Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and deliver a major strategic programme, ensuring alignment and execution across teams.
- Company: Join Essentra Components, a global leader in essential industrial components with over 65 years of experience.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous leave, pension contributions, and employee discounts.
- Other info: Hybrid role with opportunities for growth in a collaborative culture.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by driving transformation in a dynamic, cross-functional environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in managing large-scale programmes and strong planning skills are essential.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 60000 £ per year.
The Programme Manager is responsible for driving the end-to-end delivery of our top strategic programme—moving it from planning into execution, and ensuring workstreams are aligned, sequenced, and delivering against agreed outcomes. Balancing all this with breaking down silos in workstreams, collaborating and partnering with workstream leads and project managers.
This role provides structure, pace and control across a complex, cross-functional programme ensuring dependencies are managed, risks are surfaced early and leadership has clear visibility of progress and decisions required.
Key Responsibilities:- Programme Planning & Delivery
- Build and maintain an integrated programme plan, linking all workstreams into a single coherent view
- Translate high-level milestones into detailed, executable delivery plans and sequencing
- Drive progression from Level 1 alignment into Level 2 delivery planning and execution
- Ensure all MVP-critical milestones and decisions are defined, tracked, and delivered
- Dependency & Risk Management
- Identify and manage cross-workstream dependencies and interdependencies
- Proactively surface risks, constraints, and blockers and drive resolution
- Ensure assumptions, risks, and dependencies are clearly captured and owned across workstreams
- Governance & Reporting
- Establish and run programme governance (SteerCo, GEC, Board updates as required)
- Provide clear, concise reporting on progress, risks, and key decisions
- Maintain core programme artefacts (PID, WIDs, integrated plan, benefits view) as a single source of truth
- Ensure alignment across sponsors, workstream leads, and stakeholders
- Cross-Functional Alignment
- Facilitate structured working sessions to align teams on deliverables, sequencing, and priorities
- Drive collaboration across Product, Commercial, Technology, and Operations teams
- Challenge and support workstream leads to ensure plans are realistic, joined-up, and deliverable
- Resource, Capacity & Delivery Readiness
- Ensure clarity on resource requirements, capacity, and funding needs across workstreams
- Support mobilisation of teams as the programme moves from planning into execution
- Track delivery readiness and support go/no-go decisions at key milestones
- Stakeholder Management
- Act as the central point of coordination for programme leadership and stakeholders
- Maintain strong relationships with sponsors, workstream leads, and senior leadership
- Ensure alignment on priorities, trade-offs, and decisions required to move forward
- Proven experience managing large-scale, cross-functional transformation programmes
- Strong planning capability—able to move from high-level milestones to detailed, executable plans
- Track record of managing dependencies, risks, and complex stakeholder environments
- Ability to drive pace, challenge constructively, and bring structure to ambiguity
- Strong communication skills—able to simplify complex information for senior audiences
- Experience working across multiple functions (commercial, product, technology, operations)
- Dynamic and pragmatic, able to balance structure with pace and outcomes
- An agile thinker, comfortable working with ambiguity and adapting as the programme evolves
- Experienced operating in non-linear environments, recognising that the programme will continue to change and flex over time
- Collaborative by nature, comfortable iterating with stakeholders to solve complex problems
- Able to maintain appropriate process and discipline, without allowing process to become overly restrictive
- Practical and pragmatic, recognising that as a £300m revenue organisation, we need proportionate, value-adding process
- Competitive Salary
- Up to 5% matched pension contribution
- 4x annual salary life assurance
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata)
- Employee discounts through MyDiscounts platform
- Eyecare Vouchers
- Employee Assistance Programme
This is a hybrid role, with 3 days per week based in either our Oxford or Jarrow office.
Essentra Components are a global market leader in plastic injection moulded, vinyl dip moulded and metal components. We have a history of over 65 years, producing essential components across a huge range of industries and applications. Making it easier for our customers is our top priority. That's why we operate internationally in 29 countries across 4 continents. With every order, we offer a hassle-free experience through our 14 manufacturing facilities, 34 distribution centres and 40 sales and service locations. We have over 45,000 standard parts and one of the world’s most extensive product offerings, all available for immediate dispatch and fast delivery. Our product range features caps and plugs, wire and cable management, flange protection, knobs, handles and grips, access hardware, PCB and electronics hardware. Our Vision is to be “The world’s leading responsible, hassle-free supplier of essential industrial components.”
Programme Manager in Oxford employer: Essentra
Contact Detail:
Essentra Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Programme Manager in Oxford
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections on LinkedIn or at industry events. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can help you land that Programme Manager role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by practising common questions related to programme management. We suggest using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers. This will help you showcase your experience in managing complex projects effectively.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t forget to research the company culture and values! We want to see how you align with our vision of being a hassle-free supplier. Tailor your responses to show that you’re not just a fit for the role, but for the team too.
✨Tip Number 4
Finally, apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to engage directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Programme Manager in Oxford
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Programme Manager role. Highlight your experience in managing large-scale, cross-functional programmes and how you've successfully driven projects from planning to execution.
Showcase Your Skills: Don’t forget to emphasise your strong planning capabilities and your knack for managing dependencies and risks. Use specific examples to demonstrate how you've simplified complex information for senior audiences in the past.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. We want to see your ability to communicate effectively, so avoid jargon and focus on delivering your message in a straightforward manner.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity with StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at Essentra
✨Know Your Programme Inside Out
Before the interview, make sure you thoroughly understand the strategic programme you'll be managing. Familiarise yourself with the key responsibilities outlined in the job description, and think about how your past experiences align with these. This will help you articulate your fit for the role and demonstrate your proactive approach.
✨Prepare for Dependency and Risk Questions
Given the importance of managing dependencies and risks in this role, be ready to discuss specific examples from your previous work. Think about times when you've successfully identified and mitigated risks or managed complex stakeholder environments. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses.
✨Showcase Your Cross-Functional Collaboration Skills
This role requires strong collaboration across various teams. Prepare anecdotes that highlight your ability to work with different functions like Product, Commercial, Technology, and Operations. Emphasise how you’ve facilitated alignment and driven collaboration in past projects, as this will resonate well with the interviewers.
✨Demonstrate Your Agile Mindset
The job description mentions the need for an agile thinker who can adapt to changing circumstances. Be prepared to discuss how you've navigated ambiguity in previous roles. Share examples where you've successfully adapted plans on the fly while maintaining focus on outcomes, showcasing your dynamic and pragmatic approach.