Business Change and Integrations Director in Lancing

As the UK's leading parking and technology-enabled management group, we support more than 9,000 locations across housing, healthcare, education and commercial estates. We're proud to be Carbon Neutral Britain certified and committed to creating positive outcomes for our clients, communities and colleagues alike. We're growing quickly, investing heavily in technology and expanding into new sectors, creating exciting opportunities for people who want to make an impact and be part of something ambitious.

The Business Change and Integrations Director is a senior leader responsible for establishing and leading Agena Group's Business Change and Integration function. As the function is still developing, this role will suit someone who thrives in an environment where processes are not yet fully established and where a team must be brought together, shaped and developed. The role provides leadership across business change, strategic transformation and post-acquisition integration activity, ensuring change initiatives are effectively qualified, prioritised, governed and delivered. The postholder will own the Group change portfolio from demand management and business case governance through to programme delivery, benefits realisation and executive reporting. A key focus of the role is ensuring that change is aligned to Agena's strategic objectives and growth plans, with robust portfolio visibility, PMO-style controls, clear prioritisation and disciplined delivery standards across the business.

Working closely with the Executive Team, functional leaders and acquisition stakeholders, the role will lead post-acquisition integration programmes across people, process and technology, including target operating model implementation and synergy realisation. The Business Change and Integration Director will ensure operational continuity during periods of change while building a mature, scalable and high-performing change capability across the Group. As well as leading and developing the function, the successful candidate will be comfortable operating as a player-manager, combining strategic leadership with hands-on delivery and personally leading critical projects, programmes and integration activities where required.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• Strategic Leadership & Function Establishment: Establish and lead a single Group Business Change and Integration Function that provides consistent governance, methodology and delivery assurance across strategic change and integration activity. Translate Group strategy and growth plans into a prioritised change portfolio with clear ownership, executive visibility and measurable outcomes. Build maturity across qualification, delivery, benefits realisation and post-acquisition integration disciplines.
• Business Change Governance & Qualification: Own demand management, triage and qualification of change requests, ensuring initiatives are supported by robust impact assessments, business cases and clear decision criteria. Recognising the maturity of the business, reject or redirect unqualified change requests where scope, benefits, ownership, funding, priority or strategic alignment are insufficient. Define and maintain governance standards, templates and controls that support consistent decision-making and delivery discipline.
• Portfolio Management & Executive Reporting: Manage portfolio prioritisation, resource allocation, dependency management and strategic alignment across the Group change agenda. Provide clear, accurate and timely executive reporting on portfolio performance, risks, dependencies, delivery confidence and benefits realisation. Recommend portfolio priorities and challenge initiatives that are not aligned to margin enhancement, value creation or agreed strategic objectives.
• Programme & Project Delivery: Provide leadership and assurance across major programmes and projects, ensuring delivery to agreed scope, milestones, budgets and business outcomes. Establish and embed delivery standards covering planning, governance, RAID management, assurance, transition and implementation management. Ensure effective mobilisation, sequencing and handover of change initiatives into business-as-usual operations.
• Benefits Management & Synergy Realisation: Lead benefit management, ownership, tracking and reporting across the change portfolio, ensuring benefits are defined, baselined, governed and realised. Own governance and reporting of M&A synergies and value creation targets agreed by the Board. Work with accountable business owners to ensure operational, commercial, technology and financial benefits are delivered and sustained.
• Post-Acquisition Integration: Plan, mobilise and lead post-acquisition transition and integration programmes across people, process, systems, data, technology, governance and operating model workstreams. Lead target operating model implementation and ensure each integration programme is aligned to the agreed acquisition thesis, synergy commitments and business continuity requirements. Ensure integration milestones, risks, decisions and dependencies are actively managed and communicated to senior stakeholders.
• Change Management, Communications & Adoption: Ensure operational readiness, stakeholder engagement, communications, training and adoption planning are embedded into every material change initiative. Build change confidence across the Group by ensuring colleagues understand what is changing, why it matters and how it will be embedded. Promote a structured, people-centred approach to change that protects operational stability and colleague engagement.
• Risk, Governance & Assurance: Maintain robust governance, assurance and risk management across all change and integration activity, including escalation of governance exceptions. Ensure clear ownership, controls and reporting across initiatives, with consistent RAID management and decision tracking. Protect business continuity and operational stability during periods of significant change and integration.
• People Leadership & Capability Development: Build, lead and develop a high-performing Business Change and Integration capability across the Group. Coach project, programme and integration leads to deliver consistent standards, clear accountability and strong stakeholder outcomes. Create the capability, capacity and operating rhythm required to support current transformation activity and future acquisition-led growth.
• Stakeholder & Commercial Engagement: Act as a senior partner to the Executive Team, functional leaders and acquisition stakeholders on strategic change, integration and value realisation priorities. Influence cross-functional decision-making, resolve escalated delivery risks and ensure stakeholder alignment across complex initiatives. Support commercial and strategic growth by providing delivery confidence, integration discipline and credible executive reporting.

WHO YOU ARE

• You have a proven track record leading business transformation, strategic change, portfolio delivery or integration functions within complex, multi-site or high-growth organisations.
• You are comfortable operating in a player-manager capacity within a developing function.
• You are passionate about building capability, developing people and embedding sustainable ways of working.
• You have successfully translated business strategy into executable programmes that deliver measurable operational, financial and commercial outcomes.
• You understand that effective change is about far more than project delivery. You balance pace, risk, stakeholder engagement and operational stability, ensuring change is embedded successfully whilst maintaining business performance.
• You have experience of leading large-scale programmes, cross-functional initiatives and ideally post-acquisition integrations, with a strong understanding of the people, process and technology considerations required to achieve successful outcomes.
• You are commercially minded and understand how strategic initiatives create value.
• You are a self-starter who takes ownership of outcomes.
• You are experienced in working with Executive Teams, Boards, investors and senior business leaders, providing clear recommendations, robust governance and concise reporting that supports informed decision-making.
• You communicate with confidence and credibility across all levels of the organisation.
• You possess a strong working knowledge of programme and portfolio management, business change, governance, benefits realisation and organisational transformation.
• You are highly organised and skilled at balancing multiple priorities, managing dependencies and maintaining focus on delivery in fast-paced and evolving environments.

Other information about the role

• Salary: £100,000 - £120,000 Depending on experience
• Hours: 40 per week; Monday - Friday 9am - 5.30pm
• Location: Remote (based in UK) or from any of our office locations with hybrid flexibility
• You must be able to legally live and work in the UK without sponsorship.
• This role is subject to the approval of our motor insurance provider, and continued employment is dependent on maintaining eligibility to drive under the company's insurance policy.

Benefits

• We know there's more to life than work - that's why when you join Agena, you'll get your pick of our amazing benefits through our Enjoy Benefits platform.
• Incremental holiday increases to recognise long service.
• 2 volunteering days a year.
• Unlock your potential with our training, learning & development, and apprenticeship options throughout your career.
• Employee Assistance Programme 24/7 confidential, independent and professional counselling.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• EV Charging points at office locations.
• Regular team/company socials.
• Team events from breakfasts for charity, social drinks in your local office location to book clubs, environmental initiatives, and lunch and learns.

We are proud to be certified Carbon Neutral and hold ISO Accreditations for Quality Management, Environmental Management and Information Security Management. We are a Mindful Employer and are committed to supporting your mental health at work. The Agena Group are proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme. We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier free recruitment process.