Lead Program Manager

Lead Program Manager

Slough Full-Time 54000 - 84000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead a transformative programme modernising Stock & Ordering capabilities across multiple teams.
  • Company: Join Nando’s, a vibrant brand at the heart of the restaurant industry.
  • Benefits: Enjoy a fast-paced environment with opportunities for impactful work and career growth.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of stock management while driving real change in a dynamic setting.
  • Qualifications: Experience in large-scale tech programmes, agile frameworks, and stakeholder engagement is essential.
  • Other info: This role offers exposure to C-Suite and the chance to manage multi-million-pound budgets.

The predicted salary is between 54000 - 84000 £ per year.

Overall Ambition

Lead the delivery of a business-critical transformation programme focused on modernising our Stock & Ordering capabilities. Co-ordinate and drive execution across multiple product, technology, and operational teams to ensure successful delivery of complex, integrated systems at scale.

The Stock & Ordering Services Programme

This is a high-impact, multi-million-pound initiative at the heart of our Supply Chain and Finance operations. The programme spans core capabilities including Stock Management, Ordering, Receipting, Invoice Reconciliation, Ingredient and SKU Master Data, and Digital Transformation of our stock management tooling. As Programme Lead, you’ll be accountable for shaping and driving this transformation—managing domain teams, stakeholders, and suppliers to realise strategic outcomes and long-term value.

Key Responsibilities

  • Programme Leadership: Define the delivery structure and ways of working to ensure value is delivered quickly, efficiently, and sustainably. Own the programme’s roadmap, outcomes, and success metrics.
  • Stakeholder & Team Management: Build strong relationships across Technology, Product, Supply Chain, Finance, and Restaurant Operations. Align priorities, resolve conflict, remove blockers, and maintain momentum.
  • Delivery Execution: Lead multiple cross-functional domain teams and third-party partners to deliver end-to-end solutions. Maintain visibility of delivery health, ensuring on-time and on-budget execution.
  • Commercial Management: Own the programme budget, track actuals and forecasts, and manage supplier performance. Ensure contracts are structured to support accountability and value realisation.
  • Risk & Dependency Management: Proactively manage cross-team and cross-programme risks, assumptions, and dependencies. Embed governance, escalation routes, and contingency planning.
  • Agile Enablement & Delivery Best Practice: Champion agile delivery across the programme. Promote lean thinking, iterative delivery, and high-quality outputs. Embed metrics, retrospectives, and a continuous improvement mindset.
  • Roadmap & Prioritisation: Work closely with Product Managers and SMEs to define and refine the strategic roadmap, ensuring a laser focus on value and feasibility.
  • Vendor Collaboration: Manage third-party partners and system integrators to ensure effective delivery. Govern integration points, service levels, and collaboration practices.
  • Leadership & Coaching: Provide guidance to product managers, delivery lead and senior team members. Support performance, unblock challenges, and foster a delivery-first culture.

Skills & Experience

  • Proven experience leading large-scale technology programmes in complex environments
  • Strong understanding of digital transformation, particularly within stock, ordering, or supply chain domains
  • Expertise in agile delivery frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) and experience embedding agile at scale
  • Understanding of data management concepts (e.g. master data, data quality, reconciliation)
  • Able to challenge and support engineering and product leads on delivery feasibility and estimates
  • Understanding of APIs, integration patterns, and data flows between systems
  • Familiarity with enterprise architecture (e.g. ERP, stock/order management platforms) and technical design governance
  • Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g. GCP, AWS, or Azure)
  • Ability to review and validate technical documentation and test plans
  • Demonstrated ability to manage £multi-million budgets and drive commercial outcomes
  • Experience delivering across distributed teams and third-party suppliers
  • Strong stakeholder engagement skills with C-Suite exposure
  • Comfortable navigating ambiguity and complexity to drive clear outcomes
  • Experience defining delivery governance, KPIs, and programme metrics
  • Practical knowledge of risk management, dependency tracking, and programme controls

Why Join Us?

As a Programme Lead at Nando’s, you will be at the forefront of a critical digital transformation, shaping the future of how stock flows through our ecosystem. This is a fast-paced, outcomes-driven role with the opportunity to make a tangible impact across our 480-restaurant estate and central functions. If you thrive in complexity, enjoy solving delivery challenges, and are driven by business impact—we want to hear from you.

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Contact Detail:

Nando's UK & IRE Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Lead Program Manager

✨Tip Number 1

Familiarise yourself with the specific technologies and frameworks mentioned in the job description, such as agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban. Being able to discuss your experience with these frameworks during the interview will demonstrate your suitability for leading complex technology programmes.

✨Tip Number 2

Build a solid understanding of stock management and ordering systems, as well as digital transformation processes. This knowledge will allow you to speak confidently about how you can contribute to the programme's success and align with the company's goals.

✨Tip Number 3

Network with professionals in the supply chain and finance sectors, especially those who have experience in large-scale transformations. Engaging with industry peers can provide valuable insights and potentially lead to referrals that could strengthen your application.

✨Tip Number 4

Prepare to discuss your experience managing multi-million-pound budgets and your approach to commercial management. Highlighting your ability to track financial performance and ensure value realisation will be crucial in demonstrating your fit for this role.

We think you need these skills to ace Lead Program Manager

Programme Leadership
Stakeholder Management
Cross-Functional Team Leadership
Agile Delivery Frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe)
Digital Transformation Expertise
Budget Management
Risk Management
Dependency Tracking
Data Management Concepts
Technical Documentation Review
Cloud Platform Familiarity (GCP, AWS, Azure)
Vendor Collaboration
Performance Coaching
Strong Communication Skills
Ability to Navigate Ambiguity

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in leading large-scale technology programmes, particularly in stock and ordering or supply chain domains. Use specific examples that demonstrate your expertise in agile delivery frameworks and digital transformation.

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for the role and the impact you can make at Nando’s. Discuss your experience with managing multi-million-pound budgets and your ability to navigate complex environments, showcasing how these skills align with the job requirements.

Highlight Stakeholder Engagement Skills: Emphasise your strong stakeholder engagement skills, especially your experience working with C-Suite executives. Provide examples of how you've built relationships and aligned priorities across different teams to drive successful outcomes.

Showcase Risk Management Experience: Detail your practical knowledge of risk management and dependency tracking. Include specific instances where you've successfully managed risks in previous projects, demonstrating your ability to maintain delivery health and ensure on-time execution.

How to prepare for a job interview at Nando's UK & IRE

✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills

As a Lead Program Manager, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead large-scale technology programmes. Prepare examples of past experiences where you successfully managed cross-functional teams and delivered complex projects on time and within budget.

✨Understand the Business Context

Familiarise yourself with the company's stock and ordering services transformation goals. Be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their objectives and how you can contribute to their success in modernising these capabilities.

✨Emphasise Agile Methodologies

Since the role requires expertise in agile delivery frameworks, be prepared to discuss your experience with Scrum, Kanban, or SAFe. Share specific instances where you've embedded agile practices in previous projects and the outcomes achieved.

✨Prepare for Stakeholder Engagement Scenarios

Given the importance of stakeholder management in this role, think of examples where you've built strong relationships across various teams. Be ready to explain how you resolved conflicts and maintained momentum in challenging situations.

Lead Program Manager
Nando's UK & IRE
Location: Slough
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