Programme Manager / Delivery Lead

Who are we? Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 56 countries. People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

Programme Manager / Delivery Lead Function: Specialty Technology Reports to: Head of Delivery & Change Location: London / Hybrid Direct Reports: Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Delivery Professionals

About the Role Howden is a fast-paced dynamic organisation with ambitious growth targets. Howden Specialty is a rapidly growing international insurance broking business placing over £7billion of premium supporting seventy thousand clients in 110 countries. We are transforming our business to a tech and AI enabled cutting edge digital leader. An experienced PMO is required to support the CTO and Specialty Transformation Committee (STC) governance including: supporting stakeholders to triage and produce inputs as part of the STC intake process, prepare monthly STC packs, track and monitor actions and support ongoing SDLC and delivery governance adherence of a portfolio of projects. The role is a permanent position. The Programme Manager / Delivery Lead is accountable for the leadership, governance and successful delivery of strategic technology programmes and projects across Howden Specialty Technology. The role combines programme leadership, people management and delivery governance, ensuring that projects and product initiatives are delivered in a controlled, predictable and compliant manner whilst supporting the wider transformation objectives of Specialty Technology. Working closely with the Head of Delivery & Change, CTO, Product, Architecture, PMO and Change teams, the role is responsible for establishing delivery excellence through robust governance, effective resource management, financial control and adherence to the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).

Delivery Leadership

Lead the successful delivery of strategic technology programmes and projects across Specialty Technology. Provide oversight, challenge and assurance across all project and agile delivery activities. Drive delivery predictability, quality, governance compliance and stakeholder satisfaction. Identify, manage and mitigate programme risks, issues, dependencies and delivery constraints. Ensure delivery plans are realistic, integrated, resourced and aligned to agreed business outcomes. Establish appropriate governance structures and decision-making forums to support programme success.

People Leadership

Line management of Project Managers, Scrum Masters and associated delivery professionals. Recruit, onboard and develop high-performing delivery teams. Undertake regular performance reviews, objective setting, coaching and career development activities. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement and delivery excellence. Support succession planning and capability development across the Delivery function.

Governance & Delivery Standards

Define, implement and maintain delivery governance, frameworks, methodologies and controls. Drive adherence to agreed delivery standards, policies, processes and operating models. Support the Head of Delivery & Change and CTO in evolving the Delivery Lifecycle and governance framework. Ensure consistent application of project, programme and agile delivery practices across the portfolio. Provide regular assurance reviews and quality assessments of delivery artefacts and plans.

Financial Management

Maintain accountability for programme and project financial performance. Ensure accurate forecasting, tracking and reporting of project expenditure. Provide oversight of Project Manager and Scrum Master budget responsibilities. Support business case development, investment governance and funding approval processes. Identify opportunities to improve value delivery and optimise technology investment.

Resource & Capacity Management

Ensure accurate capacity planning across delivery teams. Maintain visibility of resource utilisation, allocation and future demand. Oversee leave management, team availability and delivery capacity forecasting. Collaborate with Technology leadership to address resource gaps and capability requirements.

SDLC Compliance & Controls

Ensure compliance with Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) policies and standards. Drive effective project governance throughout all delivery stages. Maintain appropriate controls supporting audit, risk and regulatory requirements. Promote continuous improvement of delivery frameworks, tooling and governance processes.

Technology Governance Coordination

Coordinate and support: Architecture Review Board (ARB) Change Advisory Board (CAB) Investment Funding submissions Business Case preparation and approval activities Ensure delivery teams are prepared for governance reviews and decision forums. Track actions, decisions and approval outcomes through completion.

Change, Training & Adoption

Partner with Business Change teams to ensure effective adoption of delivered solutions. Coordinate training, communications and change activities required to realise business value. Support delivery teams in embedding change management best practice throughout programme lifecycles.

PMO & Executive Reporting

Produce and assure portfolio, programme and project reporting outputs. Lead preparation of governance materials, Steering Committee packs and executive reporting. Ensure reporting remains accurate, timely, transparent and decision-focused. Provide meaningful delivery insights, trends and recommendations to senior stakeholders.

Stakeholder Management

Build effective relationships with business and technology stakeholders. Develop stakeholder engagement and communication strategies. Influence and collaborate across multiple levels of the organisation, including C-suite executives. Present delivery status, risks, investment cases and strategic recommendations to senior leadership forums.

Leadership Contribution

Act a senior member of the Specialty Technology leadership community. Participate actively in Delivery Leadership, Technology Leadership and governance forums. Contribute to strategic planning, operating model development and organisational transformation initiatives. Champion continuous improvement, innovation and delivery maturity growth across the organisation.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience Essential

• Significant experience leading complex technology programmes and portfolios.
• Proven people leadership experience managing Project Managers, Scrum Masters or comparable delivery teams.
• Strong programme, project and agile delivery management expertise.
• Experience working within regulated and governance-driven environments.
• Demonstrable financial management and budget control experience.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including engagement with Executive and C-suite stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of SDLC, governance frameworks and technology delivery controls.
• Experience preparing business cases, investment submissions and executive governance materials.
• Strong communication, facilitation and influencing skills.
• AI Basic to Strong skills.

Desirable

• Insurance, Financial Services or Professional Services experience.
• SAFe, Agile, Scrum, MSP, PRINCE2 or PMP certifications or relevant proven industry experience.
• Experience operating within product-led and value-stream delivery models.
• Knowledge of Architecture Governance, Change Governance and Portfolio Management practices.

Key Behaviours

• Accountable and results driven.
• Commercially aware and value focused.
• Collaborative and inclusive leader.
• Strategic thinker with strong execution capability.
• Data-driven decision maker.
• Resilient and adaptable in complex environments.
• Committed to continuous improvement and delivery excellence.
• Acts with integrity and in line with Howden values.

Success Measures

• Delivery performance against committed outcomes.
• Financial performance against approved budgets and forecasts.
• Governance and SDLC compliance levels.
• Quality and predictability of delivery plans.
• Team engagement, retention and capability growth.
• Stakeholder satisfaction.
• Audit and risk outcomes.
• Realisation of business value from delivered initiatives.

Additional Accountability for Specialty Technology

Direct accountability for the successful delivery of designated strategic Specialty Technology programmes and initiatives. Leadership of the Project Manager and Scrum Master community. Driving the maturity of the Delivery Centre of Excellence and Delivery Performance Engine. Supporting the evolution from project-based execution to product and value-stream aligned delivery across Specialty Technology.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define. What you might not expect is a job where everyone has a voice, where volunteering in the community is part of the day job, and where everyone is encouraged to play a part towards our sustainability goals. We want people who want to make a difference - not just in the workplace, but in the industry and in the wider community.

Reasonable adjustments

We’re committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*. *Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

Permanent

Howden began in 1994, as just three people and a dog. Now there are 23,000 of us, and we're a leading global insurance group, managing $37bn of premiums for our clients. Our largest shareholder group is us – the people who work in the business – supported by three long-term, minority growth-equity partners who share our vision to build a business to last, one that will never be sold. The owner's mindset is something that's embedded in our culture; our people readily take ownership of their decisions, their actions, and their outputs. They’re invested in every sense. And we all know that by working together to drive the business forward, everyone will benefit from the extraordinary results we can achieve.