Programme Manager (Contract)

The Focus Group; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consulting firm in South Africa seeks an experienced Programme Manager to lead a portfolio of large, complex projects. You will ensure alignment with organizational goals, manage stakeholder relationships, and oversee compliance and risk management. Requirements include a minimum of 10 years in project management and a Bachelor's Degree. This role demands strong leadership skills, financial oversight, and the ability to drive strategic initiatives in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience in a project or programme environment involving large projects.
• 2–3 years’ management experience leading teams or managers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, organising, and control of multiple projects/programmes.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop and implement communication strategies across various channels.
• Manage budgets and allocate project resource costs appropriately.
• Build a high-performance culture across teams and manage recruitment.

Skills

Management information & reporting

Organisational behaviour theory

Capacity planning

Client service management

Talent management

Stakeholder management

Financial management

Microsoft Project

Project toolkits

Project management

Education

Matric / Grade 12 / National Senior Certificate

Advanced Diploma / Bachelor’s Degree (NQF 7)

Tools

Microsoft Project

Job description

Our client is seeking an experienced Programme Manager to lead a portfolio of large, complex projects that support the organisation’s strategic objectives. This role covers the full programme lifecycle, including planning, execution, governance, stakeholder engagement, risk and compliance, financial oversight, workforce planning, communication, and people leadership.

You will ensure that projects are delivered within scope, on time, within budget, and aligned to organisational governance and risk standards.

Key Responsibilities

Programme & Project Delivery

• Lead the planning, organising, negotiating, staffing, directing and controlling of multiple projects/programmes.
• Ensure requirements are accurately captured, scoped, and approved by stakeholders.
• Manage project deviations and communicate changes timeously.
• Align programme delivery to organisational strategic plans.
• Conduct capacity planning across the programme portfolio.
• Ensure full compliance with project governance standards.
• Improve quality through enhancements to structures, processes, operating models and business plans.

Stakeholder Management

• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage expectations and maintain transparent communication across the portfolio.
• Engage stakeholders formally and informally to understand needs and provide updates.
• Promote collaboration and cross-functional engagement.
• Provide guidance on compliance risks, monitoring and reporting.
• Collaborate with industry bodies on compliance standards and requirements.

Compliance, Risk & Governance

• Develop annual risk-based compliance monitoring programmes.
• Provide advice on compliance risks and monitor adherence.
• Review and ensure accuracy of compliance reporting.
• Provide guidance, templates and support for compliance monitoring programmes.
• Ensure alignment between data quality, risk appetite and organisational standards.
• Manage credit-related decisions within policy guidelines.
• Adapt processes to meet legislative, economic and industry changes.
• Analyse financial and market data to identify credit and business risks.
• Prepare reports for risk, audit and executive committees.

Workforce Planning

• Align workforce planning practices with business strategic intent.
• Drive continuous improvement of workforce planning processes.
• Support creation of long-term capacity and workload forecasts.
• Analyse workforce data, develop scenarios and forecast talent needs.
• Deliver workforce planning projects within cost, time and risk parameters.
• Provide specialist consulting support to clusters and business units.

Communications Strategy

• Develop and implement communication strategies across internal communication, media, public relations, digital, social and advertising.
• Apply integrated communication techniques using appropriate channels.
• Provide advice on marketing strategies, business strategies, CVPs, EVPs, products and services.
• Manage day-to-day internal and external communications.
• Create content, monitor media trends, and oversee production of communication materials.
• Ensure communication outputs meet high-quality standards and audience requirements.
• Support alignment with regulatory communication requirements.

Operational Support & Internal Audit

• Prepare reports for risk, audit committees, executive committees and regulatory bodies.
• Support development and tracking of annual internal audit strategic plans.
• Map processes and highlight inefficiencies.
• Maintain and update business continuity plans.
• Coordinate disaster recovery projects and ensure compliance with required protocols.
• Manage internal projects such as office moves and system upgrades.
• Manage staff turnover, onboarding, and vacancy processes.
• Maintain internal audit repositories and information portals.
• Serve on data governance forums to determine data handling and classification standards.

Financial & Budget Management

• Manage budgets and allocate project resource costs appropriately.
• Provide inputs into financial plans related to data governance and compliance deliverables.
• Ensure adherence to financial targets and regulatory frameworks.
• Manage financial and operational risks within guidelines.
• Evaluate financial statements and ensure regulatory alignment.
• Oversee workflow prioritisation to meet deadlines.
• Recommend enhancements to financial and operational policies.

People Leadership

• Build a high-performance culture across teams.
• Manage recruitment, development, training, performance and succession planning.
• Provide coaching and mentoring to address performance gaps.
• Motivate staff, encourage participation, and foster teamwork.
• Manage employee relations and corrective action where necessary.
• Oversee onboarding and ensure a smooth integration process.
• Identify talent, conduct career conversations and implement retention initiatives.
• Lead by example and reinforce organisational vision and values.

Minimum Qualifications

• Matric / Grade 12 / National Senior Certificate
• Advanced Diploma / Bachelor’s Degree (NQF 7)

Preferred Qualifications

• SMP (Senior Management Programme) or equivalent
• PMP or Prince2 certification
• Programme Management Certification (PgMP)

Experience Requirements

• 10+ years’ experience in a project or programme environment involving large projects.
• 2–3 years’ management experience leading teams or managers.

Technical & Professional Knowledge

• Management information & reporting (Level 5)
• Organisational behaviour theory (Intermediate – Level 3)
• Capacity planning (Level 5)
• Client service management (Level 5)
• Talent management (Intermediate – Level 3)
• Stakeholder management (Level 5)
• Financial management (Level 5)
• Microsoft Project (Level 5)
• Project toolkits (Level 5)
• Project management (Level 5)

Behavioural Competencies

• Sharing responsibility
• Leading change
• Leading teams
• Driving for results
• Inspiring others
• Building partnerships