Senior Delivery Manager / Programme Manager in Southampton

We are looking for an exceptionally talented Senior Delivery Manager or Programme Manager with a strong background in digital transformation delivery, someone who thrives at the intersection of people, process, and technology, and who knows how to bring order to complexity without losing the human touch. You will own end-to-end delivery across a portfolio of client engagements, steering cross-functional teams and workstreams through ambiguity to consistently deliver exceptional outcomes. You will be the connective tissue between strategy and execution, translating client goals into clear delivery structures, managing risk proactively, and building the kind of trusted relationships that make clients want to work with us again and again.

No two engagements look the same at Etch. On some you will be running a tight delivery rhythm alongside a dedicated Product Owner and BA. On others you will need to flex into those spaces yourself, owning a backlog, shaping requirements, or helping a client get clear on priorities. You are comfortable with that ambiguity and see it as a feature, not a bug. And it is not all flagship transformation. Alongside the large change programmes, you will also keep smaller BAU and project workstreams moving, holding lighter-touch delivery cadences and looking after the day-to-day so nothing slips. The role spans the full spectrum, from the marquee programmes to the steady support work that keeps clients confident.

We are at an exciting inflection point where AI is fundamentally changing how great delivery looks, and this role is central to how Etch leads that change. We want someone who does not just have an opinion on AI but is already living it, using it daily to run smarter programmes, surface risks earlier, accelerate decision-making, and free their teams up to do their best thinking. If you are actively reshaping how you work with AI and want the space to bring that into a client environment, this is the role for you.

Salary: £60,000 - £75,000 DOE

Location: Hybrid, 2 days a week in our Southampton office.

Travel: Occasional travel to UK client sites as engagements require.

Responsibilities:

• Own end-to-end delivery of the programmes and workstreams on your engagements, ensuring on-time, on-budget, and on-quality outcomes across both large transformation programmes and smaller BAU and project work.
• Define and manage delivery frameworks, governance structures, and reporting cadences appropriate to each engagement, from agile sprints to programme-level steering.
• Act as a senior delivery contact for clients, working alongside the Principal Consultant or account lead who owns the overall relationship — building trust with senior stakeholders and C-suite sponsors through the quality of what you deliver.
• Lead and mentor the delivery team, fostering a high-performance, collaborative delivery culture where people are supported to grow and do their best work.
• Proactively identify, manage, and escalate risks, issues, and dependencies, keeping clients informed and confident throughout.
• Work closely with Principal Consultants, Experience Designers, and Technology leads to ensure delivery plans reflect realistic effort, sequencing, and resourcing.
• Support account growth by flagging follow-on opportunities to account leads, contributing to proposals, and demonstrating consistent delivery excellence.
• Lead Etch's AI-augmented delivery approach, bringing hands-on experimentation and a clear point of view on how AI tooling can make programmes smarter, faster, and more transparent for clients.
• Champion continuous improvement of Etch's delivery practice, refining tools, templates, and ways of working to raise the bar across the team.
• Participate in Etch's wider commercial and business development activities, including thought leadership and event speaking where relevant.

Person Specification:

• 6 to 10 years of experience in programme or senior project delivery, ideally within a consulting, agency, or digital transformation environment.
• Proven track record of delivering large-scale, multi-workstream digital programmes from discovery through to live, on time and within budget — and equally comfortable running smaller BAU and project workstreams alongside them.
• Strong command of both agile and structured delivery methodologies (Scrum, SAFe, PRINCE2, MSP or equivalent) and the judgement to know when to apply what.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, equally comfortable in a client workshop, an exec steering committee, or a team retrospective.
• Experience managing and growing delivery teams, with a coaching mindset and a genuine interest in people development.
• Commercial awareness, able to manage programme financials, forecast resource needs, and contribute to commercial conversations.
• A natural problem-solver who brings calm, clarity, and structure when things get complicated.
• Genuine curiosity about AI and its practical application in delivery contexts.
• Passion for digital, customer experience, or marketing technology is a strong advantage.
• Comfortable wearing multiple hats depending on the engagement, stepping into product ownership, backlog management, or BA-style discovery work when the situation calls for it.
• Experience delivering in regulated or financial services environments is a plus (much of our work sits in FS and other regulated sectors), though not essential.

Working at Etch:

At Etch, we're defining a better way to work, live and play. Here, every day is an opportunity, an opportunity to write your own story. A story of growth, of pride, of fun and of doing incredible things. Working at Etch is about your own personal journey. We've created an environment that allows you to become the best version of yourself, at work, at home, and in life.

Benefits:

At Etch you're well looked after. From your health and wellbeing to your personal development and finances, we provide more than your statutory benefits. We've created a working culture that not only works for you, but one that gives you the best opportunity to thrive.

Equal Opportunities:

We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.