Senior 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.

Top 5 Main Activities:

• 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.

Project Planning:

• Ensure PMs develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, integrating all aspects of the project, including timelines and resource allocation.
• Oversee the development of project governance documents, adhering to the PPMO framework.

Progress Monitoring and Reporting:

• 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, following PPMO governance and practices.

Risk Management:

• 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.

Resource Allocation:

• Allocate resources efficiently, including budget, personnel, and technology.
• Consult with line/resource managers and third parties.
• Optimize resource utilization across multiple projects.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• 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.

Team Management:

• 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.

Quality Assurance:

• Implement robust quality assurance processes and standards.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality products and services.
• Continuously improve quality assurance practices.

Change Management:

• 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.

What qualification should you have?

The ideal candidate will have the following profile:

• 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 and 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.

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.