Programme Manager in Wilmslow

Full time / Part time

Salary: £57,815 - £65,021 with potential for further progression to £73,211 with our pay progression scheme.

Location: Hybrid Contracted to our Wilmslow office. Our Wilmslow office will be relocating to Manchester city centre from 28 September 2026. Once the move takes place your contracted office will be Circle Square, Manchester. Through hybrid working we offer flexible home and office-based working opportunities and there will be times when you will be expected to attend the office to collaborate with colleagues or travel due to business need.

Why work for the ICO?

• Pay progression scheme.
• Hybrid and flexible working options.
• 25 days paid holiday per year, plus privilege and public holidays.
• Flexi leave (up to 26 additional days leave per year).
• Pension (employer contribution around 28.9%).
• Online discount scheme to save money at major supermarkets, retailers, gyms, restaurants, insurance providers and many more.
• Health Cash Plan.
• Fantastic development opportunities to learn and progress.

Job summary

As an ICO Leader, the Programme Manager plays a pivotal role in delivering transformational change aligned with ICO strategic priorities. Reporting to the Head of Delivery and executing under the strategic oversight of the Head of Portfolio Management, the Programme Manager leads the design, coordination, and execution of complex programmes that deliver measurable value across regulatory services and operational efficiency.

Job description

This role demands a versatile leader who can manage delivery across multiple value streams, ensure alignment with portfolio governance, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. The Programme Manager will be a visible and proactive leader, empowering teams, managing interdependencies, and ensuring change is embedded and benefits realised.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead programme delivery aligned with strategic priorities, executing under the direction of the Head of Portfolio Management and reporting into the Head of Delivery.
• Exercise sound judgement in selecting and applying the most appropriate delivery tools, frameworks, and methodologies to suit the context, complexity, and maturity of each programme. Ensure that tool usage supports effective planning, collaboration, and reporting, and contributes to the continuous improvement of delivery practices across Transformation and Delivery.
• Work in partnership with the Head of Delivery, who is accountable for the delivery capability, to ensure programme teams are equipped, supported, and empowered to deliver effectively.
• Champion leadership and people management, providing line management, coaching, and mentoring to project and programme team members to build a high-performing, inclusive delivery culture.
• Deliver across multiple value streams, ensuring that programme activity contributes to the realisation of strategic benefits and is embedded effectively across the organisation.
• Ensure alignment with portfolio governance, contributing to reporting, assurance, and decision-making processes that support strategic investment and prioritisation.
• Promote continuous improvement, leading lessons learned exercises and embedding findings into delivery practice to evolve the ICO’s project and programme management approach.
• Champion a designated ICO strategic or operational area, such as risk, staff forum, accommodation, or site ownership, contributing to cross-organisational initiatives and representing programme-level leadership in corporate responsibilities.
• Provide oversight and leadership in supporting the Lead Portfolio Coordinator (LPC) to ensure programme-level records are maintained to ICO standards, including ensuring that Project Central and MS Planner are consistently and accurately updated across all associated projects and workstreams.
• Act as a visible and proactive leader, representing programme interests across governance forums and engaging stakeholders to enable effective decision-making and collaboration.

Person specification

Essential criteria assessed at application stage:

• Significant experience of working in a programme or project manager role.
• Formal programme and/or project management qualifications.
• Experience of managing and delivering programmes and projects.
• Demonstrated leadership in managing delivery teams, with experience in coaching, mentoring, and developing capability across a matrix environment.
• Experience of working within a structured delivery capability, supported by leadership roles responsible for frameworks, tools, and continuous improvement.
• Excellent judgement and the ability to deal with a changing environment both on a day to day and long-term basis.

Essential criteria assessed during interview:

• Evidence of successful implementation of programmes that deliver strategic value across multiple value streams, with benefits tracked and embedded.
• Ability to deliver programmes under strategic oversight, working in partnership with senior leaders such as the Head of Delivery and Head of Portfolio Management to ensure alignment with organisational priorities.
• Understanding of portfolio governance and value stream delivery, with the ability to contribute to strategic investment decisions and ensure benefits are realised and embedded.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to represent programme interests across governance forums and enable effective decision-making.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, with experience in leading lessons learned exercises and embedding findings into delivery practice.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

The ICO is committed to promoting and enhancing equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are focused on developing a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve and together we are building an inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference. We are championing this through our Equality Diversity and Inclusion Board together with a number of staff networks.

Closing Date

Please submit your CV and cover letter by 23:59 on Monday 25th May 2026. Your cover letter should be no more than 1,000 words and should clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role. We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. To ensure your application is considered, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Clearance Required for this role: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)