Head of Programme in London

Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group) are a leading Executive search and talent advisory firm specialising in the following sectors:

• Rail & Transportation
• Civils & Construction
• Manufacturing & Supply Chain
• Technology & Cyber Security
• Logistics & Intermodal Freight
• Defence

Our search directors, search consultants and in-house research team specialise in retained opportunities at the highest level of organisational leadership and management. Our success is based upon a blend of trust-driven relationships, robust market knowledge, and working practices that ensure the best possible alignment of organisational need with experience and personal ambition.

Below you will find a 'Candidate Opportunity Brief' developed from notes taken during the scoping meeting (Situational Discovery) held between the Research Manager of Executive Search & Head of Executive Search and the Managing Director & Business Development Director of UK & Europe. This brief is designed to give candidates a deeper insight into the opportunity inherent within the role, the challenges the role presents, and provide access to the detail that sits behind the job specification.

Challenges expected within the first 12 months include:

• Remotely dispersed team: A good portion of the delivery team are based in Australia and as such, the incoming Programme Manager will need to proactively build relationships.
• Market disruption: The products and services that our client offers are relatively new to the market and whilst they have had considerable early success there is still a high degree of education needed with the customer.
• Onboarding: Due to the nature of the business onboarding can at times be difficult.

Key deliverables within the first 12 months include:

• Secure the additional 1-year extension for the contract taking it through to Dec 2028.
• Evidence the building of strong relationships with both internal stakeholders and customer stakeholders.
• Ensure the renewal of the contract.

Essential Hard Skills (Skills & Experience):

• Fully chartered engineering background in Railway Infrastructure (Preferably civil or electrical).
• Proven ability leading on Projects and Programmes within the Railway industry.
• Able to demonstrate an incredibly strong ability for written work able to capture meetings, concepts and information effectively.
• Proven ability operating alongside internal and external stakeholders.

Desirable: Consultancy background.

Essential Soft Skills (Attributes & Behaviours):

• Mature approach to work culture.
• Flexible in their approach to working.
• Strong communicator (both written and verbal) and able to manage multiple relationships.
• Collaborative and keen to work closely with internal stakeholders.

Working Arrangements & Location:

Our client offers a flexible approach to working with options such as home office / hybrid working available and flexible hours due to their global portfolio of customers, working hours can vary. The office is in London.

Ford & Stanley Executive Search Pre-Submission Process:

• First Engagement: A short engagement and introductory conversation to position the opportunity, gauge candidate early interest level and arrange a time and date for a more detailed discussion. NDA sent (if applicable) upon receipt of signed NDA - Candidate Opportunity Brief shared.
• Candidate Discovery: An open, conversational and consultative discussion where candidates and executive search consultant explore and discuss the opportunity brief. Candidates are assessed on their suitability for the role in the context of the key essentials and challenged on how the opportunity lines up with their career aspirations, motivations, financial expectations and personal circumstance. The search consultant will utilise the information captured during candidate discovery to start to build your profile on suitability. Recommendations may be made at this point for adjustments or updates to your CV.
• The 'shortlist': Shortlisted candidates, having taken time to reflect on the opportunity and undertake subsequent research on the clients business are reengaged where they are asked to provide additional specific information on their suitability (if/where applicable). Final checks of key notes, package details and logistical alignments made. Finishing touches are then made to your profile prior to submission along with our notes and recommendations.

Client Interview Process:

• 1st Stage interview: Initial teams meeting with Business Development Director, UK & Europe.
• 2nd Stage Interview: Second stage meeting with the wider UK team.
• 3rd Stage Interview: Final interview to introduce into the Australian team.

Good to know:

Roughly £5.6 million turnover with a headcount of 41 (3 in the UK). It’s worth noting that the CEO, CFO and CRO are also stationed within the UK. The business trades globally and are specifically looking to bring a Programme manager into their UK team following a number of key contract wins. These contract wins have driven the decision to hire this individual as it has increased workload and importance of certain relationships within the UK. The new role will report directly into the MD of EMEA who has extensive experience within the industry. It’s worth noting that the bulk of the delivery capability within the business sits within Australia and as such, the incoming Programme Manager will need to be confident building relationships remotely. The business has 15 clients with 6 in the EMEA region, 5 in the states, and 4 in Australia. The client relationships contained within the business are mature and well established enabling the smooth running of live projects. The team in the UK are capable and split across Software Engineering, Consultancy background and stakeholder engineering. Worth noting that the culture of the business is exceptionally mature. We are looking for the incoming Programme Manager to integrate themselves into the business at a steady pace to enable full integration. As the products and services offered by our client are relatively new and disruptive into the market the team are constantly asking the question 'how can I turn this into a project' to allow them to identify and secure commercial opportunity. This role will ultimately be accountable for the customer experience across key customers within the business. It’s imperative that the incoming Programme Manager has a credible background and able to articulate themselves well at a Depot level.