Programme Manager (Strategy and Innovation)

As the Programme Manager, you’ll own and drive the planning, governance and delivery of major cross charity fundraising appeals, including a significant capital appeal that forms a key part of the Charities’ long term fundraising ambitions. The Programme Manager is accountable for the effective governance and delivery of these programmes across multiple teams within the Charities Directorate, ensuring that priorities are clear, dependencies are actively managed, risks are addressed, decisions are made at the right level, and programmes are ready to deliver key milestones and intended outcomes.

You will ensure programmes are underpinned by:

• Clear governance, decision-making and escalation structures
• A single, accurate view of programme performance, progress, risks, dependencies and readiness
• Clear ownership and accountability for delivery
• Effective mechanisms for identifying and resolving issues before they impact programme outcomes.

Acting as a key interface between the Charity and the Trust, you will build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, influence and challenge where appropriate, align competing priorities and ensure critical dependencies are actively managed. You will use judgement to identify when issues require escalation, intervention or senior decision-making. You will provide leadership across programme governance and performance, chairing senior cross functional forums and ensuring that decisions, actions and accountabilities are clear and followed through. You will intervene where necessary to resolve delivery challenges, challenge unrealistic assumptions or plans, and protect programme outcomes.

Beyond immediate appeal delivery, the Programme Manager leads horizon scanning to identify opportunities that leverage appeal success for sustainable fundraising growth, working with teams like Supporter Experience to embed donor retention and long-term income strategies into our work. The Programme Manager will be an experienced programme leader who can take accountability for complex, multi-stakeholder programmes; bring clarity and structure to ambiguity; influence senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams; and exercise sound judgement to resolve challenges, manage competing priorities and protect programme outcomes. As part of a small Strategy, Planning & Innovation team, the Programme Manager will also champion project management best practice across the directorate, building the tools, capability and ways of working that enable consistent high-quality delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Programme and project Leadership (approx. 40% of role)

• Lead the planning, governance and successful delivery of major fundraising appeals, ensuring clear milestones, ownership, risk management and cross-team collaboration.
• Design and embed the tools and ways of working that will enable effective decision making and governance across appeal delivery.
• Work with teams across the Charity and the Trust to translate programme objectives into clear plans, priorities and actions that support successful delivery.
• Identify, assess and manage programme risks, issues and interdependencies, intervening where necessary to maintain momentum and protect delivery.
• Maintain strategic oversight of the major appeals funding pipeline, ensuring opportunities are effectively tracked, prioritised and progressed across teams.
• Use data, insight and horizon scanning to identify emerging risks and opportunities, bringing forward recommendations that support long-term fundraising growth.

Management of stakeholders and interdependencies (approx. 40% of role)

• Act as the primary liaison between the Charities Directorate and the Trust, ensuring strategic alignment, effective decision making and management of critical programme dependencies.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across the Charity and the Trust, including those more senior, providing constructive challenge, influencing decisions and securing alignment around programme priorities and delivery.
• Provide programme leadership through chairing appeal boards and senior governance forums, ensuring strategic decisions are made, owned and acted upon.
• Lead cross-functional working groups that co-ordinate delivery across teams, resolve challenges and maintain progress against programme objectives.
• Use judgement and insight to bring the most important strategic issues, risks and opportunities to the right forum at the right time, enabling leaders to make informed decisions and stay ahead of emerging challenges.
• Lead stakeholder engagement that builds understanding, confidence and commitment to the major appeals programme, ensuring all stakeholders remain aligned on priorities, decisions and progress.

Project management best practice (approx. 20% of role)

• Design and embed a project management toolkit that empowers teams to lead consistent and high quality projects in their own business areas.
• Build project and programme management capability across teams by coaching, influencing and challenging colleagues to adopt effective approaches and ways of working, improving the consistency and quality of delivery across teams.
• Partner with the Strategy and Planning Manager to shape business planning tools, processes and mechanisms that drive collaboration, enable iteration and strengthen delivery across the directorate.

Work environment

The post holder should expect to:

• Work in a hot desk environment, at least two days a week in the Charity’s office, hospital and hospital offices.
• Be responsible for the input and maintenance of databases and files relevant to the post requirements.
• Occasionally be required to attend events in the evening and at weekends (e.g. board meetings, launch events).
• Role responsibilities are not exhaustive, and you would be reasonably expected to take on wider tasks that are commensurate with the level of your role.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Skills, abilities, and attributes

• Strategic thinker who can translate organisational priorities into co-ordinated programme delivery while balancing immediate delivery requirements with longer-term opportunities.
• Skilled at designing practical governance and ways of working that drive decisions and progress.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and build alignment with senior stakeholders, including those more senior.
• Proactive and decisive, with the confidence and judgement to intervene when delivery is at risk.
• Able to lead governance forums and facilitate discussions that translate strategy into clear decisions, actions and accountability.
• Confident leading through complexity and ambiguity, managing risk and interdependencies across multiple strategic projects and teams and holding others to account without direct line management responsibility.
• Champions robust project management whilst remaining flexible and pragmatic in delivery.
• Uses data, insight and evidence to inform decisions, test hypotheses and drive continuous improvement.
• Open to change as a necessary part of improvement, and able to deliver despite uncertainty.
• Collaborative and communicative, with the ability to appeal to hearts as well as minds.
• Committed to embedding diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Committed to continuous learning, formally and informally.

Knowledge, experience and qualifications

• Significant experience leading complex programmes or projects involving multiple stakeholders, workstreams and dependencies.
• Track record of successfully leading the delivery of high-profile programmes or initiatives in complex, fast-moving environments.
• Experience designing and embedding governance, reporting and ways of working that improve delivery, accountability and decision making.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders, including those more senior, in a matrix or hierarchical environment.
• Knowledge of fundraising, ideally both high value and mass market, and ideally in an NHS or health context.
• Experience leading delivery across cross-functional teams and managing complex interdependencies without direct line management responsibility.

Benefits

• Contributory Pension
• Annual health and wellbeing personal allowance
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and parental leave pay accessible without length of service requirements.
• Health and wellbeing programme that offers optional free yearly health check-ups.
• Support for healthy eating via fruit bowls and onsite lunch facilities.
• Agile working, flexible hours, and supportive IT kit.
• Shower facilities and bike lock area.
• Generous annual leave (27 days + bank holidays)
• Subsidies for glasses
• Employee Assistance Programme

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than the advertised date. This is to ensure our teams can manage application levels while maintaining a positive candidate experience. Once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications, so please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.