Defence Digital Programme Delivery Manager

Defence Digital ensures our Armed Forces remain among the most technologically advanced in the world. We do this by putting innovative and effective technology into the hands of over 200,000 users, from the boardroom to the front line.

We lead on cutting-edge data science, automation, and cybersecurity at scale. Our mission goes beyond the battlefield by leading humanitarian efforts and driving digital innovation that impacts lives across the globe.

Defence Digital forms part of Strategic Command which manages the MOD’s joint capabilities for the Army, RAF, and Royal Navy.

Watch our video to see what we do at Defence Digital!

Passionate about using your skills to make a critical difference? Your next career move could be here!

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

As a Programme Manager, you play a crucial role in ensuring the integrated and assured delivery of a complex and regulated portfolio of projects and programmes. You will be responsible for delivering complex products and services within a portfolio that delivers predictive technologies, AI, and software products.  These will be managed by multiple teams, often involving high technical or political risk. We seek motivated Programme Managers who thrive in fast-paced environments and possess in-depth knowledge of Agile and other methodologies.

You should possess a strategic understanding of schedule changes, conflicts, and risks affecting portfolio performance, cost, and time constraints, as well as operational delivery. You will oversee program-level schedule analysis to escalate, report, and communicate schedule changes to key stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

• Manage dependencies of varying complexity, potentially planning, and feeding into larger programmes and portfolios.
• Responsible for understanding, managing, and communicating to complex stakeholder groups, balancing priorities.
• Monitor, manage and report on programme budget, understanding and supporting the financial planning cycle where required.
• Responsible for managing project budget and keeping within delegated limits.
• Responsible for timely and accurate financial reporting for team including forecasts of out-turn, risk, and input to annual financial planning as required.
• Remove blockers and manage risks, commercials, budgets, and people and be an initial escalation point for the programme.

For further information on the role and skills, please see the Government Digital Data Capability Framework: Programme delivery manager - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework 

We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment where every team member can contribute, grow, and excel together.  We are looking for ambitious, motivated, and confident individuals with exceptional communication skills. Effective stakeholder and relationship management are essential as you will build a highly engaged team with a clear vision for the future.

You will cultivate strong, supportive relationships with colleagues in Defence Digital and other government departments, driving suppliers to achieve exceptional performance levels. As a skilled servant leader, you will proactively solve problems while maintaining a big-picture perspective that you can effectively communicate to the team and broader stakeholder community to help focus and motivate. You will confidently manage staff and provide direction for Crown Servants and suppliers, balancing objectives and redeploying people and resources as priorities change.

When submitting your CV, please highlight your career history and experience relevant to this role. Additionally, refer to the "Things You Need to Know" section of the advert and provide a personal statement (max. 1250 words) demonstrating the essential criteria listed below:

• Describe how you have managed competing demands and helped the stakeholders and suppliers collaborate to agree on mutual success and a positive outcome.
• Describe your experience of overseeing suppliers and what actions you have taken to ensure they are delivering well and achieving desired outcomes.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Communicating between Technical and Non-Technical
• Agile and Lean Practices

Benefits

• Flexible working options- we understand the importance of adapting work to your life.
• Inclusion and diversity- our culture celebrates uniqueness and encourages collaboration of diverse thought.
• A pension scheme which secures your future.
• Generous annual leave- starting with 25 days and growing to 30 after just 5 years.
• Minimum of 15 Days Special Leave in a rolling 12-month period to volunteer for military or emergency service reserve commitments.
• Special Paid Leave for volunteering up to 6 days a year.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• Most sites have good travel links with free car parking; many also have other facilities such as a Sports & Social Club and Gyms
• You can read more here- Civil Service Employee Benefits , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Equality and Diversity 
Our people are at the heart of everything we do at Defence Digital. It’s vital that our workforce reflects the diversity of both our audience and the wider society in the UK, so we’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and we actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds and communities. We also recognise the importance of a good work life balance, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including part-time and job shares for all our roles. Please let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process if this is something you want to explore.

Professional Framework Statement   
Defence Digital operates an organisation model in which every individual belongs to a Government Profession. The successful applicant will be posted into one of the defined Government Professions on Standard Terms of Reference for the grade. Defence Digital reserves the right to move individuals between roles, within their allocated profession, to meet the needs of the business and in support of agile resourcing.  Within Defence Digital each profession is led by a Professional Head of Community who will lead professional development and support the Continuous Professional Development path for their group.