Transformation Programme Manager in York

Join us as a Transformation Programme Manager and make an invaluable contribution to our Food Safety & Biosecurity. As Transformation Programme Manager, you will play a pivotal role in delivering Fera's strategic priorities by leading complex business change programmes and strengthening project governance across the organisation. Reporting to the Head of Operational Excellence, you will ensure projects are commercially focused, effectively prioritised and aligned to business objectives, while driving consistent delivery standards, robust programme controls and measurable benefits realisation.

What you’ll be doing:

• Refresh and update project governance for Fera’s Transformation Project Management Office, ensuring clear standards for initiation, prioritisation, delivery, reporting, escalation, benefits tracking and closure.
• Ensure projects and programmes are aligned to strategic business priorities, with robust business cases, clear benefits, aligned resources, realistic plans and commercially sound recommendations.
• Lead the delivery of complex strategic projects and programmes from initiation through to closure, and handover to post-project business as usual practices.
• Provide clear, concise and insightful status updates and recommendations to sponsors, senior leaders and governance forums, highlighting progress, risks, decisions required and corrective actions.
• Maintain a portfolio-level view of transformation priorities, delivery capacity, risks, dependencies and benefits to support senior leadership decision-making.
• Provide formal line management for project managers, including objective setting, workload prioritisation, coaching, performance development and quality assurance of delivery outputs.
• Partner with the Head of Operational Excellence to assess and implement innovative ways of working that maximise business value, including Agile delivery methodologies and the effective use of AI-powered tools.

What we’re looking for:

• Recognised project or programme management qualification, such as PMP, PRINCE2, MSP, APM PMQ or equivalent.
• Proven experience of leading complex projects and programmes of work in a business change, transformation or operational improvement environment.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly to operational teams, sponsors and senior leaders.
• Strong commercial acumen, including the ability to build and challenge business cases, monitor budgets, assess value, and align delivery recommendations to strategic and financial priorities.
• Experience of leading organisations through change, with the ability to plan implementation, support adoption, manage resistance and embed sustainable ways of working.
• Ability to line manage, coach and mentor junior project managers, building capability and consistency in delivery practice.
• Experience of setting up or improving PMO governance, portfolio reporting, change control or project assurance processes.
• Experience leading projects and programmes in technical, scientific or regulated environments.
• Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Agile or other continuous improvement and delivery methodologies would be advantageous.

What’s in it for you?

• 25 days’ holiday (rising to 29) with the opportunity to buy & sell extra leave.
• Flexible working hours, on-site gym, restaurant, free parking and a discounted on-site nursery.
• The opportunity to take a paid day out of the office, volunteering for our charity partners or a cause of your choice.
• Company matched pension, life assurance, a cycle2work scheme, 15 weeks’ fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paternity pay of two weeks…and plenty more.
• Voluntary benefits designed to suit your lifestyle – from discounts on retail and socialising, to health & wellbeing, travel and technology.
• Fera operates a LTIP (Long Term Incentive Plan) under which all employees are awarded points towards shares in the Employee Benefits Trust on an annual basis.

We’re an equal opportunity employer, which means we recruit and develop people based on their merit and passion. We’re committed to providing an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment process and working environment for everyone.