Senior Project Manager - Business Change in Swindon

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Project Manager to work in our Head Office in Swindon. This is a pivotal role sitting between execution and strategic leadership, responsible for driving the successful planning and implementation of complex, cross‑functional, and technical initiatives. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, this role bridges the gap between day‑to‑day project delivery and strategic change governance, acting as a direct support and deputy to the Head of Business Change. The successful candidate will go beyond standard execution to help embed a structured, repeatable project management framework across the business. They will bring deep experience in planning technical, software, or web‑focused projects, ensuring tight alignment between technical delivery and broader business goals. Additionally, they will champion the adoption of emerging technologies and AI‑driven tools within the change function to automate processes, elevate reporting, and optimise team efficiency. This role requires a strategic, commercially minded professional who can confidently manage senior stakeholders, challenge the status quo, and ensure high‑impact projects are delivered to time, cost, and purpose. We can offer hybrid working, with two days in the office (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and three days from home.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Delivery & Execution: Lead the end‑to‑end planning and implementation of large‑scale, complex, and technical projects across multiple functions, ensuring scope, goals, and deliverables directly align with strategic business cases.
• Strategic Support & Deputy Leadership: Partner closely with the Head of Business Change to establish, embed, and champion a consistent PMO framework, change governance routines, and reporting cadences across the change function.
• Advanced Technical Project Planning: Develop robust, full‑scale project plans for technical initiatives, mapping out detailed tasks, timelines, resource allocation, and complex cross‑functional dependencies across development lifecycles.
• AI & Tooling Optimisation: Drive team efficiency by actively utilising and embedding emerging technologies and AI‑driven tools (e.g., smart reporting solutions, automated status updates) to increase project visibility and streamline delivery.
• Stakeholder & Sponsor Management: Form strong relationships with Executive sponsors and business leaders, ensuring they are clear on their project responsibilities and kept transparently informed of project status, risks, and schedule changes.
• Risk & Change Governance: Monitor and track portfolio‑level risks and issues. Implement structured change management processes for project scope, schedules, and costs while offering constructive challenge to delivery blockers.
• Financial & Benefit Oversight: Maintain a comprehensive understanding of project budgeting and cost control, ensuring initiatives are delivered within budget and successfully realise their intended commercial value and purpose.
• Continuous Improvement & Mentorship: Lead project post‑mortems and knowledge transfers to raise delivery standards across the business, while coaching, mentoring, and functionally guiding standard Project Managers to improve throughput and efficiency.

Skills and Experience

• Strategic & Proactive: Highly self‑directed; takes early ownership of complex challenges, anticipates blockers, and successfully prioritises conflicting and competing demands in a diverse, fast‑paced environment.
• Confident Communicator & Influencer: Credible, authentic, and engaging; possesses the excellent communication and client‑facing skills required to manage relationships, influence people, and present executive‑level reporting.
• Change Catalyst: Has a strong appetite for contributing to a continual cycle of change; possesses the courage to challenge the status quo, question existing practices, and present innovative solutions to improve efficiency and quality.
• Collaborative Partner: An advocate for cross‑functional collaboration who deeply understands broader functional priorities and can seamlessly align technical delivery with business outcomes.
• Commercially Minded: Deeply focused on delivering tangible business value, strategic outcomes, and benefit realisation, rather than just ticking off executional tasks.
• Proven working experience as a Senior Project Manager leading both business change and technical/software/web‑focused projects in a fast‑paced environment.
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing complex technical projects, showing a strong understanding of technical dependencies, IT environments, and development lifecycles.
• Practical experience using and embedding emerging technologies, such as AI tools, to drive automation, smart reporting, and project delivery efficiency.
• Proven track record of successfully managing senior stakeholder relationships, including working effectively with Executive sponsors, IT, and cross‑functional delivery partners.
• Deep knowledge of principles, methods, techniques, and tools associated with the project lifecycle, governance frameworks, and comprehensive project budgeting/cost control.
• Solid organisational and leadership skills, with demonstrated experience coaching, mentoring, or developing other project professionals or specialised change roles.
• A relevant professional project management qualification is highly desirable.

Benefits

• Employee discount: amazing discounts available on all Oak Furnitureland products after successful completion of probation.
• Life assurance: free cover of a minimum of two times your annual salary up to the age of 65.
• 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays.
• Birthday: an additional day off for you to celebrate your birthday.
• Hybrid working.
• Pension: 4% employee contribution matched by the company.
• Employee Assistance Programme: gives all employees access to both telephone and face‑to‑face counselling services.
• My Rewards Programme: offers discounts on everything from restaurants and supermarkets, to entertainment and holidays.
• Free on‑site parking.