Programme Manager

This is a full-time role but we offer a range of flexible working arrangements and encourage our people to take advantage of them. Many do.

We are recruiting for a Programme Manager for the A Fairer Start Mission Team.

About Nesta

Nesta is a research and innovation foundation that designs, tests and scales solutions for the biggest challenges of our time. Driven by a vision to improve the lives of millions of people, our focus up to 2030 is on three missions: breaking the link between family background and life chances, halving obesity and cutting household carbon emissions. We work with partners across the public, private and third sectors to develop high-potential solutions and test them as they evolve, drawing on deep expertise in qualitative and quantitative research, data science, behavioural science and design. Once confident in the effectiveness of a solution, we are relentless in the pursuit of scale.

The Role

This role supports our mission, A Fairer Start, in its aim to narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers. Part chief of staff, part delivery manager, the focus of this role is to help our mission leadership and project teams to work effectively and efficiently - nurturing a collaborative and high-impact culture, improving our systems and processes, making the most of our capabilities and resources, and supporting the delivery of our most complex programmes.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Act as a thought partner to the Mission leadership team: frame questions and choices, pressure-test thinking, and turn strategic intent into concrete plans.
• Support leadership decisions: proactively provide analysis, options and recommendations to support strategic decision-making on a regular basis and at key crunch points.
• Manage team resourcing: ensure we deploy the right people on the right projects at the right time, maintaining an adaptive budget & resource planning system across a 30+ person team and 15+ projects – using automation to keep it current with minimal manual effort.
• Build tools that make the team faster: identify manual, repetitive work across the Mission and replace it with lightweight automation, using no-code/low-code tools, scripting and AI to streamline reporting, resourcing and status tracking.
• Lead rhythms and routines: drive efficient, low-faff team routines that foster alignment, learning and collaboration - keeping process light and only where it earns its place.
• Nurture team culture: play a key role in fostering a team culture that is inclusive, joyful and impact-focused - building relationships with everyone in the team and planning moments of connection.
• Support project delivery: for key projects, provide Delivery Management support or coaching to help coordinate project teams and drive effective, efficient delivery of a project’s objectives.
• Own problems end to end: when something is ambiguous, blocked or falling between people, pick it up and drive it to a resolution without waiting to be asked.

Developing Others and Nesta:

• Line managing an Assistant Programme Manager (APM). The APM operates much of the day-to-day mechanics of the Mission; a key part of your role is supporting them through automation and better tooling so those mechanics run smoothly with less manual effort.
• Supporting the APM to grow their skills and confidence, and to take the lead on aspects of these responsibilities.
• Build delivery capability across the Mission: spot where a project lead is stuck or a team is struggling, and coach them through it so the fix sticks.
• Contribute to Nesta’s community of delivery people by sharing what works and helping keep our ways of working pragmatic and right-sized, rather than heavy for its own sake.

The person we are looking for has:

• Experience bridging strategy and delivery – proactively surfacing ideas and options, facilitating leadership decisions, and owning end to end delivery.
• Experience managing portfolio resourcing across a team of 30+ people and 15+ projects, or comparable complexity.
• Experience adapting delivery management frameworks, processes and tools to a team’s specific needs and context – informed, not evangelist.
• Experience providing hands-on delivery management support for multiple large projects or programmes.
• Very strong people acumen, with the ability to build trust and work effectively with a wide range of partners, team members and senior stakeholders.
• Low ego and a bias towards action, comfortable with high autonomy and minimal process, adaptable when priorities shift, and willing to roll up your sleeves for whatever needs doing.
• Embraced tech and automation to make things better and faster – preferably already technically capable - or a fast, motivated self-teacher.

What we offer:

• Salary: £50,700 - £67,800 (offers are expected to be made towards the bottom of the band) plus an array of benefits, including private medical insurance, dental insurance, the ability to buy and sell annual leave, eyecare vouchers and more.

Location: This role is based in Blackfriars, London, with a hybrid working arrangement with a minimum of two days in the office.

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including working from home, compressed or part-time hours, job shares and other arrangements.