Programme Planning & PMO Lead

Interim Programme Planning & PMO Lead

Sector: Higher Education

Location: London / HybridDuration: 6 monthsDay Rate: £400-£475 (Inside IR35)

We are seeking an experienced Programme Planning & PMO Lead to join a high-profile transformation programme within a leading London-based Higher Education organisation. This interim role will play a key part in driving programme planning, governance, and reporting across multiple workstreams.

The RoleAs Programme Planning & PMO Lead, you will:

• Develop and maintain integrated programme plans, consolidating inputs from MS Project, MS Planner, JIRA, and supplier plans.
• Align Agile delivery cycles with stage-gated governance, providing visibility of milestones, dependencies, and critical paths.
• Oversee PMO governance, including documentation control, change management, risk/issue tracking, and quality assurance.
• Produce insightful reports and dashboards for senior stakeholders, ensuring transparency across delivery.
• Facilitate governance meetings, track actions, and support continuous improvement in programme controls.

Essential Experience:We are looking for someone with proven experience in:

• Leading programme planning and PMO functions on large, complex, multi-workstream change programmes ideally in Higher Education organisations.
• Managing risks, issues, and dependencies to keep delivery on track.
• Using planning tools (MS Project, MS Planner, JIRA) and integrating multiple data sources.
• Balancing Agile and stage-gated methodologies in a unified plan.
• Designing and optimising governance processes.
• Producing high-quality, executive-level reporting.

This role requires a detail-oriented professional with excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to influence at all levels.