Programme Manager in Cardiff

The Senior Programme Manager is responsible for overseeing the execution of a strategic IT Programme (set of related projects) adhering to the PPMO framework. Leads the delivery and ensures its alignment with organizational goals, optimizing resources, and delivering long-term value for the organization.

In this position your key responsibilities will be:

• Lead multiple related projects to achieve programme objectives.
• Drive alignment of programmes with strategic goals and ensure benefits realisation and long-term impact.
• Oversee the execution, ensuring on-time delivery with high quality standards.
• Proactively manage program-level risks and dependencies, ensuring actions are taken to resolve deviations.
• Oversee stakeholder engagement across ITS units.
• Performance review of Project Managers to ensure governance and quality is attained during project delivery.
• Align individual project plans within the overall programme roadmap, with clearly defined deadlines, deliverables and resource allocation across projects.
• Provide strategic guidance to project managers, collaborating to align execution priorities and maintain focus on key milestones.
• Implement and monitor robust tracking mechanisms across projects, to identify and resolve risks or delays proactively.
• Monitor and report programme outcomes to Senior Leadership team, Project Leadership.
• Lead and support the completion of complex IT and business transformation projects.
• Ensure alignment with business objectives and timelines.
• Provide project's strategic direction: ensure PMs develop and maintain comprehensive project plans.
• Integrate all aspects of the project, including timelines and resource allocation.
• Oversee the development of project governance documents, adhering to the PPMO framework.
• Monitor project progress, milestones, and deliverables.
• Attend and support PMs in Project Steering boards to ensure regular status updates, effective reporting and presentations to stakeholders.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting to the Project Board and other senior leadership.
• Follow PPMO governance and practices.
• Assist with escalation of identified risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Support proactive mitigation strategies to address risks effectively.
• Manage escalations and critical issues with a strategic approach.
• Allocate resources efficiently, including budget, personnel, and technology.
• Consult with line/resource managers and third parties.
• Optimize resource utilization across multiple projects.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders.
• Ensure transparency, communication, and alignment throughout the programme and project lifecycle.
• Act as a liaison between project managers and executive leadership.
• Manage diverse project teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment.
• Motivate the project team and ensure team harmony.
• Mentor and provide guidance to junior project managers.
• Provide half-yearly and annual reviews of permanent employees.
• Provide regular constructive feedback to all PMs within the programme.
• Encourage feedback, learning, and adaptation to drive operational excellence.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
• Lead initiatives to enhance project management methodologies and tools.
• Implement robust quality assurance processes and standards.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality products and services.
• Continuously improve quality assurance practices.
• Support and escalate changes to project scope, requirements, and timelines.
• Coordinate adjustments in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
• Lead change management initiatives to ensure smooth transitions.

Qualifications:

• Proven experience (6+ years) as a Project Manager, preferably in IT or business transformation projects.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict-resolution abilities.
• Proficiency in project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Waterfall) and tools (e.g., Azure Boards, ServiceNow SPM, Microsoft Office).
• Appropriate certification (e.g. APM, PMP, PRINCE2, CMI) desirable.
• Experience with managing software development completed by third party offshore is beneficial.
• Proficiency in English and intermediate level of Spanish recommended.
• Knowledge of additional languages is beneficial.

Skills & Competencies:

• Knowledge of project management frameworks and best practices.
• Understanding of project management governance frameworks and capacity to adhere to them following the Atradius way of working.
• Excellent communication and reporting skills to senior stakeholders as well as project team.
• Systematically analysing, managing and influencing stakeholder relationships to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes through structured engagement.
• Proficient at managing time and resources independently.
• Risk management capabilities to identify, anticipate and mitigate risks.
• Problem solving skills.
• Ability to work on multiple programmes, workstreams or projects simultaneously.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills.
• Budget management and control skills.
• Proven leadership and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to engage with stakeholders to convert technical details into summarised views.
• Adept at negotiating internally and externally.
• Planning, designing and implementing change management activities to transition the organisation and people to the required future state.
• Experience with cloud technologies and tools such as Confluence and Azure DevOps.
• Experience in managing Business and IT projects.

Behavioural Traits:

• Proactive and initiative-taking.
• Persuasive and reliable.
• Flexible and adaptable.
• Organised and structured.
• Capable of maintaining team spirit and motivation.

The Atradius Group provides trade credit insurance, surety and collections services worldwide, and has a presence through 160 offices in 52 countries. The products offered by Atradius protect companies around the world against the default risks associated with selling goods and services on credit. At Atradius, we believe in personal development and the Growth Mindset. Our Culture is based on teamwork, reliable accountability, constantly improving and unrivalled service.

The ITS organisation supports Atradius' transformation journey in partnership with the whole Atradius organization, steering business change through innovation and new developments in information technologies and process improvement. The IT Work Programme Project Management team has a technical and business-oriented mindset, deeply understanding the challenges to successfully deliver value to the organization. The team works closely with Demand and Portfolio Management, and with the project and Infrastructure teams (developers, product owners, business analysts, architects, Networks, Security, Web Management, SDLC etc.) to achieve the desired benefits realisation through the project implementation.

What do we offer?

• A dynamic, international and challenging work environment.
• Training and support to reach your full potential including the opportunity for continuous professional development.
• Attractive terms and conditions, including competitive salary, pension package and a range of flexible benefits and rewards.
• Challenging tasks with individual development and training opportunities.