Engagement management; Strategic Business Partnerships; Inclusive economic growth; Negotiation and Influencing; Conflict and Problem resolution; Monitoring and Evaluation; Budgetary Control and Funding Compliance; and operating effectively within the political and government framework.

The postholder will drive the strategic skills & employability agenda across the Tay Cities region and enable employability and related skills services to work better collectively to realise a more co-ordinated approach to delivery and a more efficient, effective offer to service beneficiaries.

The post will drive the strategic agenda and ensure delivery activity remains consistent with the overall Programme Business case, the strategic context of the deal and with the ambitions of partners, stakeholders, and citizens.

You must have a valid driving licence as this post requires you to travel to a variety of locations across the Tay Cities region.

• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day

We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Alison Seggie, Service Manager - People, Partnership and Funding by emailing [e-mail] to find out more.

Click “APPLY NOW”

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on [phone] [e-mail] to discuss any reasonable adjustments. Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process.

Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

To comply with Baseline Personnel Security Standard, you will be required to complete a Disclosure Scotland check.

If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check.

A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.