Head of Delivery - One Year Fixed Term Contract

Guardian Recruiting (Pty) Ltd; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian Recruiting (Pty) Ltd is seeking an experienced Head of Delivery to take ownership of the end-to-end delivery of programmes and projects. This role involves leading multidisciplinary teams, ensuring alignment with business strategy, and driving operational excellence.

Ideal candidates will have 5–8+ years' experience in programme delivery, relevant qualifications, and strong stakeholder engagement skills. Join a dynamic environment and make a measurable impact!

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years' experience in programme delivery or operations leadership.
• Proven experience managing large and complex delivery portfolios.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee delivery across multiple programmes and projects.
• Ensure delivery objectives align with business strategy and timelines.
• Drive operational excellence through process improvement and governance.

Skills

Programme delivery

Operations leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Risk management

Project management tools

Education

Relevant qualification in Project Management

Certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, Agile

Job description

Are you a strategic delivery leader with experience managing complex programmes, driving operational excellence, and leading high-performing teams?

We are seeking an experienced Head of Delivery to take ownership of the end-to-end delivery of programmes, projects, products, and services across a dynamic and fast-paced environment. This role offers the opportunity to shape delivery strategy, lead multidisciplinary teams, and ensure successful execution across both commercial and funded programme portfolios.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee delivery across multiple programmes, projects, and initiatives.
• Ensure delivery objectives align with business strategy, stakeholder expectations, budgets, timelines, and quality standards.
• Drive operational excellence through process improvement, governance, risk management, and performance reporting.
• Manage portfolio prioritisation, resource allocation, and cross-functional delivery challenges.
• Lead, mentor, and develop delivery teams while fostering a culture of accountability and high performance.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, clients, funding partners, and regulatory bodies.
• Oversee delivery budgets, forecasting, cost control, and commercial performance.
• Support the successful implementation and delivery of funded programmes, including learnerships, skills programmes, and occupational qualifications.

Requirements

• 5–8+ years' experience in programme delivery, operations leadership, or funded programme management within a SETA, QCTO, skills development, training, or related environment.
• Proven experience managing large and complex delivery portfolios.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams and driving delivery outcomes.
• Relevant qualification in Project Management, Operations, Business, Technology, or a related field.
• Certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, or equivalent would be advantageous.
• Strong understanding of SETA, QCTO, and funded programme frameworks.
• Experience with learnerships, skills programmes, discretionary grants, and related funding environments.
• Proficiency in project management tools and the ability to develop dashboards, reporting, and governance frameworks.

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinker with a strong execution focus.
• Highly accountable, resilient, and results-driven.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Strong commercial acumen and problem-solving ability.
• Ability to lead change, influence outcomes, and deliver in a complex environment.

If you are passionate about driving delivery excellence and making a measurable impact, we would love to hear from you.