Programme Manager

This role has a starting salary of £63,823 per annum, for working 36 hours per week. This is a fixed-term contract opportunity until 31st March 2027.

We are excited to be recruiting a Programme Manager to join our fantastic team. This role is based at Woodhatch Place in Reigate and offers hybrid working with office attendance to facilitate workshops, attend meetings and collaborate with colleagues.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service (prorated for part time staff)
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.

About the Role

As Programme Manager for the Service Systems workstream, you will lead the planning, coordination and delivery of systems transition activity within an assigned area of the Local Government Reorganisation programme. Working across services, IT & Data teams, suppliers and programme stakeholders, you will help ensure that essential systems are assessed, prioritised and transitioned in a controlled way so that services can operate safely and effectively from Vesting Day.

You will be the main point of coordination for your allocated portfolio of services and systems. You will bring together subject matter experts, business analysts, technical specialists, delivery teams and suppliers, providing the structure and leadership needed to resolve issues, maintain momentum and give programme leaders clear assurance on progress and readiness.

As Programme Manager, you will be:

• Developing and maintaining transition plans, implementation roadmaps, delivery schedules and milestone tracking for assigned service areas.
• Establishing prioritised and agreed system lists, including tranche classifications and associated delivery activity.
• Overseeing system readiness assessments and implementation plans to support Vesting Day requirements.
• Coordinating requirements, actions and decisions arising from engagement with service leads, subject matter experts and business analysts.
• Managing risks, issues, dependencies and blockers, with timely escalation where required.
• Producing governance papers, assurance updates and clear progress reporting for boards and programme forums.
• Planning the resources, capacity and skills needed for delivery, and identifying gaps.
• Supporting the financial management of transition activity, including cost forecasting, budget monitoring and business case development.
• Maintaining a clear audit trail of decisions, approvals, actions and evidence of completion and readiness.

You will be comfortable operating in a complex, high-profile programme involving multiple councils, service areas and technology environments. You will be able to work at pace, manage competing priorities, navigate ambiguity and influence a broad range of stakeholders to deliver agreed outcomes within challenging timescales.

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• A degree-level qualification or equivalent relevant experience in programme, project or change management.
• Significant experience of delivering complex projects, programmes or transformation initiatives within a large organisation.
• Experience of leading multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders in a matrix management environment.
• Strong capability in managing plans, risks, issues, dependencies, resources, budgets and governance processes.
• Proven ability to influence and engage senior stakeholders, suppliers and subject matter experts to achieve successful outcomes.
• Strong analytical, communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear recommendations.
• Knowledge of change management, project management and continuous improvement, and their practical application.
• Comprehensive knowledge of computerised business systems.

A professional project or programme management qualification such as MSP, PRINCE2, APM PMQ or equivalent, and experience of local government, organisational change, service transition or technology-enabled transformation programmes would be advantageous.

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 4 questions:

1. Please provide an example of a complex programme or transformation initiative you led, including the challenges you faced, the approach you took and the outcomes achieved.
2. Describe a time when you planned or delivered a business or service systems transition. How did you manage dependencies, assess readiness and ensure a successful outcome?
3. Give an example of how you led multidisciplinary teams and influenced diverse stakeholders without direct line management authority. What challenges did you face and what was the outcome?
4. This role involves managing competing priorities, risks, dependencies, resources and costs across a complex programme. How have you maintained effective governance and ensured delivery to deadlines?

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 01/11/2026 with interviews planned to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation and will move to new authorities in April 2027. This role is currently employed by Surrey County Council and will remain so until then. If you are employed by Surrey County Council on 1 April 2027, your employment will transfer under TUPE arrangements to one of the new councils, with your current terms and conditions protected. Please see more information on our website.

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.