Programme Management Contract Job Trends

Programme Management (Program Management)
UK

The table below provides summary statistics and contractor rates for jobs requiring Programme Management skills. It covers contract job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 15 October 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
15 Oct 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 268 183 138
Rank change year-on-year -85 -45 +12
Contract jobs citing Programme Management 561 520 695
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.01% 1.57% 1.85%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 1.20% 1.73% 2.15%
Number of daily rates quoted 335 314 382
10th Percentile £406 £162 £275
25th Percentile £475 £413 £450
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £575 £550 £550
Median % change year-on-year +4.55% - -6.78%
75th Percentile £700 £688 £700
90th Percentile £825 £801 £824
UK excluding London median daily rate £550 £543 £538
% change year-on-year +1.38% +0.93% -5.20%
Number of hourly rates quoted 28 43 15
10th Percentile £20.93 £17.01 £19.15
25th Percentile £31.44 £23.50 £23.34
Median hourly rate £42.59 £35.60 £35.00
Median % change year-on-year +19.63% +1.71% -21.22%
75th Percentile £86.25 £65.13 £46.42
90th Percentile £102.95 £84.50 £86.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £65.00 £27.54 £24.18
% change year-on-year +136.02% +13.90% -46.27%

All Process & Methodology Skills
UK

Programme Management falls under the Processes and Methodologies category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring process or methodology skills.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for process or methodology skills 46,870 30,047 32,387
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 84.76% 90.49% 86.01%
Number of daily rates quoted 28,156 18,700 19,515
10th Percentile £325 £294 £308
25th Percentile £425 £404 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £500 £525
Median % change year-on-year +5.00% -4.76% -2.42%
75th Percentile £638 £623 £638
90th Percentile £738 £725 £750
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £475 £500
% change year-on-year +5.26% -5.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 3,444 1,888 1,247
10th Percentile £13.53 £14.38 £15.00
25th Percentile £16.94 £17.30 £20.12
Median hourly rate £37.50 £25.15 £40.00
Median % change year-on-year +49.11% -37.13% -10.11%
75th Percentile £65.00 £42.50 £65.00
90th Percentile £78.18 £65.25 £73.75
UK excluding London median hourly rate £37.50 £22.27 £40.33
% change year-on-year +68.43% -44.79% -8.14%

Programme Management
Job Vacancy Trend

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Programme Management relative to all contract IT jobs advertised.

Programme Management job vacancy trend in the UK

Programme Management
Daily Rate Trend

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Programme Management.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Programme Management

Programme Management
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Programme Management over the 6 months to 15 October 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Programme Management in the UK

Programme Management
Hourly Rate Trend

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Programme Management.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Programme Management

Programme Management
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Programme Management over the 6 months to 15 October 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Programme Management in the UK

Programme Management
Top 17 Contract Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Programme Management within the UK over the 6 months to 15 October 2026. The 'Rank Change' column provides an indication of the change in demand within each location based on the same 6 month period last year.

Location Rank Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Matching
Contract
IT Job Ads
Median
Daily Rate
Past 6 Months
Median Daily Rate
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
England -82 474 £588 +2.17% 100
London -16 263 £631 +2.81% 37
UK excluding London -109 244 £550 +1.38% 81
Work from Home -56 189 £557 -9.14% 53
North of England -62 67 £495 -7.82% 25
South East -41 62 £575 -3.77% 21
Yorkshire -18 43 £494 -8.01% 11
Scotland -19 37 £500 - 1
Midlands -61 36 £600 - 9
West Midlands -53 24 £600 -4.00% 6
North West -54 23 £525 -4.55% 9
South West -81 21 £669 +21.59% 15
East of England -27 20 £550 -12.00% 8
East Midlands -15 12 £650 +57.58% 3
Wales -15 3 £613 +47.77% 2
Northern Ireland -5 2 £775 +369.70% 2
North East -44 1 £350 +14.29% 5

Programme Management
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities by Category

The following tables expand on the one above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. They cover the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each category:

Application Platforms
1 32 (5.70%) Confluence
2 6 (1.07%) IIS
2 6 (1.07%) SharePoint
3 5 (0.89%) CMS
4 2 (0.36%) Apache
4 2 (0.36%) Apache Airflow
4 2 (0.36%) Apache Spark
4 2 (0.36%) Apache Superset
4 2 (0.36%) Oracle Service Bus
4 2 (0.36%) Oracle SOA Suite
4 2 (0.36%) SAS
5 1 (0.18%) Adobe Experience Manager
Applications
1 31 (5.53%) Microsoft Office
2 30 (5.35%) Microsoft Excel
2 30 (5.35%) Microsoft Project
3 25 (4.46%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 4 (0.71%) MS Visio
5 3 (0.53%) Spreadsheet
6 2 (0.36%) Chatbot
7 1 (0.18%) Adobe Premiere
7 1 (0.18%) Notion
7 1 (0.18%) Windchill
Business Applications
1 23 (4.10%) SAP S/4HANA
2 6 (1.07%) Oracle ERP
3 4 (0.71%) Magento
4 3 (0.53%) SAP MDG
4 3 (0.53%) SAP SD
5 2 (0.36%) NetSuite
5 2 (0.36%) Oracle EBS
5 2 (0.36%) SAP BRIM
5 2 (0.36%) SAP EWM
5 2 (0.36%) SAP IBP
5 2 (0.36%) SAP MM
5 2 (0.36%) Teamcenter
6 1 (0.18%) Dynamics CRM
6 1 (0.18%) ENOVIA
6 1 (0.18%) Finacle
6 1 (0.18%) FLEXCUBE
6 1 (0.18%) Loan IQ
6 1 (0.18%) SAP CO
6 1 (0.18%) SimCorp Dimension
6 1 (0.18%) Workday HCM
Cloud Services
1 54 (9.63%) Azure
2 29 (5.17%) AWS
3 22 (3.92%) Power Platform
4 17 (3.03%) Azure DevOps
4 17 (3.03%) SaaS
5 13 (2.32%) GCP
5 13 (2.32%) Google Workspace
6 12 (2.14%) Entra ID
7 8 (1.43%) Microsoft 365
7 8 (1.43%) OCI
8 6 (1.07%) Dynamics 365
9 5 (0.89%) Smartsheet
10 4 (0.71%) SuccessFactors
11 3 (0.53%) Microsoft Copilot
11 3 (0.53%) Snowflake
12 2 (0.36%) Anthropic Claude
12 2 (0.36%) Asana
12 2 (0.36%) Azure Data Factory
12 2 (0.36%) ChatGPT
12 2 (0.36%) Salesforce Service Cloud
Communications & Networking
1 9 (1.60%) Network Security
2 6 (1.07%) TCP/IP
3 5 (0.89%) DNS
3 5 (0.89%) HTTPS
4 4 (0.71%) Firewall
4 4 (0.71%) LAN
4 4 (0.71%) VPN
4 4 (0.71%) WAN
5 3 (0.53%) DHCP
5 3 (0.53%) IPv4
5 3 (0.53%) IPv6
5 3 (0.53%) VLAN
6 2 (0.36%) FTP
6 2 (0.36%) Kerberos
6 2 (0.36%) Software-Defined Networking
6 2 (0.36%) Structured Cabling
6 2 (0.36%) Unified Communications
7 1 (0.18%) Ethernet VPN
7 1 (0.18%) SD-WAN
7 1 (0.18%) VXLAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 16 (2.85%) Power BI
2 6 (1.07%) Qlik Sense
3 4 (0.71%) Big Data
3 4 (0.71%) Data Warehouse
4 3 (0.53%) Electronic Patient Records
4 3 (0.53%) Metadata
4 3 (0.53%) PostgreSQL
5 2 (0.36%) Trino
6 1 (0.18%) Data Lake
6 1 (0.18%) Db2
6 1 (0.18%) MongoDB
6 1 (0.18%) Oracle Reports
6 1 (0.18%) SQL Server Analysis Services
6 1 (0.18%) SQL Server Integration Services
6 1 (0.18%) SQL Server Reporting Services
6 1 (0.18%) Tableau
Development Applications
1 45 (8.02%) JIRA
2 7 (1.25%) Git
3 4 (0.71%) Jenkins
3 4 (0.71%) Subversion
4 2 (0.36%) Atlassian Bamboo
4 2 (0.36%) Bitbucket
5 1 (0.18%) Rational DOORS
General
1 281 (50.09%) Finance
2 233 (41.53%) Social Skills
3 94 (16.76%) Analytical Skills
4 78 (13.90%) Public Sector
5 68 (12.12%) Influencing Skills
6 50 (8.91%) Banking
6 50 (8.91%) Organisational Skills
7 41 (7.31%) Retail
8 34 (6.06%) Legal
9 31 (5.53%) Manufacturing
10 28 (4.99%) Presentation Skills
11 23 (4.10%) Aerospace
12 22 (3.92%) Marketing
13 16 (2.85%) Telecoms
14 15 (2.67%) Local Government
15 13 (2.32%) Documentation Skills
16 10 (1.78%) Aviation
16 10 (1.78%) Front Office
16 10 (1.78%) Investment Banking
16 10 (1.78%) Pharmaceutical
Job Titles
1 133 (23.71%) Project Manager
2 108 (19.25%) Programme Manager
3 92 (16.40%) Lead
4 69 (12.30%) Senior
5 49 (8.73%) Senior Manager
6 33 (5.88%) Transformation Manager
7 29 (5.17%) Senior Project Manager
7 29 (5.17%) Technical Manager
8 24 (4.28%) Consultant
8 24 (4.28%) Delivery Manager
9 23 (4.10%) Analyst
9 23 (4.10%) IT Manager
9 23 (4.10%) Transformation Programme Manager
10 16 (2.85%) Architect
11 15 (2.67%) Digital Programme Manager
11 15 (2.67%) IT Project Manager
12 13 (2.32%) SAP Manager
12 13 (2.32%) Technical Project Manager
13 11 (1.96%) Business Analyst
13 11 (1.96%) PMO Lead
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 15 (2.67%) Oracle Fusion
2 11 (1.96%) REST
3 6 (1.07%) OAuth
3 6 (1.07%) SailPoint
4 5 (0.89%) JSON
4 5 (0.89%) Middleware
5 4 (0.71%) Terraform
5 4 (0.71%) VML
5 4 (0.71%) Web Services
5 4 (0.71%) XML
6 3 (0.53%) ADO
6 3 (0.53%) RESTful
7 2 (0.36%) LDAP
7 2 (0.36%) ModSecurity
7 2 (0.36%) OAuth2
7 2 (0.36%) SAML
7 2 (0.36%) SOAP
7 2 (0.36%) XSD
7 2 (0.36%) XSLT
8 1 (0.18%) React
Miscellaneous
1 35 (6.24%) Management Information System
2 25 (4.46%) Onboarding
2 25 (4.46%) Operational Technology
3 24 (4.28%) Product Ownership
4 18 (3.21%) Data Protection Act
5 15 (2.67%) Enterprise Software
6 11 (1.96%) Legacy Systems
6 11 (1.96%) NHS
7 9 (1.60%) Industry 4.0
7 9 (1.60%) Virtual Team
8 8 (1.43%) AI Agents
9 7 (1.25%) Data Centre
9 7 (1.25%) Distributed Systems
10 6 (1.07%) FMCG
10 6 (1.07%) Greenfield Project
10 6 (1.07%) Life Science
10 6 (1.07%) PMI
11 5 (0.89%) Derivative
11 5 (0.89%) Fixed Income
11 5 (0.89%) Mainframe
Operating Systems
1 8 (1.43%) Windows
2 4 (0.71%) Linux
2 4 (0.71%) zOS
3 3 (0.53%) Unix
4 1 (0.18%) Alpine Linux
4 1 (0.18%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
4 1 (0.18%) Ubuntu
4 1 (0.18%) Windows Server
Processes & Methodologies
1 300 (53.48%) Stakeholder Management
2 190 (33.87%) Agile
3 163 (29.06%) Project Management
4 135 (24.06%) Decision-Making
5 129 (22.99%) PRINCE2
6 120 (21.39%) Stakeholder Engagement
7 115 (20.50%) Continuous Improvement
8 113 (20.14%) Roadmaps
9 104 (18.54%) Programme Governance
10 100 (17.83%) Change Management
11 98 (17.47%) Problem-Solving
12 94 (16.76%) Risk Management
13 93 (16.58%) Project Delivery
14 85 (15.15%) Programme Delivery
15 77 (13.73%) AI
16 63 (11.23%) Cybersecurity
17 58 (10.34%) Migration
17 58 (10.34%) Technology Transformation
18 55 (9.80%) Scaled Agile Framework
19 54 (9.63%) Scrum
Programming Languages
1 6 (1.07%) Java
2 4 (0.71%) PowerShell
2 4 (0.71%) SQL
3 2 (0.36%) BeanShell
3 2 (0.36%) Python
4 1 (0.18%) ABAP
4 1 (0.18%) Bash
4 1 (0.18%) Bicep
4 1 (0.18%) Korn
4 1 (0.18%) VBA
Qualifications
1 96 (17.11%) Degree
2 93 (16.58%) Security Cleared
3 88 (15.69%) PMP
4 74 (13.19%) PMI Certification
5 70 (12.48%) SC Cleared
6 18 (3.21%) BPSS Clearance
7 14 (2.50%) CISM
7 14 (2.50%) CISSP
7 14 (2.50%) DV Cleared
8 12 (2.14%) Master's Degree
8 12 (2.14%) PRINCE2 Practitioner
9 9 (1.60%) PgMP
10 8 (1.43%) TOGAF Certification
11 7 (1.25%) Computer Science Degree
11 7 (1.25%) MBA
12 4 (0.71%) HND
12 4 (0.71%) ITIL Certification
12 4 (0.71%) Six Sigma Green Belt
13 3 (0.53%) APMP
13 3 (0.53%) SAFe Agilist
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 108 (19.25%) PMO
2 24 (4.28%) QA
3 17 (3.03%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 16 (2.85%) Data Quality
5 12 (2.14%) GDPR
6 10 (1.78%) GRC
7 8 (1.43%) NIST
8 7 (1.25%) P3O
9 6 (1.07%) HIPAA
9 6 (1.07%) PCI DSS
9 6 (1.07%) Sarbanes-Oxley
10 5 (0.89%) NCSC
11 4 (0.71%) MiFID
12 3 (0.53%) Actionable Recommendations
12 3 (0.53%) Cyber Essentials
12 3 (0.53%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
12 3 (0.53%) EMIR
12 3 (0.53%) ISO 9001
12 3 (0.53%) SLA
12 3 (0.53%) SOC 2
System Software
1 8 (1.43%) Active Directory
2 3 (0.53%) Virtual Machines
3 2 (0.36%) VMware Infrastructure
4 1 (0.18%) Docker
4 1 (0.18%) Firmware
4 1 (0.18%) ISA Server
4 1 (0.18%) VMware NSX
4 1 (0.18%) vSphere
Systems Management
1 7 (1.25%) Ansible
2 3 (0.53%) Microsoft Intune
2 3 (0.53%) Single Sign-On
3 2 (0.36%) Kubernetes
4 1 (0.18%) Control-M
4 1 (0.18%) MOM
4 1 (0.18%) SCCM
4 1 (0.18%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
Vendors
1 88 (15.69%) Microsoft
2 48 (8.56%) SAP
3 22 (3.92%) Oracle
4 20 (3.57%) ServiceNow
5 15 (2.67%) Salesforce
6 12 (2.14%) Google
7 8 (1.43%) Atlassian
8 6 (1.07%) Databricks
8 6 (1.07%) IBM
8 6 (1.07%) Palantir
9 5 (0.89%) Zscaler
10 3 (0.53%) Ariba
10 3 (0.53%) Bloomberg
10 3 (0.53%) Charles River
10 3 (0.53%) CyberArk
10 3 (0.53%) Dell
11 2 (0.36%) Adobe
11 2 (0.36%) Siebel
11 2 (0.36%) SimCorp
11 2 (0.36%) Temenos