Programme Manager

Interim Programme Manager
£550 to £600/day (Outside IR35)
Hybrid: Taunton, 3 days/week on site
Start: ASAP

The opportunity

Our client is at the start of a significant technology transformation and needs an experienced interim Programme Manager to bring structure to how change gets delivered.

You’ll stand up and run a programme migrating a disparate set of legacy systems onto a suite of COTS platforms. This is configuration and implementation, not bespoke development. Alongside delivery, you’ll shape the delivery approach itself: a pragmatic hybrid of Agile and Waterfall, with proportionate governance, supported by a team of internal and potentially interim project managers.

Reporting to the Head of IT, this is a hands-on role. The organisation carries real legacy technical and operational debt, and almost everything on the list is genuinely important. You’ll need the judgement to prioritise, the credibility to make those calls stick, and the willingness to get into the detail to keep things moving.

What you’ll deliver

• End-to-end delivery of a multi-project programme of COTS implementations, system configuration, upgrades and rollouts
• A workable delivery framework: governance, RAID management, planning and reporting that fit the organisation, not a textbook
• Process mapping and requirements workshops with business experts, turning complex needs into clear deliverables
• Plans, budgets, RAID logs and timelines managed day to day
• Resolution of design and technical issues with project teams, suppliers and end users
• Testing, training, cutover and go-live coordinated to minimise disruption to frontline services
• Clear prioritisation and resource allocation across competing demands
• Guidance and upskilling for internal project staff, leaving behind capability that lasts beyond your contract

What you’ll bring

• A strong track record as an interim or contract Programme Manager delivering IT software implementations, system rollouts and business change
• Experience migrating from legacy estates to COTS or SaaS platforms
• Practical command of PRINCE2, Waterfall and Agile, and the judgement to blend them
• Experience introducing structure or governance where little existed before
• Confidence leading a matrix team of internal staff and third-party suppliers, influencing at all levels and holding firm on what matters
• Ability to land quickly and make an impact in the first few weeks